1 REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
2 SULTANPUR SALT
3 WORKS,
4 Selling price at the works,
5 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
6 for this area extends along the foot of the hills from Najib-
7 abad to Pilibhit; Sultdnpuri salt is taken to this tract by road
8 and by railway ;it is consumed in the Tardi country and
9 passes up into the Kumann hills; there was a large increase
10 in the trade with this area during the past year, particularly
11 by railway with Pilibhit markets: (4) Oudh ; by far the great-
12 er portion of the trade of the salt works is with this area.
13 Out of maunds 94,614 excised during the past year maunds
14 70,159 were sent to Cawnpore entirely for consumption in
15 Oudh. Sultdnpuri salt is consumed all over the Partdbgarh,
16 Sulténpur and Rae Bareli districts, in Sitapur and Kheri, and
17 in a lesser degree in Hardoi, Unao and Bara Banki. Since the
18 opening of the Lucknow-Rae Bareli Railway, Sambhar salt
19 is forcing its way down to Rae Bareli. There was, however, a
20 very great increase in the consumption of Sultdnpuri salt in
21 this area as compared with 1893-94.” He further notes that
22 “ the reason for the increase in the SultAnpuri trade has undoub-
23 tedly been the higher value of Sambhar salt, and the Sultdn-
24 puri trade will stand or fall in exact accordance with the
25 price at which salt happens to sell at the Sambhar Lake. The
26 Sambhar trade is so extensive that minor sources are almost
27 entirely iufluenced by the selling rate of Sambhar, which decides
28 to a very great extent the market value of all salt. Down to
29 the close of 1893-94, oppressed by the very low value of Sam-
30 bhar salt and burdened by the Hakimi cess, the manufacture
31 and trade of Sultdnpuri salt steadily declined year by year.”
32 But when the price of Sambhar salt was raised, the Sultanpuri
33 producers and owners took as early an advantage as possible
34 of the favourable position they were putin, and the result was
35 the improved business done Jn 1894-95.
36 34. The following compilation shows the prices of Sul-
37 taénpuri salt at the works during the past two years :—
38 ‘SZ, 8 8 GI 8
39 $ 3 3 2 3
40 g5 Fe} 5 5 5 =
41 Year. = i Se g 3 ous 3 Total.
42 3 38 $ r ~ S g
43 25 Ee Be Ca 3 3
44 iS ao 6 = @ mS A
45 fo) & io i 7) <j
46 —_— Ce re re | eee | nr a ee Cena (ete tene t
47 Mds. Mads. Mds. Mds. Mds. Mds, Mads.
48 1893-94 2,181 11,118 24,412 6,160 9,657 | 12,940 66,485 ;
49 1894-95 688 6,377 40,092 17,172 27,710 2,575 94,614
50 The prices in the statement are those which owners of
51 produce obtain from purchasers and do not include Hakimi cess.
52 The Hakimi cess is paid separately to the Government and
53 quite apart from the price of the salt.
54 The Hakimi cess is now undoubtedly an undue burden on
55 Sultdénpuri salt. The amount was fixed when, on account of
56 the high price of Sambhar salt and the great cost ofits freight
57 to the North-Western Provinces, Sultdnpuri salt sold at muck
58 higher rates than now. ‘The cess, therefore, bore a much
59 smaller proportion to its price. It was also no more than a fair
60 equivalent for the advantage which Sulténpur had over Sambhar
61 from its proximity to the markets of the North-Western Pro-
62 vinces. Now all this is changed. Sambhar salt is sold at4 annas
63 per maund and the cost of freight from Sambhar to Cawnpore
64 ( 26 )