Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/338

 316 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL productiveness of opium to the Indian Government has not varied so much as might have been anticipated. Examination of the yield for a series of years seems 'to show that the maximum return has been passed. ' GROSS AND -ET REVENUE FROM OPIUM FOR EACH OF THE Yr..RS 1869-70 1888-89.  Year. 1869-70 1870-71 1871-72 1872-73 1873-74 1874-75 1875-76 1876-77 1877-78 1878-79 1880-81 1881-8 1882-83 1883-84 1884-85 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 Gross Revenue. (000 omitted.) Net Revenue. (000 omitted.) 7,953 6,13'2 8,045 9,253 8,684 8,324 8,556 6,031 7,657 6,870 6,323 6,214 8,471 9,122 9,182 9,399 10,480 9,86 9,499 9,556 8,816 8,942 8,942 8,515 8,562 6,252 6,280 6,521 7,669 8,2 8,451 7,804 7 216 7,701 5,849 5,884 6,213 6,090 5,964 Omitting the difficult question of the morality of the opium revenue, on which such opposite opinions are held,  we may notice that it is in reality derived from an export duty applied under the specially favourable conditions of intense demand and monopoly of supply; but for this very reason it is less safe to draw any general conclusion from its operation. s ALCOHOL.--It would have been strange if reformers under the impulse of temperance ideas had not suggested a state monopoly of the production and sale of spirits as at least a partial remedy against excessive drinking. Quite apart from such influences the  The is taken as equal to ten rupees. - For a vigorous defence of the opium tax, see Strachey, pp. 253 264. s There are opium monopolies also at Hong Kong and Singapore, but the former is farmed out.