'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR, 1910-1911' [‎274v] (132/150)

Chap. V.
FINANCIAL
REVIEW.
General.
Exports from
scales to Bombay.
Exports to China.
Prices.
Bombay warehouse
accounts.
Opium transactions
in the Baroda State.
Imperial
realizations and
expenditure,
General sources
ot supply.
Raragra salt.
9 2
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
[ 1910 -
On.
,9!<H9 n
8. Opium.
For details see the Annual Report of the Opium Department for the year 1910-1911 and tables under Opi Um p •
Part IV {b) of the Statistics of British India. ^ nie<1 rt
1 . This information relates to the Imperial Branch of the Opium Department, a
subject of local excise it will be dealt with under that head. s a
2 . The duty-paid exports from the several scales to Bombay for exportation by sea.
for home consumption were i, 4 0I i chests, compared with 13,917 chests in the previous vpa
The decrease amounting to 12 , 515 ^ c ^ es ^ s ^ ue ^ condition of the China trade. Tu"’
actual imports into Bombay of opium on which duty at the rate prescribed for exportation
sea was realized were 7,827 chests, against 7 ,7594 chests in the previous year. The actuil
duty realized during the year was, however, Rs. 1 , 27,800 against Rs. 74 , 94,800 in the vm
1909 - 1910 . The decrease of Rs. 73 , 67,000 is due to the fact that in 1908-1909 and igoo-iQ,
in view of the restriction placed on export of opium to China duty was paid in advance b
merchants with the object of receiving priority of export in subsequent years ; but with the
announcement that the priority system was to cease after 1911 such advance payments were
discontinued.
3 . Exports to China in the year 1910-1911 amounted to 6,7104 chests, against 13 ^^
chests in the previous year. Permissible exports in the calendar year 1910 were restricted to
12,100 chests and of these no less than 10,300 chests were shipped in the first three months of
the year, leaving only 1,800 chests to be exported in the remaining nine months. Shipments
in the first three months of 1911 did not exceed 4,9214 chests, including u chests which
were exported to places other than China.
4 . Average prices in the Bombay market were Rs. 1,566 per chest for one-year old and
Rs. 2,308 per chest for two-year old opium, compared with Rs. 1,346 and Rs. 1,646
respectively in the previous year. The rise was due to the increased price of Malwa opium
in the Chinese market.
5 . The number of chests imported and lodged in the warehouse was 9,0104 against
8,8474 in the preceding year. The actual balance at the beginning of the year was 1,902!
chests, and the book balance on 31st March 1911 was 3,008 chests. Exports amounted
altogether to 6,7214 chests and 1,1834 chests were sold for home consumption.
6 . The area under poppy cultivation increased from 5,404 acres to 11,781 acres, the
increase being ascribed to favourable rains and the high price of opium juice. Imports of
Baroda opium into the Bombay 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. , which are intended solely for export by sea, fell
from 706 to 201 chests. Though 847 chests were allotted to Baroda for the year 1910 the
State could export only 252 chests, and the remaining amount was consequently allotted to
Malwa merchants. The stocks held in Baroda State at the end of the year amounted to
110,535 lbs. against 97,903 lbs. at the end of 1909 - 1910 .
7 . The total Imperial Revenue from opium was Rs. 1 , 87,495 against Rs. 75 , 50,484 in
the preceding year. Expenditure under this head fell from Rs. 40,349 to Rs. 34 , 995 .
9 . Salt.
For details see the Annual Reports on the administration of the Salt Department in the Bombay [ 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. and in
Sind, and? tables under Salt, printed in Part IV (b) of the Statistics of British India.
1.—Presidency Proper.
.!• The salt with which the Bombay 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. Salt Department has to deal may be
classified under three heads :—( 1 ) Baragra or Runn salt from brine-wells on the edge of the
lesser Runn of Cutch, known as the Pritchard Salt-works ; (2) sea salt made at works on the
coast, most of which are within 30 miles of Bombay City ; (q) imported salt, mostly fr om
works in Goa territory. J J j r
4 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of
2. The quantity of Baragra salt in stock at the beginning of the year was loj 10.*.^ --
maunds against 214 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees at the beginning of the previous year. The produce during the
year was 314 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of maunds, making a total of 494 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees . The removals amounted to 27I
lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of maunds against.274 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in 1909-1910 and 274 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in 1908-1909. No important
uctuations in the quantities removed to other provinces occurred during the year. Issues for
ocal consumption show an increase in removals to all places except Kaira, the Rewa Kantha
gency and Bombay, where a slight decrease is noticeable. The steady increase during the
last few years in the removals to Cambay, Baroda and the Mahi Kantha Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and the
surrounding British districts may be attributed to the steps taken in 1905 for guarding and
destroying the natural salt formations in the Jambusar and Wagra talukds. The amount ot
sa written off as loss and wastage was half a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of maunds against nearly 2 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in
1909-1910. The difference is partly due to a decrease in the reserve stock necessitating early
^ ? 5bt ^aI f CeS, E , P art ty to ^e tact that open stores which exhibited a wastage of over ha ^
R^° tmaU u d - S Weren0tclearedtillafterthe close of the financial year. The quantity 0
gra sa t in stock at the end of the year was 214 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of maunds against i 84
brougn 1
It is
now
5 ideratio
phe cost
■viz-, 2 ar
to() in if
The deci
salt and c
3) ii 9,° 8 5
against t
a serious
and Guja
for the w<
. . 3 - \
individual
of sea sal
the previc
balance v
fell from 2
and the 1
In the otl
against 91
and the cl<
in remov;
probably c
region. (
and parti)
There is a
partially c
A decrease
unusually
22,328 im
against 6
from 6 to
the previo
, 4> T
4 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in
at Margao
5 - T
to the
The aj
The pr
The cl
period
6 .
revenui
ment
chargi
total
bein<
> to y
Of:
Q *• Th<
alt deposit