1 MEMORANDUM ON THE SAYER SYSTEM IN
2 MYSORE.
3 eee
4 1. THE Sayer in Mysore under the former Governments was classed
5 ‘under three general heads, viz. :-—
6 1st. Bharamarg, or Transit Duty on goods passing along the high
7 or cross roads.
8 2nd. Stull Bhurty, or Duty on goods produced or manufactured in
9 Towns or other places, to be paid previous to their exportation from
10 the place of production or manufacture.
11 8rd. Khurg Pudy, or Duty levied on goods at the time of their sale,
12 whether by retail or wholesale.
13 2. For collection of these duties there were no less than seven
14 hundred and sixty-one Sayer Chowkies, or custom-houses, established
15 in the Talooks, and in no two of these Chowkies probably was the
16 system to be carried out in all respects the same.
17 3. It is true that Tariff Tables, called “ Prahara Putties,” exhibiting
18 the rate of duty to be paid on each article, were at one time issued by
19 the Circar, and posted up in most of the Cuttays, but the Government
20 itself was the first to infringe the rules by granting Cowls of entire or
21 partial] exemption to certain favored individuals ; and the same mis-
22 chievous system was further propagated, by the granting of similar Cowls
23 by successive izardars and sub-renters to their own particular friends
24 during their own period of incumbency, and which became confounded
25 with those granted by the Circar.
26 4. The consequence was, that in the course of time the “ Prahara
27 Putties” were looked upon as so much waste paper, and each Cuttay
28 came to have a set of Mamool or local rates of its own, which were
29 seldom claimed without an attempt at imposition, or admitted without
30 a wrangle. The usual result was an appeal to the Sayer Shanbogue of
31 the place, who became the standing referee in all disputed cases, which
32 che may be supposed to have decided in favour of the party which made
33 it most advantageous to himself.
34 5. It became necessary therefore for the trader to purchase the good
35 -will of every Sayer servant along the whole line of road by -which he
36 P