1904. Secretary of State’s notification of his willingness to sell
Council Bills on India at 1s. 4⅛d. the rupee without limit.
1905. Act authorising the establishment of the Currency Chest of
“earmarked” gold at the Bank of England as part of the Currency
Reserve against notes,[2] and the investment of a stated part of the
Currency Reserve in sterling securities.
1906. The Notification withdrawn which had directed the issue of
rupees against the tender of gold (as distinguished from British gold
coin).
1907. Rupee branch of the Gold Standard Reserve instituted.
1908. Sterling drafts sold in Calcutta on London at 1s. 3–29/32d. the
rupee, and cashed out of funds from the Gold Standard Reserve.
1910. Act rendering Currency notes of Rs. 10 and 50 universal legal
tender,[3] and directing the issue of notes in exchange for British
gold coins.
1913. Royal Commission on Indian Finance and Currency.
8. In § 6 I have stated the practical effect of these successive
measures. But the legal position is so complicated and peculiar, that
it will be worth while to state it quite precisely. Previous to 1893
the Government were bound by the Coinage Act of 1870 to issue rupees,
weight for weight, in exchange for silver bullion. There was also in
force a Notification of the Governor–General in Council, dating from
1868, by which sovereigns were received at Government Treasuries as
the equivalent of ten rupees and four annas. This Notification, which
had superseded a Notification of 1864 fixing the exchange at ten
rupees, had long been inoperative (as the gold exchange value of ten
rupees four annas had fallen much below a sovereign). The Act of 1893
was merely a repealing Act, necessary in order to do away with those
provisions of the Act of 1870 which provided for the free mintage of
silver into rupees. At the same time (1893) the Notification of 1868
was superseded by a new Notification fixing fifteen rupees as the
rate at which sovereigns would be accepted at Government Treasuries;
and a Notification was issued under the Paper Currency Act of 1882,
directing the issue of currency notes in exchange for gold at the Rs.
15 to £1 ratio. The direct issue of rupees against the tender of gold
also has been regulated by a series of Notifications, of which the
first was published in 1893, up to 1906 rupees being issued against
either gold coin or gold bullion; and since 1906 against sovereigns and
half–sovereigns only. Apart from Notifications, an Act of 1899 declared
British sovereigns legal tender at the Rs. 15 to £1 ratio, an indirect
effect of which was to make it possible for Government, so far as Acts
are concerned, to redeem notes in gold coin and refuse silver. And
lastly, the Paper Currency Act of 1910 bound the Government to issue
notes against the tender of British gold coin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account