48
difficult to stop its growth in the absolutely occu-
pied lands. But I am not sure how far that
would avail to stop illicit practices. I am told
that cultivators and planters would be glad to
get rid of the weed as troublesome. But how far
the extermination there would be of much value for
excise purposes, I am not sure. In Bengal, too, the
stuff is used largely as a medicine for cattle
and human beings, and I do not know how far it
would be wise to stop the use. Even if we
brought the bhang under the same regulation as
ganja, I do not think we should get much revenue
from it in Lower Bengal. I am not aware of
any bhang being prepared from the cultivated
plant in Rajshahi district. It is never brought
into the golas; and I know nothing of its being
made for private use.
In Lower Bengal bhang is not much used as a
stimulant or intoxicant. In Behar it is a very
favourite drink. The consumption of bhang in
Calcutta in 1892-93 was 460 maunds. There is
there a large up-country population. The statis-
tics will show that in Lower Bengal the consump-
tion is not great. Of course in Calcutta there
is control, and the bhang is not grown in the
neighbourhood. So that consumption is more ac-
curately known there. But the presence of the
up-country population in Calcutta vitiates any
deduction as to Bengal generally from the figures
for that city. I remember myself as a boy par-
taking in the use of bhang at festivals such as the
Durga Puja; but (as said in my answer No. 24)
this habit is going out. I have said in paragraph
60 of my memorandum that the consumption of
bhang is general. That is, however, more in Behar
and also occasionally and not habitually. It is
true (as there said) that what has paid duty is
only a small fraction of what is used. I think an
attempt at control might be made by prohibiting
growth in occupied land, i.e., by making occu-
piers responsible for the presence of the plant on
their lands. I would do this experimentally. If
this succeeded, however, there would be this loss
that the people would be deprived of it altogether
in some places where there are not unoccupied
lands for the plant to grow on and not a sufficient
demand to lead to a shop being established. Of
course, I should like to see the Calcutta system of
having the stuff taxed extended, if it were feasi-
ble.
Question 65.—In paragraph 64 of my memo-
randum I have shown that primâ facie it would be
best in my judgment to reduce all ganja to chur.
I think that the main objection at present is
that the people sometimes seem to prefer the
stuff with the stick. Perhaps the flat ganja is
preserved better on the stick; but I doubt this.
Chur is becoming very popular. I see no objec-
tion myself to having one tax fixed for all, i. e., to
taking what is regarded as a proper tax on chur
and making people pay the same for flat or round
ganja if they prefer it.
I have often had to destroy ganja in warehouses.
I cannot, without looking at statistics, tell of
which kind most had to be destroyed.
Question 59.—But for the probability of Gov-
ernment being attacked, as indicated in paragraph
63 of my memorandum, I should certainly recom-
mend the adoption for ganja of the monopoly
system at present in force for opium. I do not
see the possibility of working a public gola system
without such a monopoly. The difficulties in the
way of having a central godown without Govern-
ment monopoly are (1) the turning of the ganja
every now and again; this would be a great diffi-
culty in letting the cultivators have access to it;
and (2) having separate parcels.
If this were got over by the cultivators having
to part with the stuff to purchasers at an early
date, it would place the cultivators at the mercy
of purchasers, and make the cultivation unpopular.
If such sales take place, as a fact, early in Raj-
shahi, at present, this objection loses much of its
force. But even if the other system could be
worked without Government monopoly, I prefer
the monopoly. All risk would be compensated
by the profits. I do not consider the present
system at all satisfactory in respect to want of
control over storage and manufacture; therefore
I recommend the monopoly system or (failing
that) the public gola system. There is another
great objection to the present system, that the
price of supply to retail vendors varies so much.
In some districts, owing to the action of whole-
sale vendors, the prices vary immensely in neigh-
bouring districts. Thus in Rangpur the wholesale
vendors charge the retail vendors Rs. 2-8. In the
adjoining district of Dinajpur it is Re. 1 or even
less. This is not because Dinajpur is a producing
district, because similarly in the sudder sub-division
of Balasore it is Rs. 3 to Rs. 4. In the Bhadrak
subdivision, which is further off, it is only Rs. 2.
This is due to monopoly and our want of control.
I could give other instances of this. The Bhad-
rak subdivision is not more exposed to smuggling
than the other subdivision. The Bhadrak sub-
division is south of the sudder. As a rule, the
price paid by retail vendors at head-quarters is, I
find, less than in the interior; because, as a rule,
there is more competition among goladars. Some
wholesale vendors also reap undue profits. The
Balasore man reaps a profit of about Rs 2 a seer,
which is more than two hundred per cent.
I think the Central Provinces system is a good
one to meet both these difficulties; that is, to fix
the price of supply to retail vendors. I do not
see how the evils of monopoly can be met other-
wise. Of course, the Central Provinces system
would reduce the number of wholesale vendors.
This would not be an evil. The system is really
one of auctioning the right of wholesale vend
over certain areas.
In my table appended to my memorandum,
column 41 does not include brokers' fees, which
are paid in court-fee stamps. There are no stor-
age fees in our system at present, as there is no
Government store. Nor does column 41 include
"import pass fees" and "Gola rent," which are
shown under "Excise—Miscellaneous."
Column 42 shows the amount of ganja on
which duty is realised. It therefore includes the
ganja sent to the North-Western Provinces and
Nepal (470 maunds in 1892-93). It does not
include what is sent to Assam, for duty on it is
not realised here. It does include that sent to
Kuch Behar, for which there is, I understand, no
special arrangement. Therefore columns 32, 87
and 42 include figures relating to consumption in
the North-Western Provinces, Nepal and Kuch
Behar.
The column about wholesale vendors is blank;
because there is no payment made by them,
except the fee on passes and (in certain cases)
gola rent. They receive licenses without fee on
application to the Collector. In some districts
the number of goladars is more than is required.
In some there are fewer than is required; and we
have to break up monopolies. The subject re-
ceives departmental attention from this point
of view.