'ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1909-1910' [‎201v] (134/148)

Chap. V.
financial
REVIEW,
90
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT*
[1909.
•^lo,
Intoxicating drugs
other than opium.
Opium.
Financial results.
Offences.
issueii
d&nja increased W
■ll» ov av anu. uuc aica —*" j The outturn wa 1
maunds or 11 maunds per acre compared with 1,217 maunds or 10 ^ maunds per acrp
T • nm r * 1 2-* 4- •* ■* r* /I t-i r\ 4- /-v 4- T-» CX t«/vrr\'i i -1 rwr* -C _ 1 , • . . ' 1^1 ()|}0
16
5. The number of villages
to 20 and the area under
Changes during the
year.
figures. The increase is largely due to a larger proportion of the fees for l 9 iQ,jg|.
been collected in advance. Imports of fermented liquors increased by 147,939 o> 11
1,235,475 gallons and sales increased to 1,040,777 gallons by 135,349 gallons, b \^ ^
denatured spirit increased by about 37,000 gallons. These figures are not altogether^ v
as they do not include sales made without license in original casks or packages w i-y
include those made by a wholesale to a retail licensee. . The number of licenses^ssnAd' 1 ^ ^ e y
sale of foreign'liquor was 405 against 398 in the preceding year.
in which hemp was cultivated for
cultivation from 113 to 374 acres. ^
was 4,290
j -'— a * # jy v/x CtOl* *
preceding year. The increase in cultivation is due to the resumption of cultivation a ,
had been taken to prevent the over-production which had reduced the prices 8 GpS
compelled cultivators to grow more profitable crops. Cultivation of hemp for bkdn ^
permitted in 3 villages in Ahmednagar District. The total area was acres and the qJ
produced was 7 mauuds 27 seers. The quantity lodged in the warehouses was 5,981 mannO 7
ffdnja, 210 maunds of b/idng and 183 maunds of ckaras against 2,095, 216 and 138
respectively in the preceding year. Owing to increase in pinces at the beginning of
importation of gdnja from the Central Provinces was permitted for the first time to J^l
smuggling. The total issues of gdnja, bhang and charas for sale 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. were 1 |p>
184 and 154 maunds respectively. Issues for purposes of export were 885, 22, and 6 mv/t
respectively. The consumption of has decreased from 44,810 seers to 41,389 seers l fKf
of bhang has remained almost stationary at 7,102 seers, while consumption of charas '
increased from 4,771 seers in the preceding year to 6,094 seers in the year under report %
revenue from duty on intoxicating drugs amounted to Ps. 4,58,183 compared with Rs. 417 84,0
in the preceding year, while the revenue from license fees rose from Rs. 1,71 ,687 tn
Rs. 2,00,977, but, excluding arrears, the actual amount bid for the year was Rs. 1 64 5^0
against Rs. 1,67,071 in 1908-1909. The number of shops licensed decreased by 4 to 585 * °
6 . Two hundred and nine chests were imported direct from Malwa on payment of f ii
excise duty compared with 148 chests in the previous year. Imports of duty-free opium iut
privileged Native States increased by 4 chests to 106 chests. The number of chests issued from
the Bombay warehouse for home consumption was 1,088 against 1,188| chests in the preceding
year. The total purchases for home consumption amounted to 1,403 chests against
1,438i chests in 1908-1909, au d the total duty realised amounted to Rs. 9,06,500 against
Rs. 9,35,550. (including the duty on opium supplied to Sind). The total stock of the year under
report including opening balance and purchases was 108,074 lbs. of the aggregate value of
Rs. 10,72,970. Of this stock 23,956 lbs. were issued to the depots in Sind. The issues from
Government depots were 44,179 lbs. against 44,232 lbs. in the previous year and the
realizations on opium so issued amounted to Rs. 5,17,778. The gain on sales was Rs. 86,897
from which Rs. 8,832 must be deducted for charges of transport and maintenance leaving
Rs. /8,065 as the net profit to Government compared with Rs. 55,588 in the previous year
Ihe closing balance of stock was 39,584 lbs. valued at Rs. 4,22,831. The total licit sales of
opium in British districts amounted to 90,779 lbs. compared with 85,818 lbs. in the
previous year. The revenue from license fees for retail vending was Rs. 1,15,784, a decrease
ot Rs. 41,021, most noticeable in Bombay and East and West Khdndesh, owing to discourao-e-
^ cesslve bidding and less competition. The number of opium shops decreased by 3 5
to 804. Seventy-four thousand two hundred and ninety pounds of opium was supplied to Native
States, of which 14,427 lbs. were duty-free. . The corresponding figures for the previous year are
Rs 88 043* an<i total excise opium revenue was Rs. 9,93,027, a decrease of
\ . ^be total excise receipts amount to Rs. 1,58,73,244, an increase of Rs. 6,74 219 over
e receip s o t re preceding year and of Rs. 22,42,525 over the average realizations of the
piece ing years. Ihe increase is chiefly under the heads country spirit and intoxicating
rugs w i e ere is a large fall in the opium revenue. The expenditure (exclusive of refunds
and drawbacks) was Rs. 9,50,713 against Rs. 10,36,254.
8 . Detected offences against A'bk4ri law numbered 2,278 against 1,905 cases in the
previous year. The percentage of convictions on cases tried was 91*04 compared with 91’9.
I \ hundred and eight cases related to liquor and 670 to hemp drugs compared
r/rW n * A f ases r fP eetlvel y i n the previous year. One hundred and fifty-three cases
140 \ 1 e qi u m Act Wer . e bought to trial in British districts and 28 in Native States against
140 and 31 cases respectively in 1908-1909.
2 .-—Sind.
of forlioJi 6 ; '.“Pf tan * duI ™g the year were ( 1 ) the reduction of the minimum strength
o W 2“ 15 A P ,' *° 35 ° U : P ' “ tlle case »f Gin »d 25“ U. P. in the case of the
Auo-nit 1 QrtQ Spl / 9 wt XCep l me Ji l yiated spirits, which reduction oame into force with effect fieri
hnt s tU 2 ( } the F 11463 . 05 stll l-head duty and strengths of country spirits were revised,
int t oxi 2 tWHv t Came “ r f j rCe f 1 T. tlle lst A P rU 1910 i ( 3 ) minimum selling prices fot
on undersJLJ '.“af+r mtr ° ducecl durm g the year under report and this proved an effective check
liquor was snoni; t u eonfcract - su Pldy system for the manufacture and supply of country
qU ° l ' vas sa “tioned, but was introduced after the close of the year.