'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR, 1910-1911' [‎276v] (136/150)

Chap. V.
financial
BE VIEW.
Opium.
Financial results.
Offences.
Local committees.
Changes during
the year.
9 6
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPORT.
I0 -i9U.
The increase in consumption is most notice but ^ ^ ac“allv K> r -
571 againsc 5 °S “ “ f aine for med ical purposes increased from 423 L'
vendors. Licenses for the sale 01 coca. ^ ^ ^ rams a r „ ai r nst 66 i hs . A Hramo l o 474.
The quantity licitly imported was 50 lbs. 2 ozs. 3 drams against 66 lbs. 4 drams in the pre ^
vear The legal limit of possession of cocaine without a license was reduced from 6 grai US
to i of a grail during the year, and steps were also taken by means of a staff sp | cia
appointed fo suppress°the illicit hawking of cocaine in Bombay city.
7 Altogether.270 chests of opium were imported during the year direct from Mahva
on navment If the full excise duty, compared with 209 chests in the previous year. I mpott a
0 ? duty-free opium into the Native States entitled to that privilege amounted to 106 * i ests
llains^ 106 chests. The number of chests issued from the Bombay warehouse forhoo*
consumption was I,i8 3 i against 1,088 in the preceding year. The total purchases for ho me
consumption 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. thus amounted to 1,569 chests against 1,403 in igog-.g,,,
Zd the total amount of duty realized was Rs. 10 , 17,800 against Rs. 9 , 06,500 in 1909 .,g,^
an
chests
increase of Rs. 1 , 11 , 300 . Government purchases during the year amounted to 63 ,J
cnests and 2 lbs. or 85,956 lbs. in all. The price paid ivas Rs. 9.35,582, showing an average of
Rs 10 - 14-2 per pound against Rs. 10 - 1-10 in the previous year. Including an opening balance
of 70 484 lbs and excluding 22,526 lbs. issued during the year to the depots in Sind, the total
stock in the Government depots 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 was 103,014 lbs. valued at
Rs 1104697 Issues from the depots amounted to 44,732 lbs. against 44,179 lb s U1
the previous year, and the realizations were Rs. 5 , 62 , 385 . After deducting the prime cost of
the opium sold, loss from wastage, and transport and maintenance charges the net profit to
Government was Rs. 60,775 against Rs. 78,065 m the previous year The decrease is due
to the higher price paid for the opium purchased. The balance in stock at the close of the
year amounted to 58,026 lbs. valued at Rs. 6 , 21 , 990 . The total licit sales of opium in British
districts aggregated 94,188 lbs., an increase of 3,409 lbs. or 375 per cent. Of monopoly
districts the & greatest increase appears in Sholapur ( 1,278 lbs.) and Poona (353 lbs). Among
districts worked under the single shop system East and West Khandesh show increases of
884 and 326 lbs., respectively, while there is a decrease of 872 lbs. in Bombay due to a
change in the issue rate from Rs. 12 - 8-0 to Rs. 13 - 8 - 0 . The revenue from license fees was
Rs. 1 , 48,611 against Rs. 1 , 15 , 7^4 1909 - 19 * 0 * The increase is due to advance payment of
fees in the districts of Poona, Ahmednagar, Nasik and Sholapur, where the single shop system has
been introduced from the 1 st of April 1911 . The total number of opium shops decreased from
804 to 783 . Opium supplied to Native States amounted to 77,084 lbs. of which 14,496 ibs*
were duty-free, against 74,290 lbs, and 14,427 lbs. respectively in the previous year. The
total excise opium revenue was Rs. 11 , 24 , 769 , an increase of Rs. 1 , 31,742 or i 3’26 per cent.
an
8 . The total excise receipts 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 amounted to Rs. 1 , 69 , 11,338
increase of Rs. 12 , 38,094 or 7-9 per cent, over the receipts of the previous year and of
Rs. 27 , 02,991 or 19 per cent, over the average realizations of the previous three years. The
gross total expenditure including refunds and drawbacks and certain items of compensation
amounted to Rs. 14 , 76 , 983 . The net revenue was Rs. T54>34>355> an increase of
Rs. 13 , 27 , 864 .
9 . The number of cases detected was 2 , 648 , of which 1 , 3 °5 related to^liquor and 1,343
to hemp drugs against 1,608 and 670 respectively in the previous year. The percentage ot
convictions on cases tried rose from 9 i , 04 to 93 ‘i 3 . Cases of illicit distillation and possession
of implements for manufacture decreased by 118 , the Kaira district alone showing a decrease
of 107 cases. In British districts 133 cases and in Native States 16 cases were brought to
trial under the Opium Act, against 153 and 28 in the previous year. Convictions were
obtained in 83 per cent, of these cases.
10 . The recommendations of local advisory committees led to the closing of one country
liquor shop in Ahmedabad and of one country liquor, one foreign liquor and three toddy shops
in Sholapur. In Surat the committee recommended the closure of 55 toddy shops and e
III IlWia . Ill »^U1 CLL v>v^ 11I1111 LLv^L^ 1 V. VJL j
removal to new sites of 6 others, but eventually only 14 shops were closed and 12 were remove
, ^
to other sites. A recommendation of the same committee for the removal to new sites
3 country liquor shops was accepted in the case of one only. The advisory con ^ ml ^ ee ^ v 1 ^
Ahmedabad, Sholapur, Dharwar, Bijapur and Poona made a few recommendations for rem
of shops to other sites, some of which were carried into effect.
2.—Sind.
1 . The important changes during the year were ( 1 ) the introduction from 1 st Apn *9 ^
of the Contract Supply System for the manufacture and supply of country liquor in p
the Central Distillery System ; ( 2 ) the reduction to io° U. P. and 40 ° U. P. respective y
maximum strengths of the strong and weak molasses spirit and Uran liquor, and t e ,j on
of the rates of still-head duty on the strong and weak liquors at Rs. 5 and Rs. 3'4' 0 . P. er ^ an d
respectively; ( 3 ) the introduction of minimum prices for the retail sale of Kotri nq u ^ ein
mhowra spirit and the enhancement of the vend prices of the latter so as to bring
jpIO-
t0 the san
* te !T
treasf?
forre^q
„f licena*
z. T
in the P rec
3 ; T
The i ncI T
from the K
year. The
for the pas
was IT a
192,195 in
was Re. 0
in 1909 - 1 9
4- . T
gallons m t
5- T1
to Rs. B9
Rs. 4>3b37
6. T 1
20,529 lbs.
Rs. 2,55, 7 6
in the prev
of 1911 - ^
Rs. 1 , 68,44
7. Di
intoxicatino
in 75 and 1
compared v\
8. Th
preceding y
9 . Th
in 22 cases,
of four licen
and wii
accoun
1 . Th.
94 in the pr<
2 . Th.
The percent;
unchanged.
3- Rec
ba cks amoun
For details ^
Statistics 0