'ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1909-1910' [‎139r] (7/148)

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PART I-
SUMMARY.
1 The year 1909-1910 was marked by the perpetration of two politioal
t affes A bomb was thrown at Lord Minto on the occasion of his visit to
Ahmedabad in November 1909, but failed to explode and His Excellency
scaped uninjured. Mr. A. M. T. Jackson, Collector of Nasik, was shot at and
killed at an entertainment given in his honour by a number of Indian gentlemen.
It subsequently transpired that the assassin belonged to a secret political con
spiracy. Mr. Jackson was distinguished by great qualities alike of heart and
of head, and by his death Government and 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. lost a valued officer.
"With these deplorable exceptions the public peace was not disturbed by active
sicms of disaffection. In the administrative sphere the most prominent
features were the appointment of an Indian gentleman to be member of the
Governor’s Executive Council, the enlargement of the Legislative Council, and
the continuation of the policy of withdrawing direct official control from District
Municipalities, several of which acquired the privilege of electing their own
president.
The season was generally favourable for agriculture. With the early
advent of the monsoon and a copious and well-distributed rainfall throughout
My and the first week of August, the kharif crops were in excellent condition
hut the expectation of bumper crops was disappointed by the general failure o
rains in the latter part of the season, with the result that the outturn of rabi crops,
particularly in the Deccan, was materially diminished. In Sind, the inundation,
compared with that of the preceding year, was low and ill-sustained. The area
under cultivation in part of the province fell to a considerable extent, thoug i
still in excess of the normal area. But 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. proper, the excellence
of the early rainfall resulted iu a large increase in the cropped area. e
area cropped more than once rose 33 per cent. The extent of land nn er
food-crops, particularly pulses, showed marked expansion, and the estimated on
turn of food-grains improved by over 30 per cent. The success of the cotton
grower was even more marked. The season was particularly favourable to ns
crop. The area under it increased by 18 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. propel,
while, under the influence of a short American crop, prices reached an nn
precedented level.
The increase in the cultivated and occupied area indicates that the
scarcity of plough cattle is now disappearing. The returns of the cat e
census held during the year under review point to a substantial recovery o
agricultural stock from the ravages of past years of scarcity. The return o
agricultural community to more prosperous conditions is re ec e m
considerably increased collections of land revenue, both of the current cm n
ari( l of the recovery of arrears, while there was a material a
receipts of both Local Eunds and Municipalities. One of the cine cur
rents which influenced the course of the year was the return of t e season
deemed auspicious for Hindu marriages, after the depression of the m ast
period, The numerous marriage festivities had a widespread influence. o
B 922—l s