1 REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
2 PACHBADRA.
3 Distribution of ordinary
4 rail-borne salt,
5 REPORT ON THE ADMINSSTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
6 “ As these figures show, notwithstanding the disturbances
7 caused by the repeated rise and fall of selling prices of Sambhar
8 salt during the past two years and the very low rate charged
9 for that salt in 1892-93 (22,annas a maund) the trade in Pach-
10 badra by railway with the markets which are its regular cus-
11 tomers has been very steady during the past three years, The
12 through-traffic salt trade of this source in 1891-92 amounted
13 to 14 lakhs of maunds and in 1892-93 to 12 lakhs. I
14 would not feel confident in anticipating that the future through-
15 traffic trade will rise above 14 lakhs, as the competition of
16 Sambhar and Baragara salts ‘is increasing in the areas once
17 nearly exclusively enjoyed by Pachbadra salt. The latter must
18 give way to these rivals which are favoured by their relative
19 proximity to the areas opened up, in Central India, by the
20 Indian Midland Railway as regards Sambhar, and by the
21 Godhra-Rutlam Railway as regards Baragara. Sambhar at 4
22 annas a maund starts from Kuchawan road station (the point of
23 junction of the two salts) one anna and eight pies cheaper per
24 maund than Pachbadra, and this is sufficient in time to kill
25 the Pachbadra through-traffic trade on that route. I cannot
26 yet discuss the possible extinction of the Pachbadra through-
27 traffic trade towards Rutlam as my information concerning the
28 Godhra-Rutlam line is not yet precise enough.”
29 55. The next statement is a comparative abstract of the
30 ordinary rail-borne salt conveyed by railway from Pachbadra
31 during the past three years :—
32 Lines of railway, 1892-93. 1893-94, 1894-95.
33 Mads, Mads. Mads.
34 SJodhpur-Bikanir Railway ,,, sbi ae vee 945 282
35 Réjputina-Malwa Railway ... sa oat 8,307 23,782 3,150
36 Indian Midland Railway... ae sas §,198 24,867 2,363
37 North-Western Railway ... ‘sie jee 1,005 315
38 Great Indian Peninsula Railway ode is os 1,260 473
39 Lucknow-Sitapur-Bareilly Railway ... sie tie * 8,808
40 Oudh and Rohilkand Railway a me i 8,464,
41 East Indian Railway oe wee ve se 3,623 |
42 pases cae cocoate
43 Total * wee | 9,510 61,564 6,268
44 This species of trade fell from maunds 61,564 to maunds
45 6,268 or by maunds 55,296, an enormously larger decrease
46 relatively than occurred under through-traffic salt. The. ex-
47 planation of this is that in 1893-94, owing to salt being scarce
48 in the markets, traders rushed in with indents for“ ordinary ”
49 salt which they hoped to clear and load at this salt source
50 more quickly than the department could work off through-
51 traffic indents, which are always cleared strictly according to
52 pliority of receipt in the Assistant Commissioneyr’s office, and in
53 which owing to the great number of indents received a block.
54 for a time occurred in 1893-94.
55 ( 44)