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BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE
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WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
There were a number of units of weights and measures in the past. The units differed not only from place to place but also from commodity to commodity at the same place. The state of affairs regarding weights and measures was most complicated in the rural areas. The Gazetteer of Wardha District published in 1906 gives a vivid account of the same which is quoted below. [Cenlral Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, Vol. A, 1906, pp. 145-47.]
" The measures of capacity in use in the district are the following:—
One ser = 25 tolas.
One adheli = 2 sers or 50 tolas.
One paili — 4 sers or 100 tolas or 2½ lbs.
One katha = 4 pailis.
One kuro = 8 pailis or 20 lbs.
One khandi — 20 kuros or 5 maunds or 400 lbs.
A ser is about equivalent to a double handful of grain. A double handful is also known as onjal and a single handful is called pasa. Kuro measures are not now used. In the municipal towns of Wardha, Arvi and Hinganghat Government katha measures have been introduced, and also kangan measures, the kangan being equivalent to a seer of 2 lbs. The terms katha and kangan really belong to Chhattisgarh. In Arvi tahsil the size of the paili varies in different localities, while in the Deoli, Nachan-gaon and Andori parganas a khandi of 24 kuros is used. For measuring linseed and til the khandi contains 22½ kuros of 8 pailis in Wardha, 21¼ kuros in Arvi and 23 kuros in Hinganghat. For uncleaned cotton the following scale of weights is employed:—
One Paseri = 2¼ seers or 4½ lbs.
One dhara — 2 paseris or 9 lbs.
One maund = 4 dharas or 18 seers.
One khandi = 20 maunds or 9 Government maunds or 720 lbs.
For cleaned cotton a maund of 11 seers is used in Wardha and Hinganghat and of 14 seers in Arvi. A bojha or bale contains 15 maunds in Wardha and Hinganghat and 10 maunds in Arvi. The Wardha and Hinganghat bojha is thus equivalent to 4 Government maunds and 5 seers or 330 lbs. and the Arvi bojha to 3½ Government maunds or 280 lbs. The Commercial bale of cotton is 3½ cwt. or 392 lbs., but it is commonly taken as 400 lbs. For salt and sugar, refined and unrefined, a maund of 10 seers is used and for ghi a maund of 12 seers in Wardha and of 11½ seers in Arvi and Hinganghat. Salt is sold by the paili measure, 96 pailis making onepalla. For gold and silver the scale is the tola of 12 mashas, each masha containing 8 gunjas. The Government tola, however, is equivalent to only 11 of these mashas, so that the tola weight contains twelve-elevenths of a Government tola or rupee. According to another scale the tola weight is equivalent to a Government rupee and 2½ wals, one wal being equivalent to two gunjas. A gunja is the red or white seed of the
gunj tree (Abrus precatorius), and one gunja is equal to three barley-corns. Wal is the seed of the chillara shrub or Mysore thorn (Caesalpinia sepiaria)."
In order to do away with the confusion arising from the multiplicity of
weights and measures, the Government of India decided to establish
a uniform system of weights and measures. This led to the enactment of
the Standards of Weights and Measures Act in 1956. It laid down the
basic units under the metric system. Under the new arrangement the
decimal system is applied to units of weights and measures. In pursuance
to the above enactment of the Central Government, the State Government enacted the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act,
1958, for the enforcement of Standard units based on metric system. The
new pattern of units was made applicable from 1958, and the enforcement
of the system was completed by 1966. '
The trade transactions in Wardha district, both wholesale as well as retail, are executed in terms of the new units at present. The various units are inspected periodically by the Industries Inspectors.
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