the Economic Products of India.
8 1
Malwa Opium.
PAPAVER
somniferum.
which opium is procurable in this country, at a figure considerably above
that at which it can be obtained in China and other parts of the world.
This not only saves contraband exportation in excise opium, but makes
the governing price in the country with greatest demand and highest
ruling price, determine the Indian consumption. It need only be necessary.
therefore, in concluding this chapter to furnish a table of the revenue
derived by India from the drug.
ADMINISTRA- TION.
REVENUE DERIVED FROM OPIUM.
The following table analyses the official returns of this subject for a
period of 23 years, the figures being given in the conventional Rx. as equi
valent to one pound sterling. The figures for Net Revenue are approxi-
mately as shown below, a few minor details of revenue and expenditure
having been purposely left out of account:—
Revenue
from export-
ed Opium.
OFFICIAL YEARS.
C o s t o f O p i u m , b e i n g
a m o u n t c h i e f l y p a i d
t o t h e I n d i a n R a y a t .
T o t a l C h a r g e s o n
a c c o u n t o f B e n g a ls
a l e s a n d B o m b a yp
a s s c u t y .
N e t R e v e n u e f r o m
p r o v i s i o n o p i u m .
N e t R e v e n u e a p p r o x i -
m a t e l y f r o m E x c i s e
O p i u m ( i . e . , c o n -
s u m p t i o n i n I n d i a ) . T o t a l I n d i a n N e t
O p i u m R e v e n u ea
p p r o x i m a t e l y .
Rx. Rx. Rx. Rx.
R x .
1867-68 . . . . 1, 745, 193 1, 874, 121 7, 048, 065 345, 918 7, 493, 983
1868-69 . . . . 1, 550, 207 1, 720, 111 6, 731, 330 352, 930 7, 084, 260
1869-70 . . . 1, 678, 242 1, 820, 683 6, 130, 872 332, 406 6, 463, 278
1870- 71 . . . . 1, 861, 331 2, 014, 425 6, 031, 034 356, 175 6, 387, 209
1871-72 . . . . 1, 452, 125 1, 596, 646 7, 657, 213 256, 910 7, 914, 123
1872-73 . . . . 1, 664, 824 1, 814, 268 6, 870, 423 413, 178 7, 283, 601
1 8 7 3 - 7 4 . . . . 1, 851, 268 2, 001, 280 6, 323, 599 409, 269 6, 732, 868
1874-75 . . . . 2, 178, 443 2, 341, 282 6, 215, 046 468, 780 6, 683, 826
1875-76 . . . . 2, 053, 921 2, 217, 851 6, 252, 740 503, 507 6, 756, 247
1876-77 . . . . 2, 664, 750 2, 841, 644 6, 280, 784 556, 174 6, 836, 958
1877-78 . . . . 2467, 745 2, 659, 504
6 , 5 2 3 , 0 9 9 585, 896 7, 108, 995
1878-79 . . . . 1, 548, 890 1, 697, 792 7, 699, 970 660, 043 8, 360, 013
1879-80 . . . . 1, 912, 635 2, 067, 336 8, 249, 964 702, 677 8, 952, 641
1880-81 1881-82 .
. . . . . . . 1, 869, 903
1, 895, 489 2, 028, 669
2, 056, 273 8, 451, 273
7, 804, 282 810, 963
800, 490 9, 262, 236
8, 604, 772
1882-83 . . . . 2, 110, 313 2, 281, 231 7, 218, 033 819, 517 8, 037, 550
1883-84 . . . . 1, 681, 964 1, 853, 410 7, 702, 380
8 4 5 , 6 3 4 8, 548, 014
1884-85 . . . . 2, 766, 468 2, 962, 532 5, 853, 548 844, 654 6, 698, 202
1885-86 . . . . 2, 850, 971 3, 051, 481 5, 890, 818
8 4 4 , 1 7 7 6, 734, 995
1886-87 . . . . 2, 537, 775 2, 726, 512 6, 216, 396 863, 073 7, 079, 469
1887-88 . . . . 2, 237, 923 2, 423, 238 6, 092, 095 877, 377 6, 969, 472
1888-89 . . . . 2, 413, 603 2, 596, 772 5, 965, 498 919, 980 6, 885, 478
1889-90 . . . . 1, 447, 849 1, 603, 596
6 , 9 7 9 , 3 9 4 928, 928 7, 908, 322
When it isr e c o l l e c t e d t h a t t h e a m o u n t s s h o w n i n t h e f i r s t c o l u m no
f
the above table are practically the sums paid in each year to the cultiva-
tors in the Behar and Benares Agencies, for the produce of a little under
526,000 acres (the average of the past five years' returns), some idea is
obtained of the importance oft h e c r o p a n d o f t h e v e s t e d i n t e r e s t s c o n c e r n e d
in the production of opi um. But the cultivators are not the only persons
in India who have to be considered as having the right of centuries i n
justification of their claims on the opium traffic. From the time of Akbar
to the present day that traffic has been authorised and protected byG o v -
ernment. The vested mercantile interests concentrated on it are very