olxxvi 



inexpensive, is universally practised. Illicit distillation carried on in a 

 country, where the houses are detached and situated each in its own 

 garden, removed from observation, must of course be difficult of 

 detection in the absence of very strong preventive establishments. 

 Prior to 1884-85 under the renting system unlicensed sales were very 

 common, the renters contenting themselves with levying a fee from 

 the vendors and leaving them to do what they liked. With a view to 

 suppress this illicit traffic it was necessary that places should be freely 

 licensed and steps taken to enforce the requirements of the law as 

 regards sales in licensed places only. This accounts for the large 

 increase in the number of shops in this district in recent years up to 

 1887-88. Of late, however, the tree-tax and excise systems have been 

 introduced into portions of the distinct and large preventive establish- 

 ments organized to detect and prevent illicit practices. This has 

 made it possible to reduce the number of shops very much, the reduc- 

 tion in 1888-89 amounting to no less than 2,000. The Collector 

 expects that there will be a further decrease of 1,000 shops during the 

 current year. The regulation of the number of shops has perhaps 

 been the most vulnerable part of the abkdri arrangements in this 

 Presidency. Under the renting system and also the guaranteed 

 excise system, which was one of big monopolies, it was necessary that 

 the contractors, who were charged with the duty of preventing illicit 

 distillation and smugglings should be allowed considerable discretion 

 as regards the number of shops to be maintained. During the last 

 few years the Government has, however, employed preventive estab- 

 lishments of its own, and the facts as regards illicit consumption in 

 the different parts are being pretty well ascertained, f It is therefore 

 now possible to regulate the number of shops with reference to the 

 requirements of different localities and the Commissioner of Salt and 

 Abkdri Revenue has been devoting considerable attention to the sub- 

 ject. He has recently directed that the number of shops, in towns 

 especially, where illicit practices are easy of detection, should be con- 

 siderably reduced. The Government has insisted on large reductions 

 in the number of shops in the rural tracts also, and before long the 

 number of shops will in all probability be reduced to one-half of what 

 it is now. As in this Presidency, however, toddy and arrack are sold 

 in different shops, the total number of shops maintained must be 

 larger than in provinces where the two kinds of liquor are allowed to 

 be sold in the same shop. 



24. The net abkdri revenue of this Presidency since 1878-79 has 

 been as follows : — 



Lakhs of rupees. 



1878-79 ...' 56-72 



1879-80 57-31 



1880-81 54-49 



•1881-82 58-29 



1882-83 ,. 57-84 



1883-84 57-82 



1884-85 68-42 



1885-86 77-21 



1886-87 ... 81-79 



1887-88 ... 88'19 



1888-89 95-13 



