1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1894-1895,
2 56. The following statement shows the places to which pxrvrew sy sEcTIONs.
3 salt removed by road was booked during the past three years:— PACHBADRA.
4 Distribution of road-borne
5 i ee es ee a ee eee salt.
6 Areas. . 1892-93. 1893-94, . 1894-95.
7 ECT AOD, ——————
8 Mads. Mads, Mds.
9 Saugor S Ses ts . | 1,11,884] —1,85,092 | 1,417,289
10 Rhopst See sas , 0% seed 26,467 26,905 22,109
11 Udeypur ot cee ar ies 4,164 4,802 5,311
12 Serohi ee es wee eae 51 ae 49
13 Jubbulpur wee ee “ sea 3,481 tee
14 Sanchore ave a oes ee 23 ”
15 Bhiisa oe tee oes see ea 613
16 Bikanir sae sis eee a es tee 224
17 Total es 1,44,079 | 1,67,636 1,68,758 ,
18 The Banjarah carried or road traffic in Pachbadra salt
19 amounted to maunds 1,68,758 last year; to maunds 1,67,636
20 in 1893-94 ; and to maunds 1,44,070 in 1892-938. Regarding
21 this statement the Assistant Commissioner says,“ The details
22 of bovokings are, as I have explained in previous reports, based
23 .on the declarations of the Banjarahs who systematically de-
24 clare their purchases of salt to be for places in Central India,
25 chiefly Saugor and Bhopal, as they believe the very best salt in
26 the tract is issued for conveyance to Central India. The above
27 details are therefore not trustworthy. How much of the salt
28 declared for sale in the Saugor and Bhopal areas, really reached
29 those tracts it is impossible to say, as undoubtedly a good deal
30 of the salt was sold in Meywar and along the routes thence
31 inside of Central India. I believe I am well within the mark
32 in stating that quite half of the salt declared for Saugor and
33 Bhopal never reached those destinations. The real trade by
34 road in salt with Central India is earried on by the Jat and.
35 Bahminiah Banjarahs who from time immemorial have made
36 purchases at this salt source for sale in Central India. The
37 Maroos, Bhats, Bishnois, and Muhammadan Banjarahs, who
38 remove their salt by road on bullocks, and who too declare their
39 salt for sale in Central India, are also registered as ‘ Banjarahs.’
40 These Maroos, Bhats, et cetera however travel no further
41 than Meywar, and as during this past Bunjarah trading season,
42 the third I have experience of, I noticed that a largely increas-
43 ed number of the Banjarahs were Maroos, Bhats and Bishnois,
44 and that the same men made more than one trip with salt
45 during the season, I feel no hesitation in stating that a large
46 portion, if not the Jargest portion, of the road ‘traffic of the past
47 year went no further than Meywar, and as [ also noticed that
48 the Bahminiahs and Jats were in-smaller number and with
49 smaller Tandas or droves I see no reason to change the
50 opinion I have expressed in previous reports that thé real ©
51 Banjara trade conducted by the Jats and Bahminiahs is
52 fast decaying owing. to the competition of rail-borne salt. The
53 railway not only supplies Central India with quick deliveries
54 of salt,-but it also lands the salt in the best possible condition
55 in the markets, whereas the daily loading and unloading of
56 the packs containing the salt in the Banjarah trade, damages
57 its appearance and causes loss of weight too. Soon it seems
58 to me the Banjarah will have to content himself with supply-
59 ing the wilder parts of Central India and Malwa with salt pur-
60 chased in the markets on the railway nearest by. The past
61 ( 45 )