134 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — INDIA AND DEPENDENCIES

ports of beer, wine and spirits, tobacco, silver and petrolenm. were raised from February 25, 1910.

Tear ended March 31

Landi

Opium

Customs Excise

Salt

Rs.

Rs.

Rs.

Rs.

Rs.

1901

26,22,64,530

7,65,33,633

5,05,73,957

5,90,58,032

8,95,05,516

1907

29,69,06,851

8,49,07,922

6,52,75,384

8,84,73,289

6,54,40,591

1908

28,07,89,837

7,86,74,786

7,50,67,404

9,34,05,154

5,00,84,820

1909

29,63,85,898

8,82,71,824

7,24.83,965

9,58,44,411

4.91,42,387

1910

31,99,82,121

8,30,20,245

7,44,76,760

9,80,67,802

4,97,92,767

1911

31,31,62,808

11,28.29,433

9,92,85,138

10,54,54,715

4,76,39,253

1912

31,11,48,000

8,85,71,000

9,85,29,000

11,47,03,000

5,11,47,000

(Revised)

1 Exclusive of Portion of Land Revenue due to irrigation.

The most important source of public income is the land. The land revenue is levied according to an assessment on estates or holdings. In the greater part of Bengal, about one-fourth of Madras and some districts ot the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, the assessment was fixed permanently over one hundred years ago ; while it is fixed periodically at intervals of from twelve to thirty years over the rest of India. In the permanently settled tracts the land revenue falls at a rate of about two-thirds of a rupee per acre of culti- vated land, and represents on an average about one-fifth of the rental, or about one twenty-fourth of the gross value of the produce. In the tem- porarily settled tracts the land revenue averages about 1| rupee per acre of cultivated land, represents something less than one-half of the actual or estimated rental, and is probably about one-tenth or one-twelfth of the gross value of the produce. For details as to the nature of the different tenures of land that prevail in India see the Year-Book for 1886, p. 799. See also under Agriculture.

The land revenue was contributed in 1910-11 as follows : —

Administrations Rs.

India, General . . . 10,00,800

Central Provinces and Berar . 1,81,31,128

Burma 4,05,01,388

Eastern Bengal and Assam . 2,02,18,918

Bengal 3,08,69,531

United Provinces of Agi-a and

Oudh 6,58,23,139

AdiTiinistrations Punjab ... N.W. Frontier Province Madras . . . . Bombay . . . •

Total

Rs.

. 2,63.18,052

21,32,731

5,02,76,303

, 5,16,00,828

. 31.31,62.808 (20,877,521 i.)

In British territory the cultivation of the poppy for the production of opium is only permitted in parts of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. A limited amount is grown in the Punjab for local consumption an<i to produce pop])y seeds. In the monopoly districts, the cultivator receives advances from Government to enable him to prepare the land for the crop, and he is bound to sell the whole of the produce at a fixed price to Govern- ment agents, by whom it'is despatched to the Government factory at Ghazipur to be prepared for the market. The chests of manufactured opium are sold by auction in Calcutta at monthly sales for export to China. A reserve is kept in hand to supply the deficiencies of bad seasons, and a considerable quantity is used by the Indian excise departments. Opium is also grown

in many of the Native States of Rajputana and Central India. These Native