'ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1908-1909' [‎78v] (18/132)

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BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[1908-
1909.
Bombay
Improvement
Trust.
Marine.
Port Trusts:
Bombay,
Karachi and
Aden.
strengthening 'the executive by the appointment of a Goyeminent servant as
chief officer, and only five City Municipalities w ' llln S to ^mply ^
this requirement. These alone received the extended ranc ise, hut 87 out of
the total of 153 permanent municipalities were thought fit to exercise tl,
privilege of choosing their presidents, hmancially the year was generally
successful, and the aggregate income of the municipalities showed an impro Ve ,
ment of nearly lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees to which all divisions contributed. Similarly a u
shared in a total advance of 5f lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in expenditure, tlm objects of ^
included a number of important public works and institutions. The Local
Audit Department again checked the accounts of a majority of municipality
and four cases ol fraud were detected. On the whole, municipal administration,
where not rendered ineffective by factions, bore evidence of a proper sense of
public responsibility, and failures, such as those which necessitated the suspension
oftheKairaand Dharangaon Municipalities, were happily altogether exceptional;
and it is anticipated that the year’s accession of independence will do much to
stimulate a further interest in municipal affairs on the part of the members.
24. The amendment of the City of Bombay Improvement Act removed
the chief difficulty which had formerly attended the acquisition of land, and tbe
area acquired during the year formed as much as 60 per cent, of the total acquired
by the Trust in the course of the ton years of its operations. As a result the
Capital expenditure was nearly up to the Budget estimate, and a number of
works were completed or nearing completion at the end of the year. Among
the principal schemes in progress, those relating to Princess Street and Sandhurst
Boad are now far advanced and within the space of a few years have resulted
in the complete transformation of an area full of insanitary dwellings and narrow
lanes. Little remains to be done in the Gamdevi Estate scheme, which has
effected a great improvement in the healthiness of a locality formerly notorious
for malaria. A large expenditure was as usual devoted to the construction of
chawls for the accommodation of the poorer population, and 1,214 more persons
were provided with homes by the completion of a new chawl in Princess Street and
of two additional blocks at Imamv&da, At the end of the year over 12,000
persons were thus accommodated, and chawls capable of receiving 2,616 more
were in process of construction. The year’s programme necessitated the raising
of a loan of 30 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , which was successfully floated in Bombay.
25. The depression of trade was reflected in a decline of 12 per cent, in
the net profits of the Bombay Shipping Office. There was a considerable decrease
in the number of seamen shipped. Less than 6 per cent, of these were Euro
peans, whose numbers showed a fall of 12 per cent., while the Asiatics enga^d
were fewer by less than 5 per cent. The number of European seamen sent homo
distressed was slightly larger than in the previous year and deserters were con
siderably more numerous. Three Marine Courts of Inquiry were held, one of
which resulted in the severe censure of the Chief Officer and the Master con
cerned and another in the suspension of a Master’s certificate. At Aden there
was little difference in the number of European seamen shipped, but Asiatics
were noticeably fewer.
26. During the first half-year trade was under the influence of the unfa-
vourable monsoon of 1907 and the traffic returns of the Bombay Port Trust
showed a decline of nearly 28 per cent, in comparison with the corresponding
period of the year before. Although, therefore, the second half-year exhibited
a recovery, the total receipts of the Trust were reduced by 2 i lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . This
result, however, had been auticipated and it was found possible to maintain the
satisfactory financial position of the Trust without discontinuing the tempos
rebates which had been introduced in the previous year and again reached a