'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1904-1905' [‎163v] (102/116)

Chap. V.
FINANCIAL
REVIEW.
Sources of supply.
Production.
Imports and
consnmp ti on.
Fish-curing.
Revenue and
expenditure.
Offences.
Salt in Aden.
Italian Salt Works
at Sheikh Othman.
Changes during
the year.
Country spirits.
\
Toddy.
78
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[1904.1^ [
benefit lias varied from 2 to 8 annas. The monopoly o£ Messrs. i\ T awroji Pestonji & q 0 ^
abolished and the salt trade thrown open to private traders who are now allowed to ^ ^
Bardgra salt to any station they choose. A site has been selected for a new set of
work and only awaits the sanction of Government.
Sind.
1. The sources of supply are (1) the Maurypur
Dilyar salt deposits.
salt works, (2) the Saran, and (3) t - 5
2. The balance at the beginning of the year was 111,518 maunds ; production amorm
to 382,068 maunds; removals to 309,303 maunds; 13,104 maunds were issued to His Hiotu
the Mir of Khairpur, and 7,696 maunds were lost by wastage. The balance at the close oft?
year was thus 163,142 maunds. Sales increased by 33,392 maunds to 309,303 mauuds. 5
3. Including imports of 1,594 and 11,733 maunds of table and rock salt by ^
agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , consumption amounted to 321,996 Indian maunds. The average rate of consumptj ?
per head rose from 7*37 to 8‘25 lbs. The average sale price fell from Rs. 2-14-3 to Ks.
per Indian maund.
4. At the Shamspir yard, 795 Indian maunds of salt were issued at Re. 1 per niaundf®
curing 3,647 maunds of fish against 970 Indian maunds for curing 4,614 maunds of fish int| a
previous year. At the Khada yard newly opened in 1904, 959 Indian maunds of saltweii
issued at Re. 1 per maund for curing 340,990 fish.
5. The gross receipts from excise duty and other charges amounted to Rs. 6,96,431 ai
the expenditure to Rs. 1,37,256 against Rs. 6,29,362 and Rs. 1,34,358 in the previous year.
6. The number of offences against the salt law detected during the year was 147 against
128 in the previous year.
Aden.
1. The quantity of salt manufactured fell from 88,247 maunds to 80,454 maunds. 0!
this 55,975 maunds were exported into the interior of Arabia and 24,480 maunds were consumsi
in British limits. Receipts decreased by Rs. 1,533 to Rs. 16,117 and expenditureinereasel
from Rs. 1,848 to Rs. 2,071.
2. Exports fell from 80,934 tons to 63,580 tons owing to the prevalence of plague.
19 Excise-
lor details see the Annual Report of the Excise Department for 1901-1305 and tables under V—Excise—appeiM
to the Financial and Commercial Statistics of British India.
1. Maximum prices were fixed for the retail sale of country spirit in the districts of Poona,
Satara and Belgaum. (ii) The single shop system of opium vend which obtained in tk j
districts of Thana, Kolaba, etc., was extended to the City of Bombay and the districts
Khandesh. (iii) The duty on Charas was raised from Rs. 2 to Rs. 6 per seer of 80 toliis wil I
effect from 1st April 1904. (iv) The rates for opium issued from Government depots w®
raised from time to time during the year, (v) The Cambay State having declined toagrei
to a renewal of the dbkari lease, the management was restored to the Darbdr.
2. The total receipts from still-head duty were Rs. 76,07,467 as against Rs. 67,34,6£7W |
year. The most striking increases in the districts worked under the “ District Monopolr I
Systemwere in Surat (Rs. 1,40,790), Broach (Rs. 97,199), and Dharwdr (Es. 41#
Deficiency payments under the minimum guarantee system amounted to Rs. 1,19,81^1
against Rs. 92,509 in the previous year. License fees for the sale of country spirits iny I
districts of Poona, Satara and Belganm and in Bombay realized Rs. 12,13,076 as aga® I
Rs.^9,44,986 last year. The number of shops licensed for the sale of country spirits was I
against 2,473 in the previous year. Sales of country spirits of 25° U. P. increased j
gallons and were 663,252 gallons in excess of the average of the preceding five years. {
most noticeable increases were in Khandesh, Poona, Thana and Surat and are attributed ^
improvement m the condition of the labouring classes. The amount of toddy spirit disti
decreased by 32,990 gallons in Ratndgiri and Bombay but increased by 2,387 gallons in j
lire decrease is m Ratnagri ascribed to the damage done by locusts to toddy trees.
3.
The revenue from toddy increased from Rs. 15,52,000 to Rs. 16,50,804. Receipts^
tree-tax amounted to Rs. 9,99,477 as against Rs. 9,74,976 in the previous year. L’ ceus 5 ^
for sae of toddy realized Ks. 6,41,325 as against Rs.. 5,67,132. Trees tapped for raw to /
e istricts numbered 235,230, while trees tapped in Bombay numbered 18,816- I J ' ce ! 1 i]
granted lor domestic consumption increased from 6,941 to 8,329, the increase being cl1 .
111 ura , wiere 1,412 such additional licenses were given chiefly to aboriginal trines-
a . ^ ° toddy increased by 140,469 gallons the most noticeable increase elD o
Surat (236,498 gallons).