Major Custom Houses of India – a peep into history
Chennai
In 1613, English Traders formed a commercial settlement in this port. A few years later, in 1639, the British East India Company received the grant of a small territory around Madraspatnam. On this site was erected Fort St. George. It was in Fort St. George that Sea Customs duties were first collected by the British. Madraspatnam became a Presidency in 1654 and began to be known as Madras. For 23 years the Agent of the East India Company, the Governor, was in charge of collection of revenue in the Presidency. Later on, a Council of members was appointed to run the company affairs in Madras, with the Governor as President of the Council.
In 1677, the Choultry Justice and Customer was the customs chief. His office was at the Choultry House where he looked after the Sea and Land Customs work of the Presidency. He was given a staff of one Assistant and two writers. He attended his office twice a week along with the Mint Master and Pay Master to hear cases and petitions. The Sea Customer was paid a salary of 50/- per annum. Lord Edward Clive abolished the post of the Sea Customer and Land Customer and created the posts of Collectors of Sea Customers, who were appointed in each Sea Port District and were put in charge of Sea and Land Customs Revenue. The first “Collector of Customs” was Mr. Walter Balfour who took office in the year 1800. In 1808, the Madras Sea Customs was brought under the Board of Revenue.
In 1812, regulations were prepared for the Custom House. ‘Kanakupillais’ (Accountants) were to take account of every boat load and no goods were allowed to be removed from the beach, until such account was taken. The coolies who carried the goods from the beach to the Custom House were to be permanently employed to work at a fixed rate. All goods except grain were to be landed in front of the Custom House. The Master of the ship had to furnish a list of each boat load. Confiscated goods were sold and after duty had been deducted, one third of the remainder was given to the Collector of Customs and one sixth to his Deputy.
In the year 1867, the Collector of Sea Custom was paid a salary of Rs.3500/- p.m. and his Deputy Collector a salary of RS. 1,500/-p.m. In 1867, the Sea Customs Bill was passed which empowered the local Government to appoint necessary Sea Customs Officials.
The District Collector was empowered to perform the duties of collector of Customs Madras; the offices of the collector of Customs and the District Collector were housed side by side, separated only by a narrow street across which was a wooden bridge joining the two offices. The Collector of Madras attended the office of the collector of Customs using this passage. The District Collector attended half a day at the office of the Collector of Customs and other half at the office of the Collector of Madras District.The collector was assisted by a Dy .Collector of Customs on a salary of Rs. 700/- p.m. and two appraisers on RS.500/- and RS.300/-p.m. respectively and an office manager on RS.225/- with an establishment expenditure of Rs. 3,507/- p.m.
The function of supervising the Port Trust was also for a time exercised by the Collector of Customs, who was the Ex. Officio Chairman of the Harbour Trust Board. Later, the functions were bifurcated and a separate officer was appointed as Chairman of the Port Trust in the year 1901.
The Collector of Customs, Madras was also in charge of the outports in the Presidency till 1936, when they were bifurcated and handled over for administrative purposes to the Collector of Salt Revenue whose office was housed in the same building for years.
After the outbreak of the Second World War when Government of India decided to Control the Imports and Exports of the Country, the Collector of Customs was also the Controller of Imports and Exports.
In earlier years, the Customs Officers used to board the vessels plying between Madras and Singapore, at the port of Nagapattinam and commence onboard passenger baggage clearance enabling the passengers to complete their baggage examination before the vessel calls at Chennai Port.
Kolkotta
When the British East India Company entered the political scene of India, particularly Bengal, they inherited the system of inland Customs Duty collected through Customs Chowkeys. Lord Cornwallis abolished all the internal Custom Houses in Bengal and Bihar in 1788 which was later revived in 1801.
Sir Richard Bacher was appointed on 3rd March, 1758, as the Sea and Land Customs Master to look into the business of the Customs Department. He bought Mr. Holwell’s house for Rs.9,500/- for the Custom House. Howell’s house being an old construction was found as not really suitable for the functioning of the Custom House due to seepage and leakage at many points. The building was, sold off for Rs.8,051/- in 1760. The Custom House thereafter temporarily functioned from a dwelling house till it was decided on the 8th September, 1766, that the apartments occupied by the Fort Major in the old Fort would stand appropriated for use of the Custom House Master. Evacuation of all militaries from the Fort area was completed in the beginning of 1767 with a view to converting the Fort premises into a Custom House. From 1770, the old Fort steadily dipped into the Hooghly River. The Custom House at the extreme southern side of the old Fort disappeared in due course into the river. After the old Fort was completely evacuated, it was decided to construct a full fledged Custom House at the site of the old Fort, facing the river Hooghly (Ganges). The foundation stone of the Old Custom House was laid by Lord Hastings on the 12th February, 1819. It was a substantially wide two storied building erected on the site of old Fort
Mumbai
Under the Marriage Treaty between Charles II of Great Britain and Catherine of Portugal, the Port and the Islands of Mumbai were transferred to the King of Great Britain, his heirs and successors. The British sold the Port and the Islands of Mumbai to the East India Co. in 1668 at the annual quit rent of 10 pounds. The East India Company took measures for encouragement of trade like construction of Custom House, Warehouses, Mole Stations, etc. In 1672, the President of the Surat Council and the Governer of Mumbai transferred the company's headquarters from Surat< to Mumbai. Trade through Mumbai grew rapidly. What really started the Mumbai Port with a bang was the sudden spurt in the cotton trade with China in 1770. The ending of the East India Company’s trading monopoly by the British Parliament in 1813 set in a remarkable expansion of trade. The Year 1858 saw the end of East India Co. and Mumbai passed under the direct rule of the British Crown.
The Government of India appointed a committee in 1907 to consider the question of arrangements to be made for the transaction of the Custom business on completion of new Docks under the construction, by Bombay Port Trust. Approval for the construction of New Custom House at Mumbai was granted on 25.11.1911 at a cost of Rs. 22 lakhs. The governor in council of Bombay Presidency vide Notification issued on 12.04.1901 under section 11 of Sea Custom Act, 1878 declared the Bombay as chief port and attached 72 minor ports to it and Karachi as chief port of Sind and attached six minor ports to it for the purpose of shipment and of landing of goods.The Custom House, Mumbai existed much before, 1878 when the Sea Custom Act, 1878 was enacted.