RESOLUTION.--The Comptroller-General has brought to the notice of the Governor General in Council the irregular working of the provisions of the law relating to the cutting and breaking of silver coins. An examination of the Returns shows that in some treasuries coins are constantly cut or broken, while in neighbouring treasuries few or none are so dealt with. In some treasuries the cut coins consist, solely, or chiefly, of eight-anna pieces, while in other rupees alone are cut. 2. In view of the above results, the Governor-General in Council considers it desirable that the attention of Treasury Officers should be called to the importance of that part of their duties which consists in the examination of coin presented by the public and its withdrawal from circulation if tampered with or unduly worn. At treasury inspections particular notice should be taken of the degree of supervision exercised by Treasury Officers in respect of this branch of the treasury work. 3. The Governor-General in Council is also informed that there is some misapprehension as to the use and meaning of minimum weights; it seems therefore expedient to explain that the minimum weights issued for testing rupees and eight-anna pieces are already two per cent. below the standard weight for such coins, and therefore show the exact weight below which the coin has to be destroyed. 4. The Governor-General in Council takes the opportunity of explaining that in destroying coins officers should avoid completely dividing them, as it is often convenient to identify the parts of a particular coin. Such identification becomes impossible if the pieces are wholly separated. Care should, however, be taken that the destruction is complete.—(Government of India No. 2585, dated 31st August 1880-Punjab Gazette of 16th September). (m). No. 3606.-The following resolutions of the Government of India are published for general information and guidance: Resolution No. 2776, dated 6th September 1878. Resolution No. 3557, dated 24th October 1878. No. 2776. FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT. MINT AND CURRENCY. The 6th September 1878. READ again, the following Mint and Currency Proceedings : June 1865, Nos. 346-357, February 1875, Nos. 1-3, containing the record of proceedings taken in consequence of the rejection, in Sindh, of certain shroff-marked rupees remitted thither from the Punjab. From Comptroller General, No. 683, dated 26th August, regarding the rejection again, in Sindh, of shroff-marked rupees remitted thither from the Punjab. To the Government of Bombay, No. 1897, dated 17th July 1877. From the Government of Bombay, No. 4173, dated Ist October 1877. To the Government of Bombay and the Punjab, No. 99, dated 25th April 1878. From the Government of Bombay, No. 1565, dated 4th May 1878. From the Government of the Punjab, No. 1784, dated 11th June 1878. RESOLUTION.-Under the "Indian Coinage Act, 1870," silver coins of Britlsh India, which have been clipped, or filed, or defaced, or diminished otherwise than by use, are declared not to be legal tender. 2. The same Act provides that certain authorities may cut or break silver coins tendered to them, which have been reduced in weight otherwise thau by reasonable wear, returning the pieces to the person tendering the coin. 3. The practice of marking, notching, aud filing, or otherwise injuring, the coin being still more or less prevalent in some parts of India, and it being necessary, in order to secure conformity with the provisions of the law, to repress such practices as far as practicable, the Government of India is pleased to issue the following orders. 4. In those Provinces in which the Local Government shall be of opinion that the provisions of the law may be strictly enforced without causing undue pressure on the community, the following measures shall be adopted :— A. The Presidency Banks and their branches, and all public treasuries shall with convenient despatch, cause all shroff-marked, notched, or otherwise defaced, silver coin in their custody, which has not lost more than two per cent weight to be exchanged, at the nearest Currency Office, for notes or legal coin. The Currency officers will transmit the defaced coin thus received, with any similarly defaced coin in the Currency Reserve. to the nearest Mint, to be exchanged for legal coin. No shroff-marked, notched, or otherwise defaced, silver coin shall henceforth be issued from any public treasury. B. The Mint will receive, at their nominal value, all such coins, and bear the expense of their re-coinage. C. After a reasonable delay, to be determined by the Local Government, and to be notified for general information, no such defaced coin shall be received in payment of Government demands. D. The officers authorised so to do under the Indian Coinage Act, should cut or break in pieces any such defaced coin tendered to them, the weight of which shall have been reduced otherwise than by reasonable wear; the broken pieces being returned to the person who tendered the coin. E. If such defaced coin is not so reduced in weight as to justify its destruction, the officer to whom it is tendered should offer to accept it at the rate of one rupee per tolah of its actual weight; aud coin so accepted should be exchanged at the nearest Currency Office, as before directed, with a view to its re-coinage. 5. In provinces in which the Local Government shall be of opinion that the foregoing Rules C and D should not be immediately enforced, the following procedure shall apply:F. Rules A, B and B will be carried out as in the other case. G. Notice should be publicly given in the principal towns and baza rs of the Province that the practice of notching, or marking, or otherwise defacing, the coin renders it liable to be rejected by every one on tender for payment; and that it is the intention of the Government to refuse such coin in payment of public demands, after a reasonable time has elapsed within which the defaced coin can be exchanged for legal coin; that defaced coin, which has lost weight otherwise than by reasonable wear, if tendered at a public treasury, will be liable to be cut or broken; and that the Government will enforce the law on this subject at some future time which cannot be long delayed. H. After a reasonable delay, to be determined by the Local Government, and to be notified for general information, no public officer should receive, in payment of Government demands, coins which have been greatly defaced, even though they have not lost so much weight as to cease to be a legal tender on that account. I. The application of Rule D shall be so far modified, that only such coins shall be cut or broken as are notably reduced in weight otherwise than by reasonable wear. 6. The Local Government will, from time to time, issue such instructions for the guidance of officers, in giving effect to Rule H and I, as they may think suitable to local circumstances bearing in mind the importance of gradually eradicating the practice of defacing the coin. 7. In those Provinces in which Rules C and D are not enforced, special reports should be prepared yearly, for submission to the Government of India in the Financial Department, as to the condition of the coin in the public treasuries, and as to the progress made in suppressing the defacement. 8. The Currency Department should, for the present, report monthly the amount and description of coins received for re-coining, under the operation of this Resolution, with a statement of the Provinces from which they were received. Paragraph 4 (A) of Financial Resolution No. 2776, dated 6th September 1878, requiring all public treasuries to exchange, at the nearest Currency Office, for notes or legal coin, all shroff-marked, notched, or otherwise defaced, silver coin in their custody. Read Letter from the Government of Bengal, No.48T., dated 23rd September 1878, representing that this course is likely to cause some inconvenience, as it will be necessary for all treasuries in the Mofussil to remit to the Currency Office at Calcutta, and for the Currency Office to make a return remittance to each treasury. RESOLUTION.-In modification of the orders contained in paragraph 4 (A) of the Resolution of 6th September 1878, the Governor-General in Council directs that instead of exchanging shroff-marked, notched, or otherwise defaced, silver coins at the nearest Currency Office, all Mofussil treasuries shall remit them to the Presidency Bank or to the Branch Bank or Treasury at the nearest Currency Station, which will effect the exchange. READ No. 3557, the 24th October 1878. Letter from the Chief Commissioner, Central Provinces, No 3639-173, dated the 3rd September 1878, remarking upon the procedure laid down in sections 16 and 17 of the Indian Coinage Act, 1870, by which silver coins, which have lost by reasonable wear more than two per cent in weight, are withdrawn from circulation; and representing the hardship and inconvenience caused by the Agent to the Bank of Bengal at Nagpur having, of late, enforced those sections with respect to all such coins received in Government remittances or otherwise. RESOLUTION. The Governor-General in Council observes that the authority contemplated in sections 16 and 17 of the Indian Coinage Act, 1870, can only be exercised in respect of coins received by a Presidency Bank on behalf of Government and that the agent to the Bank of Bengal at Nagpur should be informed accordingly. The Agent should also be instructed, for the present, to withdraw all such coins, when tendered in payment of Government dues, and to send them to Bombay for re-coinage, the loss which will ensue being borne by Government. This order should have retrospective effect from such date as the Chief Commissioner, Central Provinces, may consider necessary. 2. His Excellency in Council at the same time requests that, pending further orders, the several Local Governments and Administrations will be good enough to instruct local Revenue Officers to avoid taking such coins as much as possible, and, if any considerable quantity comes in, consequent on lenient action on the part of the local officers, will increase the pressure in order to check it. No. 3607.-Under the authority of Government of India, Financial Department, Resolution No. 2776, dated 6th September 1878, His Honor is pleased to declare that under the Indian Coinage Act, 1870, all silver coins of British India which have been clipped or fiied, or defaced, or diminished otherwise than by use, shall cease to be legal tender in the Punjab and its Dependencies after the 15th November 1879. No. 3608.-The attention of all Managers of the Branches of the Bank of Bengal, all District and Treasury Officers in the Punjab, is drawn to Notifications of this Govern ment, Nos. 3606 and 3607, dated 12th November 1878, and, under the sanction accorded by the Government of India in paragraph 5 of Financial Department's Resolution No. 2776, dated 6th September last, His Honor is pleased to issue the following further rules on the subject of shroff-marked, notched or otherwise defaced silver coin which has not lost more than two per cent. weight. 1. It is hereby directed that, after 15th November 1879, no such defaced coin shall be received in payment of Government demands. 2. The officers authorized so to do under the Indian Coinage Act, should cut or break in pieces such coins as are notably reduced in weight otherwise than by reasonable wear, the broken pieces being returned to the person who tendered the coin. 3. If such defaced coin is not so reduced in weight as to jusitify its destruction, the officer to whom it is tendered should offer to accept it at the rate of one rupee per tolah of its actual weight, and coin so accepted should be exchanged at the nearest Currency Office, as before directed, with a view to its re-coinage, 4. District officers should publicly notify in the principal towns and bazárs of the Province that the practice of notching, or marking or otherwise defacing the coin renders it liable to be rejected by every one on tender for payment, and that it is the intention of the Government to refuse such coin in payment of public demands after the expiry of one year (dating from 15th November 1878) within which the defaced coin will be exchanged for legal coin; that defaced coin, which has lost weight otherwise than by reasonable wear, if tendered at a public Treasury will be liable to be cut or broken, and that the Government will enforce the law after the time fixed in this Notification. 5. Particular attention is drawn to paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Government of India's Resolution No. 2776, dated 6th September 1878. (Punjab Government Notifications Nos. 3606, 3607, 3608, dated 12th November 1878—Punjab Gazette of 14th idem). (n). The following is published for general information : No. 792, dated 24th May 1879. In reply to your letter No. 408, dated the 3rd February 1879, I am directed to say that the Governor-General in Council accepts the recommendation of His Houor the Lieutenant Governor that the measures prescribed in Financial Resolution No. 2776, dated the 6th September 1878, for the repression of the practice of defaciug silver coins shall not for the present be introduced into the Punjab. 2. Defaced coins should, however, be remitted as largely as possible for expenditure beyond the frontier. (Notification No. 1854, dated 6th June 1879-Punjab Gazette of 12th idem). (o). The following is published for general information : No. 2614, Government of India, Dept. of Finance and Commerce, dated 8th September 1879. RESOLUTION.-By a Resolution No. 731, dated 26th May 1879, the Government of India at the instance of the Senior Mint Master, directed that soldered coins should "in all cases be destroyed and returned to the tenderers." 2. The Governor-General in Council now finds that, although a soldered coin being defaced, has no legal-tender force, yet a Government officer may not cut or break a coin which does not belong to any of the classes described in Section 16 of the Indian Coinage Act, merely because it is soldered. 3. The orders contained in the Resolution hereinbefore cited are accordingly hereby cancelled. But whether a soldered coin has lost weight or not, it should never be re-issued from any Government Treasury or Currency Office, but always dealt with in the manner prescribed by Resolution No. 2776, dated 16th September 1878, the solder being carefully and clearly removed before it is bought from the holder for its weight in Rupees under Rule E. promulgated with that Resolution.-(Notification No. 2824, dated 22nd September 1879—Punjab Gazette of 25th idem). (p.) For further orders regarding shroff marked coins see Government of India Resolution No. 2432, dated 17th August 1881—Punjab Gazette of 8th September. (4) See Financial Commissioner's Circular No. 39 of 1873, and Circular Memo. No. 4693 of 1874. (r). The following Resolution is published for general information : Read the following correspondence regarding a difficulty which has arisen about the form of the certificate to be given by the Assay Master of the Calcutta Mint under Section 24 of the Indian Coinage Act, 1870, for the net produce of Furruckhabad rupees received in the Mint for coinage under Section 19 of the said Act : From Master of the Mint, Calcutta, No. 1173, dated 2nd February 1876. To Assay Master, Calcutta, ditto ditto. From ditto ditto, No. 4, dated 6th April. To Master of the Mint, OBSERVATIONS.-By the 17th Section of the Indian Coinage Act, 1870, it is provided that "If a coin which has been coined and issued by the authority of the Government of India has lost, by reasonable wearing, more than two per cent. in weight, or has been called in by proclamation, the officer cutting or breaking the same shall receive it at the rate of one rupee per tola." In accordance with this provision of the law, the 8th Rule for the receipt under Section 19 of the said Indian Coinage Act, of bullion and coin into the Calcutta Mint, authorises the receipt of Madras, Furruckhabad, Company's or Government rupees, reduced by ordinary wear without payment of duty at one rupee a tola, and the 9th Rule for the receipt of bullion into the Bombay Mint provides that there shall be no seiguorage on short weight Madras, Furruckh abad or Government rupees. RESOLUTION. The foregoing Mint Rules should be made applicable to Furruckbabad rupees, and all other coins coined and issued by the authority of the Government of India, of full weight, received at the Mints for recoinage under Section 19 of the Indian Coinage Act. The only point to be certified in regard to such coins so received is that they have been coined and issued by the authority of the Government of India; and unless the Assay Master thinks it necessary to assay them in order to ascertain that they are genuine, they need not be assayed at all. The certificate granted by the Assay Master under Section 24 of the Indian Coinage Act for the net produce of such coins payable on behalf of the Government by the Bank of Bengal or the Bank of Bombay, as the case may be, should merely state their weight and the corresponding amount in Government rupees at one rupee a tola. Payment is not made for such coins upon their assay value, and the Assay Master's certificate should not state their assay value.-(Government of India Resolution No. 2155, dated 11th August 1876). Preamble. Whereas it is expedient to amend the law relating to prisons in the North-Western Provinces, the Punjab, Oudh, the Central Provinces, and British Burma, and to provide rules for the regulation of such prisons; It is hereby enacted as follows: Short title. Local extent. CHAPTER I. PRELIMINARY. 1. This Act may be called "The Prisons' Act, 1870." It extends only to the territories respectively under the government of the Lieutenant-Governors of the North-Western Provinces and the Punjab, and under the administration of the Chief Commissioner of Oudh, the Central Provinces and British Burma. NOTE.-The 3rd paragraph of this Section is repealed by Act XVI of 1874. 2. Repealed by Act XII of 1873. |