'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1904-1905' [‎122v] (20/116)

Sea Customs,
Bombay.
Land Customs.
Opium.
XIV
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[I90t-l905
Es. 3,08,96,780, were less than those of the previous year by about 85 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of
rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. owing to suspensions and remissions of revenue in tracts where the crop
suffered from deficient rainfall. The large decrease in the number of distraints,
especially in the Northern Division where the crops were very poor, afford
ample evidence of the sympathetic manner in which the cultivators were treated
58. As compared with last year there was a rise of over 10 Mkhs in tt e
Bombay Customs House receipts. Save for an export duty on rice and riee-flour
which yielded about 3 l&khs, the whole of the receipts were derived from impoit
duties. Owing to the payment of refunds of countervailing duties on bounty-fed
sugar having ceased, expenditure on this account declined by more than 31^
There was a noticeable contraction from lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees to 2f- in the average drawback
paid during the last five years, as compared with the average of the previous
five years 5 period. The value of goods bonded still further decreased.
Karachi and Sind Tbe net Customs receipts at Karachi and other Sind ports increased as
Ports. compared with last year by more than 21 per cent. As at Bombay, there was
a considerable fall in the value of refunds made in connection with bonnh
fed sugar.
Some changes were made in the Kathiawar frontier and a cordon of
preventive posts placed round the Dhandhuka taluka. Receipts on the Kathia
war frontier were much larger, but a true comparison is not possible, as the
frontier ups not established throughout the whole of the previous year. Larger
imports of salted fish from Goa increased the revenue on the Goa frontier.
54. A pronounced fall in the Chinese demand for Malwa opium, due most
probably to excessive shipments last year and to enhanced duty, resulted in 3
fall of nearly 18J lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. in Imperial opium revenue, the exports
declining by more than 6,300 chests. A slightly increased demand for opium
for home consumption'^was responsible for an increase in the amount of duty
realised of about Es. 30,000 The first effect of the introduction of the single
shop system into Bombay and KMndesh was a pronounced fall in the sales
of opium. The smaller sums realised by way of duty were far more than
compensated by the large amount paid by vendors in Khandesh for their licenses,
But as no maximum selling price had been fixed, the vendors raised the selling
price in some cases by more than 50 per cent. It is feared that this large
enhancement of price will stimulate smuggling and illicit consumption,
Accordingly it remains to be seen what effect it will have on the working of the
single shop system, which present many difficulties. The increased selling price
of opium was responsible for large decreases in the sales of opium in three of
the monopoly districts, but in three others there was a slight increase coinciding
with the disappearance of famine conditions. Actual sales of opium decreased
in British districts by about 9 per cent., hut rose slightly in Native States.
Sind and Aden.
An increase in the selling price was responsible for a decrease in tte
sales of opium in Sind, and a consequent fall of about Es. 7,000 in the opi^
revenue realised. A decrease in opium consumption at Aden was one featm’ 6
of a year of depression at that port.
55. Eor the Salt Department the year under report was an extremely active
one, as not only had large quantities of salt lost in the cyclone of 1903 to he
replaced in order to bring up stocks to a safe level, hut measures taken to meets
substantial increase in the demand following on a reduction of duty. Theactua
stock of Bardgra salt now amounts to 63 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of mannds. There was a W
increase in the production and also in removals of sea salt, while imports ft 0111
Goa improved to some extent. In Gujarat the full benefit of the recent reduction
of duty has gone to the consumer, hut elsewhere in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. his slm 1 ' 0
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