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The area actually sown in 1902-03 was 205,205,128 acres, representing in the various administrations the following proportions of the net area surveyed for which returns are available (552,498,778 acres):—

Bengal Agra Oudh. Panjab

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N.-W. Frontier. 0:37
Central Provinces 3.06
Upper Burma

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9.09 per cent.

Assam

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4.75

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1.66

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0.71

Lower Burma

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The following table shows, according to provinces, the total acreage over which were grown the chief crops of British India in 1902-03 :—

Coorg
Madras
Bombay
Sind.
Ajmer

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71,596,561 19,615,382 92,467,143 2,358,101 505,932 11,104,298 13,095,565 653,801 935,042 N.B.-The figures for the Panjab and the N.W. Frontier do not represent the areas actually sown as in the case of the other provinces, but the areas harvested reduced to a standard of normal productiveness by multiplying them by a fraction representing the relation of the crop harvested to a normal crop.

Besides cotton, other fibres occupied 2,770,400 acres, 2,145,707 of which grew jute. Coffee plantations occupy 109,877 acres, of which 50,053 acres were in Madras, and 59,417 acres in Coorg. Food crops, other than those specified above cover 6,313,504 acres. In 1902-03 28,942, 484 acres were cropped more than once, giving a total area under crops of 234,147,612 acres. Reckoning twice over the land irrigated for both harvests, 34,044,952 acres were under irrigation by canals, tanks, wells, and otherwise. The following table shows the area irrigated by, and the gross revenue derived from, major and minor irrigation works during the last five years ending March 31 :

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Irrigation works, for which capital accounts are kept, paid 7.26 per cent. in 1902-3 on their capital outlay.

The estimated value of the crops irrigated by such works in 1902-3 was 40 crores of rupees.

The Ganges Canal, which was completed in 1854, and has cost Rx. 3,041,633, comprises 440 miles of main canal, and 2,709 miles of distributaries. During the year it supplied water to 871,862 acres. The Sirhind Canal, in the Punjab, has cost upwards of Rx. 3,874,641 and consists of 538 miles of main canal, and 4,639 miles of distributaries. In Madras the Godavari, Kistna, and Cauvery irrigation systems together irrigated 2,420,840 acres. The commission which was appointed in September, 1901, to inquire into the expediency of developing the irrigation systems of India, adjourned at the end of March, 1902, after completing inquiries in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies, Rajputana, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Berar, and the Central Provinces. It reassembled in October, 1902, and visited some of the remaining provinces. Its report has since been published and the recommendations made in it are under the consideration of the Government of India.

In 1901-1902 there were 89,424 square miles of forest demarcated and reserved by the State, and in 1902-3 the area rose to 90,750 square miles. The work of demarcating and reserving forest tracts has been pushed on with great vigour in recent years, and especially since 1877. In that year the demarcated area was only 17,705 square miles; in the following year it was raised by operations in the Central Provinces to 40,425 square miles, and in 1902-3 it stands at 152,955 square miles. The following table shows the extent of reserved forests in 1902-3 in square miles :

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There were 20! cotton mills at work in India in 1903-4, containing 46,421 looms and 5,213,344 spindles, employing a daily average number of 186,271 persons. The whole capital invested in this industry is

Rs. 17,15,69,688.

There were 38 jute mills in 1903-4, employing a daily average number of 123,869 persons, with 18,406 looms and 376,718 spindles. The capital invested in the joint stock mills is estimated at Rs. 7,43,05,370.

There were six woollen mills at work at the close of 1903, with 678 looms and 25,216 spindles.

There are nine paper mills, having an aggregate nominal capital of Rs. 65,33,000, the number of persons employed being 4,523. The total quantity of paper made in 1903 was about 44 million lbs., valued at Rs. 59,14,799.

The quantity of beer brewed during 1903 amounted to 6,067,041 gallons. In March, 1903, there were 1,440 joint stock companies in India registered under the Indian Companies Act and in operation. They possessed a total nominal capital aggregating Rs. 53,55,80,940, and an actual capital (paid up) of Rs. 39,30,19,774.

The following table shows the division of the aggregate capital among the principal classes of joint stock companies in March, 1903 :

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There were 305 collieries worked in India in 1903. The annual output has been as follows:

Tons

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1897 4,066,294

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1900 6,118,692

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The total value of the output in 1903 may be estimated at Rs.1,94,95,741. The total imports of coal, coke, and patent fuel in 1903-4 amounted to 180,040 tons. The total number of persons employed at the mines is given as 88,530.

Commerce.

The value of the sea-borne external trade of India has risen in the 70 years, 1834-35 to 1903-4, from Rupees 14,34,22,900 to Rupees 3,02,51,09,306, the increase being twenty-onefold, making on the average a rate of 28.7 per cent. annually. The average rate of increase during the last forty-three years is shown below, the period being divided into six terms of seven years each and one separate year :

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In the year ending March 31, 1903, the sea-borne external trade of India (private and Government) was as follows, in rupees :

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The following shows (in rupees) the total imports and exports of India, divided into merchandise and treasure' (bullion specie), excluding Government stores and Government treasure, in fiscal years ending March 31.

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The returns of quantities and values of imports and of exports are based on the bills of entry and shipping bills respectively, but the declarations contained in these documents are subject to scrutiny in all cases, and penalties may be inflicted where they are found to be false. The value is the wholesale value at the place of import or export, less trade discount, duty not being included in the value of dutiable goods. The returns show, not the prime origin of imports and ultimate destination of exports, but only the countries whence the goods were shipped to India and to which they are shipped from India, as disclosed by the shipping documents. No distinction is maintained between general, special, and transit trade; but goods of foreign origin, when re-exported, are shown in detail separately from those of Indian origin. Apart from the comparatively insignificant imports and exports by parcel post, of which only the total values are known, there are no special circumstances which affect the value of the statistical results.

The gross amount of import duty collected in 1903-4 was Rs. 6,72,51,900, and export duty Rs. 1,20,31,363. The largest import duty is derived from salt, Rs. 2,27,49,230 in 1903-4; the export duty is entirely on rice. Import duties in India are usually at the rate of 5 per cent. ad valorem. At this rate are the duties on leather, paper, earthenware, wood, tallow, soap, manufactured tobacco, food stuffs (such as flour, meat, fish, butter, cheese, cocoa, coffee, tea, sugar), and on all metal work not otherwise provided for. On pig iron and on iron and steel in the form of bars, &c., the duty is at the rate of 1 per cent.; on cotton hosiery piece goods, and all other manufactured cotton goods, the duty is 3 per cent., and on some articles (ales, wines, spirits, salt, petroleum, arms and ammunition, &c.) there are specific duties. The list of articles free from import duty com

prises railway material, rolling stock, machinery, fencing, &c.; agricultural machinery not worked by manual or animal labour and certain agricultural implements and dairy appliances worked by manual or animal power; cotton twist and yarn, and sewing thread; raw materials (such as wool, grain, rice, hides, tobacco, unset pearls), and books, maps, advertising circulars and catalogues, &c.

Of the exports of merchandise in 1903-4 Rs. 149,63,40,735 represented the products of the country. Rs. 3,32,55,087 were re-exports of foreign imports.

The imports and exports, including private treasure, but excluding Government stores and treasure, were distributed as follows between the five great commercial divisions of India in 1895, 1900, and the last four years :—

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The amount of bullion and specie, private and Government, imported and exported, will be seen from the following table for the years 1895, 1900,

and the last four years :

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The following table shows (in rupees) the respective shares which the leading countries with which India deals had in the exports and imports (merchandise alone) of India in the years ending March 31, 1903 and 1904 :

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Exports of Indian Produce

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Egypt.

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7,69,66,974 1,32,98,727

Belgium

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4,95,24,896

7,66,19,411

Austria-Hungary.

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Ceylon.

69,98,786

3,19,87,499 4,79,20,842

70,48,772 4,40,60,750 4,58,03,912

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