'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR, 1910-1911' [‎217v] (18/150)

Port Trusts:
Bombay,
Karachi and
Aden.
Co-operative
Credit
Societies.
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT. U910-19U
Xll
2^ The Bombay Port Trust experienced a successful financial ye ar
Although the budget was framed in anticipation of a period of trade activity, the
result Showed realizations more than 4 i lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in excess of the estimates
The gross actual receipts were 87 Idkhs, the highest on record in the history
of the Trust The surplus after defraying expenditure chargeable to revenue
amounted to 9 J>- Idkhs, and the Reserve Fund now stands at 68 Ukhs.
Progress was made with the Mazagon-Sewn reclamation, although breakages
in the machinery of the two dredgers occasioned serious interruption in this
part of the work. Capital expenditure on the New Docks amounted to 54 Rkhs.
Scarcity of labour is an obstacle to rapid progress, but in view of alterations i n
the original plans the contract time for completion has now been extended up to
1st June 1912. A 4 per cent, sterling loan for ^500,000 on account of the
Maza o’on-Sewri reclamation was raised in the London market, and loans for
S 6 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees and 25 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees respectively on account of the New Docks and
General Works were floated in India. The Board s capital debt now amounts to
nearly io| crores. At Karachi the expansion of exports caused by the
favourable" character of the season led to an increase of Rs. 2± lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the
receipts of the Port Trust. Dredging operations were continued, and the
important east wharfage consisting of 15-berths was completed before the close
of the year. Two steamers which had stranded on the Sind coast were salved
and brought safe into harbour by the officers of the Trust. At Aden the
receipts of the port increased by 10 per cent., and upwards of 2 Idkhs were spent
during the year on port improvements.
26. The steady growth of interest in the co-operative credit movement is
evidenced not merely by the increased membership and capital of societies but
also by the large number of conferences held at important centres. Besides the
annual piovincial conference at Poona divisional conferences were held once
during the year at Ahmedabad and Broach and twice at Poona and Belgaum,
and two local conferences were also held in the Satara District. In spite of the
fact that 11 old societies without capital were struck off the list the total
number of societies increased 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 from 208 to 252 and the
aggregate capital increased from Rs. 8^ to Rs. 13I- lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . A satisfactory
feature of the year is the advance recorded in the reduction of old debt. The
sum devoted to this purpose was Rs. lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , which is three times the amount
spent in the previous year and six times the amount spent in 1908-1909. In
Sind, where the movement has hitherto made little progress, three new societies
were registered during the year.
Cropped areas. Statistics are now available for-all but about 8 per cent, of the total
area of 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 and for all but *4 per cent, of Sind. The gross
recorded cropped area amounted in the former to nearly 25 million acres,
showing a very slight increase, and in Sind to 4^ million acres, showing an
increase of 7 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. proper there was a decrease in the
gross cropped area in a few districts, most noticeably in Ahmedabad, Khandesh
and Sholapur. This is probably accounted for in part by an increase in the
land devoted to grazing, which is a result of the scarcity of fodder brought
about by the substitution of non-food for food crops. In Sholapur, however, the
decrease is ascribed to deficiency of bullocks and the general scarcity of labour.
The total contraction is more than made up by extended cultivation in other
districts, especially in Poona, Ahmednagar, Nasik and Belgaum. The copi° Ut
late rains and the consequent abundance of water for irrigation caused an increase
in the area cropped more than once in Gujarat and the North Deccan, but o\er
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. as a whole, excluding Sind, there is a slight decrease. 111