1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR 1894-95.
2 ‘of special enquiry, and the foilowing causes were assigned to REVIEW BY SECTIONS
3 account for it, namely (1) that everywhere the year opened with PUNJAB MINES,
4 a large quantity of stock, while at the time of our visit there
5 ‘was none, and consignments received from the mines were being
6 disposed of as they arrived: (2) that prices had remained absolute-
7 ly level, and profits at their lowest, because the supply from
8 the mines bad been received with great regularity and no
9 interruptions of supply, tempting speculation, had occurred,
10 such as happens through the failure, from one cause or
11 another, of the railway wagon supply, &c., when prices suddenly
12 rise, and traders are tempted to invest largely in the hope of
13 unusually large profits; (8) that the large harvest, did not
14 interfere to any appreciable extent with the distribution of salt,
15 and the demand was normal and fully met, but while the quan-
16 tity consumed by the population in general was not less than
17 usual, there were no stocks left in the outlying towns and
18 villages; and (4) that grain was exported largely in the
19 autumn and winter to: the eastern districts of the North-
20 Western Provinces, and money was diverted into this channel
21 instead of being invested in salt, I think it may be accepted as
22 certain that to previous overtrading is due chiefly the falling
23 off in the sales of 1894-95. ‘There is the statement of all the
24 principal traders for it and the corroboration of the following
25 figures showing the average annual sales for the four three—
26 year periods preceding 1894-95, viz., 1882-83 to 1884-85
27 maunds 15,94,599, 1885-86 to 1887-88 maunds 17,84,549,
28 i888-89 to 1890-91 maunds 20,13,307, 1891-92 to 1893.94
29 maunds 20,52,520. Itis also noteworthy that the whole of
30 the increase for some years past has been almost entirely in
31 sales for consumption within the Punjab (and its feudatory
32 provinces), and that the whole of the decrease now apparent is
33 in sales for consumption within the same area.” To what
34 the Assistant Commissioner says, I may add the fact already
35 adverted to, that since the close of the year the demand has
36 completely revived, and that the current year’s trade pro-
37 mises to be at least equal to that of the most favourable of its
38 predecessors. The deficiency in the year’s transactions was
39 entirely at the Warthganj Depdt at Khewra, and was almost
40 entirely confined to the through-traffic business, for the entire
41 deficiency in the year’s sales beiug maunds 2,31,212, through-
42 traflic sales were less by maunds 2,26,057, and other sales at
43 Warthganj, four removal by road and railway, were less by
44 maunds 12,191; at the three minor depdts of the division, the
45 entire trade of which, however, amounted only to maunds
46 1,86,381, there was an increase in sales of 7,036 maunds as
47 compared with 1893-94.
48 19. Comparative figures showing both kinds of trade Through trafic and ordi-
49 (through-traffic and ordinary) for the past four years are given “7
50 below tor the whole division :— -
51 1891-92, . 1892-93, 1893-94, | 1894-95.
52 ; Mds. Mds. Mas, Mas.
53 Through-traffe be ws | 1747/6588 | 18,21,718 | 18,20,776 | 15,04,719
54 Ordinary. wie. ag: 2,30,915 2,84,728 2,51,844 246,689
55 Total ae 19,78.408 | 21,06,441 20,72,620 | 18,4" ,403
56 { 15 )