'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1907-1908' [‎13v] (25/137)

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BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[1907-1908.
Port Trusts:
Bombay,
Karachi and
Aden.
Co-operative
Credit
Societies.
Crop area.
Agricultural
experiments.
Aden Shipping Office continue to expand. There was a further increase of
nearly 1,000 in the number of seamen engaged.
26. The result of the year’s working of the Bombay Port Trust was again
most satisfactory and another record in receipts was established. So prosperous
was the financial position that, notwithstanding a liberal rebate on certain port
charges, which amounted to 7 -J lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , there still remained a net surplus of over
4 |; lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . About one-fourth of the excavation and one-fifth of the masonry work
on the New Docks have been completed. At Karachi, the year was marked by
unprecedented engineering activity, the expenditure exceeding 27f lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees ,
Bevenue increased by over 9 per cent. A small rise in the receipts of the Aden
Port Trust was balanced by higher expenditure due to the increased cost of
dredging operations.
27. The number of Co-operative Credit Societies was more than doubled
during the year and stands now at 145. The advance made was less than it
seems, however, for a large proportion of the new societies, especially in Satara, are
experimental. Societies in actual working number 109. The substantial progress
made is shewn by a rise of nearly two lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the total working capital and of
nearly a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the amount of deposits. Bural and Urban Societies between
them disbursed over Rs. 5^ lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in loans to members. Proper supervision of
accounts has been secured by the appointment of a staff of official auditors.
During the year Sind was separated from 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. and given a Registrar
of its own.
28. Owing to the unsatisfactory character of the season, the improvement
noticeable last year in the cropped area suffered a check both 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.
and Sind. In the former, where the distribution of rainfall was generally bad,
especially forkharif cultivation, the cropped area diminished by over 2 per cent.,
and the area cropped more than once by over 16 per cent. In Sind, where the
inundation was exceedingly poor, the decreases were as heavy as 16 and 29
per cent. The area under food crops, which declined by 3 and 14 per cent,
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. and Sind respectively, is now about a million acres below
normal; but the area under non-food crops, in spite of large decreases this year,
remains considerably above it. 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. the area under cereals
showed a decline of nearly one per cent., specially marked in Gujarat and the
Karnatic ; and that under pulses a decline of 15 per cent., shared by all districts
except Khandesh. On the other hand there was a marked improvement of
over 8 per cent, in the area under oil-seeds, mainly owing to increased cultivation
of safflower in the Deccan and castor-seed in Gujarat. Cereals, pulses and oil-seeds
in Sind were 14, 22 and 45 per cent, respectively below last year’s figures. The
cotton area decreased by 4 per cent., notwithstanding a slight increase in Sind;
conditions were generally unfavourable. The failure of the late rains led, 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. , to a great expansion of the area under irrigation, which
increased by nearly 23 per cent., and, for the first time for several years
exceeded the normal. The improvement was particularly noticeable in the
case of tank irrigation and irrigation from private canals. The low inundation
was responsible for a fall of 20 per cent, in the irrigated area in Sind.
29. The year was one of varied activity and substantial progress, in spite
of the fact that at several stations climatic conditions were unpropitious.
Cotton, as usual, absorbed much attention. The hybrids grown upon the Surat
I arm maintain their superiority in value over the local variety, but, in view
ot the fact that their ginning percentage is declining, the expectations formed
ot them may perhaps have been too sanguine. The object to be aimed at is to