'ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1909-1910' [‎142v] (14/148)

Vagrants.
Wild animals
and snakes-
Criminal
Justice.
Prisons, Civil
and Criminal.
vni
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[1909-
■191 0 .
with a host of petty and sometimes vexatious prosecutions. The
of persons convicted to persons arrested has risen but the percental 6
recovered has decreased considerably. 0(3 P r °perty
12. The total number of inmates in the Government Workh
187, and of these 87 were provided with employment and 24 were d' 0 ^ 6
having means. There was no inmate in the Female Workhouse
cost to Government on account of the Vagrancy Act fell from Us 9 8^°^
13. The number of persons who were killed by wild animals in
4 to 36. Increase is also observable in the mortality from snakebite
rose by per cent, to 1,345. Of the deaths from this cause over 20 , b"*
occurred in Ratnagiri, 11 per cent, in Hyderabad and 7 'S per cent in T ) 00 ' 11
The number of cattle killed by wild animals and snakes increased by Ifi a '
cent. At the same time there has been a considerable increase of 62 p ^
in the number of snakes destroyed, and of these 60 per cent, were destrov 7 “*'
Ratnagiri. The number of wild animals destroyed was practically douhl 1
wolves as usual proved most destructive and accounted for 69 per c i - 6 f
the number of cattle killed, their ravages in Thar and Parkar and Hvderai !]
being responsible for the loss of 3,137 and 2,419 cattle respectively. hJ ,
wild elephants crossed over into Kiinara from Mysore territory and did S °
siderable damage to crops. The amount of rewards given for the destructio^f
wild animals and snakes increased, but there was a decrease in the number nf
new gun licenses granted for protection of crops.
14. There was a slight increase in the number of offences reported of
whioh over 93 per cent, were returned as true. Considerably less than half of
these were under the Indian Penal Code and of these the largest number
amounting to over 13 per cent, of the total number of offences reported, were
cases of hurt m which only 7 per cent, of the persons accused were convicted.
Next m importance of number come offences of criminal intimidation, insult
but ^T 063 , ° f miselllef and ounces of criminal force and assault,
m these cases also the number of persons convicted was very slight, amount-
Case^nf fwfif" 8 P f', ceilt - aDd 16 P er c ent„ respectively, of those accused,
lenteul 4 7 , Per Cent ' and 67 per cent - of accused received
remained+h 6 ! 1Umber f murders decreased from 251 to 230. Bombay
erirnllt! I , Cn T“ al dlStrict and was foll o w od in the table of comparative
cZe 1 1 ^ ; me ' abad) P0 ° na and P ^ana. The two districts in which
brouZZ flrf preVak ' nt were Kjapurand Ratnagiri. Of those who were
nrnAZ I per . Cent Were acquitted or discharged, about the same
20 ZZ7i aS m M 9 preVI0US year - Sentence of death was passed in 79 cases,
almn<it ii, aQ 111 ® P ievl °us year, but the number of transportations remained
inent andTifZ 9 o '• re ? aS & decrease both in sentences of imprison-
exceed iZkZ qa ln ^ 6 ^ atter , as in the previous year, the fines did not
25 ner cent 1 Z *' 1G ease8, Whippings again decreased, being
to the M ? an r °7 mfliCted “ 1908 > a “ d the percentage of whippings
r.recedZ ber ° f f. 11 P uni! *ments was 10'3 compared with 130 in the
in 19 npr yea . r ' . a PP ea ^ resulted in the reversal of the sentence
disagreed Zr Z ® In tlials by j ury in Courts of Sessions the Judge
triaT Z. l; Ct . 0f tb6 in 11 per cent, of the cases. In
25 p er een ^ a ‘' sessola 16 opinion of all the assessors was rejected in nearly
ner cent 1 ^ n P°P lda ^ on shews only a slight increase (less than one
per cent.). Overcrowding was noticeable in many of the prisons. On the