62
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94.
[APP.
1878-79, and no satisfactory explanation of the differences can be given. In Bilaspur and
Sambulpur bazar shops appear to have been included in the enumeration: elsewhere there
were generally fewer shops, to judge from statement IV appended to the Excise Report for
1880-81.
It is difficult to believe that only 252 acres were under ganja in the year in Nimar, but
enquiry on the point has failed to bring any other statistics to light. The produce of the
Katol Tahsil amounted to 250 maunds, but the area cultivated cannot now be ascertained.
1880-81.
17. The Government of India, in sanctioning disbursement of the money which had
been spent in 1878-79 in purchasing the crop of that year and
also old stocks left in the hands of certain dealers whose
licences expired on the 31st March 1879, and were not renewed, remarked that they were not
disposed to favour the permanent creation of a Government monopoly of ganja. Accordingly,
for 1880-81 the monopoly of wholesale vend for the whole province was granted to a single
contractor (Kaluram Marwari of Kamptee), who agreed to pay a direct duty of Rs. 2 per seer
on all ganja sold by him to retail vendors and to issue the drug to retail vendors at Rs. 3 per
seer. Under the agreement, the text of which will be found in Appendix D,* hemp drugs other
than ganja were to be supplied to retail vendors at certain fixed rates per seer: those rates and
the corresponding rates of duty payable to Government were:—
Rate of supply.
Duty.
RS. A. P.
Rs.
Charas
24 8 0
16
Foreign majum
24 8 0
16
"
bhang
2 2 0
1
Local
"
0 8 0
Nil.
Charas and foreign majum were never actually imported. For local majum, a confection
made of sugar, ghi, and local bhang, separate retail licenses at the same rates as those for sale
of ganja were required. In the first 8 months of the year local bhang was taxed at the rate
of 0-2-0 a seer, the right of selling it by retail being limited to the wholesale vendor of ganja
and his agents, but in November 1880 the Chief Commissioner directed that clean ganja only
should be issued from the Government stores, all refuse, including local bhang, detached in the
process of cleaning being systematically destroyed, and further that at any subsequent clean-
ing which might be found necessary the additional refuse should be similarly dealt with.
18. Kaluram bought up so much of the Nimar and Katol crops of the season July to
November 1879 as was in the hands of cultivators, and also all Government ganja left in the
provinces on the 31st March 1880, except a surplus of some 5,000 maunds at Khandwa, which
he agreed to sell on behalf of Government in return for a commission on sales. He was bound
to apply the ganja he purchased for home consumption in the first instance: if any remained
over, it might be exported, one-half of all profits realized in this way being payable to Gov-
ernment.
Distribution to retail vendors was provided for by requiring Kaluram to appoint and
maintain an efficient and respectable agent at the head-quarters of each district and the head-
quarters of each tahsil except Sironcha, which was supplied from Cocanada in the Godaveri
district of the Madras Presidency and from the Nizam's dominions.
The right of retail vend was disposed of in a new way: instead of auctioning the mono-
poly by circles, monthly licenses were issued at fixed rates varying according to the size of the
town or village and without limit as to the number of licenses existing in one place.
19. The gross revenue of the year was Rs. 92,850-12-8, or more by 3.2 per cent. than
that of 1879-80. Sales by retail vendors under the sanctioned arrangements rose from nearly
600 maunds to 839 maunds 19 seers, or by 40.1 per cent., and the amount of direct duty real-
ized by Rs. 5,228, or 8.8 per cent. only.
License fees for the right of retail vend fell off by Rs. 2,315, or 7.5 per cent.
It will be readily understood, however, that the statistics of the two years cannot be satis-
factorily compared. In 1879-80 no amounts quâ license fees proper were realized in 5 districts,
while in the rest the charge of Rs. 2-14-0 per seer made to licensed vendors included the cost
of the ganja supplied as well as direct duty, though the whole has been shown in column 34 of
the statement in Appendix A under the latter head: moreover, old stocks which never paid
duty and consequently were left out of the account of consumption must have found their way
from the hands of the contractors who owned them into those of the smoking public.
Accurate information as to the exact number of retail shops worked is not forthcoming.
In several districts the returns fail to distinguish sufficiently between licenses issued and shops
opened.
1881-82.
20. The arrangements for this year were shaped by the necessity of getting rid of the
Government stock of ganja, amounting to 3,000 maunds
(uncleaned), which remained in store at Khandwa.
*Not printed.