The reorganisation of the Presidency Criminal Investigation Department was held in abeyance for want of funds and the Inspector General points out in his Annual Report that the scientific study of the professional criminal is essential to a successful detection work. Such an organisation would exercise a most effective check upon the activities of professional criminals and be responsible for the detection of much crime which but for its operations would remain undetected. The percentage of undetected cases, if the Indian Penal Code cases are considered separately, is nearly 50 per cent.

Bombay City Police.-"From a police point of view," says the Commissioner of Police in his Annual Report, “the year may be described as one in which hours of work, meals and rest were as regular as it is possible for a Police Officer to expect". Despite this comparatively quiet year there was an increase in the number of reported cases by over 9,000, the total being 112,000 but the increase in actual crime was negligible, the rise being almost entirely in cases under Local Acts such as obstruction by petty shop-keepers, hawkers, etc. Serious offences against the person numbered 1,024, the cases of murders and attempts at murders being 48. The value of property stolen amounted to over 223 lakhs of which 5 lakhs were recovered. Trams, Victorias and Bullock carts caused injuries to 1,127 people. Motor vehicles caused injuries to practically the same number, 1,128. The proportion of crime to population in Bombay City was 1 to 14:31.

Public Health.-Not for thirty-three years has so low a mortality been recorded in the Presidency as during 1922. The number of deaths, 452,581, showed a decrease of more than 45,600 over the previous year which was itself a year of exceptionally low mortality. The death-rate per thousand for 1922 was 23 61 compared with 26 in the previous year and 37 16, the average for ten years. The highest death-rate was returned by Nasik (30 ̊48), the lowest (15·32) by Panch Mahals, which also had the lowest death-rate in the previous year. Diseases classified under the head of "Fever

were respon

sible for nearly half the number of deaths. The mortality from

1

small-pox, cholera and plague, the principal epidemic diseases, was well below the average.

Over the Presidency as a whole births exceeded deaths by 168,189. But the increase was due to the fall in the death-rate. rather than to any actual increase in the number of births. In Bombay City, however, deaths exceed births by 16,770. The number of births registered was 620,770 giving a birth-rate of 32.39. The birth-rate for rural areas was 37 48 and for urban areas 28 33. The birth-rate statistics cannot, however, be regarded as wholly reliable owing to inadequate attention given by local authorities to registration. From the figures given in the Annual Report it would appear that the rural birth-rate exceeded the Urban in the Presidency, but the reverse was the case in Sind. One satisfactory feature of the Statistics is that deaths amongst infants under 12 months was the lowest recorded for twenty years. But it is still very high amounting to 169.10 per thousand registered births. The total number of deaths was 105,000 and of these 43,366 were amongst infants one month old or less.

Over 2 million patients were treated in the Dispensaries and Hospitals of the Presidency which are maintained out of Public, Local or Municipal funds or receive aid from Government. Only about one-fifth of the total number of patients treated are women, although there is a steady increase in the number of female patients attending General Hospitals. Both among indoor and out-door patients malaria was responsible for the largest number of cases. Over 600,000 persons were primarily vaccinated during the year in the Presidency and the Belgaum Vaccine Institute issued nearly 1,200,000 doses of lymph.

Salt. The outstanding feature of the year was the doubling of the Salt tax from Re. 1-4-0 to Rs. 2-8-0 per maund from the 1st March 1923. But its effects in the year under review were negligible as traders, anticipating an increase, had removed large quantities of salt during January and February. Owing to an unusually favourable manufacturing season the production of Salt at Kharaghoda increased from 414 lakhs maunds to 451 lakhs maunds and that at the sea Salt Works (excluding the Dharasna and Chharvada Works) from 74 to 105 lakhs maunds.

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The consumption per head in the Presidency proper decreased slightly from 13.94 lbs. to 13 72 lbs. There was an increase in the market price of salt in almost all the districts during the first eleven months of the year. But when the duty was increased, the increase in price was not proportionate to the increase in duty because the retailers had stocks on hand which had paid the lower rate. The removals of Magnesium Chloride from Kharaghoda decreased from 20,930 cwts. to 12,772, owing to foreign competition, but over three times as much refined salt manufactured at Kharaghoda was disposed of. The issues of denaturalised salt decreased from 1,557 to 772 maunds in spite of the reduction in the issue price from Re. 1-2-0 to annas 13 per maund.

Excise. The year under review was one of the most important in the history of Excise administration in the Presidency. A number of changes were introduced, the most far reaching being the imposition of a direct check on consumption by rationing all country liquor shops on the basis of consumption during the year 1920-21. The strength of country spirit was reduced from 30 U.P. to 40 U.P. and several other measures were taken in pursuance of the settled policy of Government to discourage excess, minimise temptation and control the consumption of liquor among those habituated to it. Sixty-eight liquor shops were closed in the Presidency proper and 28 in Sind. The results of all these measures are to be seen in the figures of consumption as well as revenue. As compared with the previous year, the total consumption of country liquor in the Presidency proper went down by 309,000 gallons to 1,791,000 gallons or 15 per cent. The total revenue, however, amounted to 355 lakhs, compared with 303 lakhs in the previous year. The revenue from toddy rose by Rs. 4,91,000 and there was an increase, to 127 lakhs of gallons, or 28 per cent. in the consumption of toddy in the Presidency. In Sind the total revenue was Rs. 39,56,000, an increase of over Rs. 4 lakhs over the previous year. The figure for consumption per head in drams in the Bombay Presidency is 5.3 and it would appear that the drink problem is really an urban one, because while in rural areas the consumption is only 27 drams per head, in Bombay City it

is 25.4 and in District Headquarters and Towns with a population of 10,000 or over it is 15.9.

While the reduction in consumption is satisfactory, the position with regard to illicit practices gives cause for some anxiety. Offences relating to liquor rose from 1,999 to 3,458 and cases of illicit importation, sale and distillation from 1,905 to 2,884 or by 51 per cent. In Sind the figures of offences relating to liquor were 102 compared with 33 in the previous year. Moreover, there is reason to believe that in some districts only a portion of the illicit practices were detected. How far this increase in crime is the result of the policy of Government and in what respects that policy requires modification is a question that will receive the serious attention of Government.

The Co-operative Movement. The progress of the Cooperative Movement was affected by an unfavourable agricultural season and financial stringency in the money market, as well as by the policy of consolidation rather than immediate further extension. In consequence the increase in the number of Societies and members was less than has been usual in recent years. The increase in the Working Capital on the other hand was very satisfactory. On the 31st March, there were 3,533 Societies with 335,834 members and a working capital of Rs. 5 crores. Compared with the year 1920, Societies have increased by 40 per cent., members by 42 per cent. and working capital by a little over 100 per cent. Progress has been most marked in Urban co-operation and especially in co-operative banking. There are now 20 central co-operative banks including the Provincial Bank with a working capital of Rs. 169 lakhs or an increase of 160 per cent. over the figures of three years ago. Urban Banks number 31 with a working capital of Rs. 112 lakhs, and non-agricultural Societies 569 with a working capital of Rs. 187 lakhs. A noticeable feature of the advance has been the increased use of cheques, 23,000 having been issued and cashed by Co-operative Banks and Societies to the value of more than 6 crores. In addition there were transactions within the Co-operative Movement in Bills of Exchange amounting to another 14,000 in all for amounts aggregating Rs. 181 lakhs. In Agricultural Societies also the use of Savings Bank deposits is becoming more

general. The most serious defect in the agricultural movement continues to be the amount of overdue loans which at the end of the year amounted to nearly Rs. 31 lakhs, or 18 per cent. of the working capital of those Societies. On the other hand, members' deposits increased to Rs. 41 lakhs and reserve funds in Agricultural Societies to over Rs. 15 lakhs. With the closer co-operation now attained with the Agricultural Department, the question of co-operative marketing has been thoroughly investigated and important steps have been taken to add to the efficiency of this branch of the movement. In spite of an extremely poor cotton crop the sale societies sold cotton amounting in all to Rs. 23.8 lakhs, that at Gadag selling cotton worth Rs. 91⁄2 lakhs or 16 per cent. of the cotton brought into the local market. A fair amount of molasses nearly 8 lakhs-was also sold by co-operative societies and the total amount of agricultural produce sold by co-operative sale societies in the Presidency as a whole amounted to Rs. 33 lakhs during the year. The extent to which the co-operative movement in this Presidency is now controlled, supervised and guided by non-officials is the best measure of the success it has attained. The progress of the Bombay Central Co-operative Institute in particular has been most gratifying, and it is now taking a distinctly larger and more influential part in the direction of the co-operative movement in the Presidency. The finances of the Institute, however, are still insufficient for the tasks that it has to perform and larger donations from gentlemen of wealth and public spirit would be very helpful.

Public Works. Over 24 lakhs were spent on new roads and additions and alterations to existing ones, while repairs to roads cost over 28 lakhs during the year. New buildings completed or under construction included the Out-patients' Department in the J. J. Hospital, the Pharmacological Laboratory at Parel, the King Edward Memorial Hospital and the Gateway of India which had reached a height of 55 feet from ground level. The Central Jail, Hindalgi, which will accommodate 700 persons, was practically completed, while Shaikh Sulla Bridge at Poona was so far completed that it was open for traffic in September 1923. Other works under construction by the Public Works Department included a scheme of development for the town of