1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1896-97.
2 demand. This will appear in the comparative statemeat which REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
3 follows, showing the trade of such marts for the past two
4 years :-—
5 1895-96. 1896-97.
6 Mds. Mas.
7 Hassan Abdal .,. 56,621 * §7,102
8 Kharian a 34,097 9,202 -
9 Gujrat 17,906 23,643.
10 Sialkote 1,37,531 1,55,303
11 Wazirabad 13,498 12,915
12 Sarai-Kalan 4,045. 3,470
13 Rawalpindi inn oP eas 1,84,199 1,28,552
14 Lalla Musa ove see ae ane 24,659 25,368
15 Gujar Khan... bee * 42,959 88,700
16 Total re 615,515 4,5-4,255
17 A decrease of maunds 61,260 appears in the trade of these
18 marts for the past year as compared with 1895-96. The fall-
19 ing off is apparently owing to surplus stocks having accu-
20 mulated during 1895-96. The briskness of. the trade during
21 that year was alluded to in my last annual report. It was
22 said to have been owing to the salt revenue farming contract
23 of the State changing hands, and the exports to Kashmir during
24 March 1896 were particularly large. With the exhatistion of
25 stocks the trade will probably resume its normal course. The
26 growth of the trade to stations on the Wazirabad-Lyallpur
27 Branch of the railway was considerable. Excluding the junc-
28 tion station of Wazirabad, the bookings to the branch during the
29 past year amounted to maunds 22,175 against only maunds 4,582
30 ’ in 1895-96. On the Rajpura-Bhatinda Branch also there was
31 a substantial increase, maunds 40,590 having been booked to
32 stations upon it compared with maunds 36,982 during 1895-96.
33 The Patiala station received maunds 16,770 during the past
34 year, whilé only maunds 13,155 were sent there during 1895-96.
35 There was an increase of maunds 25,985 in the quantity of
36 salt consigned to stations on the East Indian Railway, maunds
37 1,18,040 having been booked against maunds 92,055 in 1895-96.
38 The principal stations on this railway to which salt is booked
39 . direct are Cawnpur, Patna, Bihta and Gaya. During the past
40 year maunds 12,720 were sent to Cawnpur compared with
41 maunds 15,960 during 1895-96, and maunds 51,540 to Patna,
42 against maunds 53,520 in 1895-96.- The trade of both of these
43 marts declined: but, on the other hand, maunds 32,580 were taken
44 by Bihta, and maunds 9,000 by Gaya against maunds 15,660
45 and maunds 4,200 during 1895-96—a substantial increase in the
46 case of each. The Khusrupur station between Patna and Moka-
47 meh received maunds 2,340 compared with maunds 300 during
48 1895-96, and an aggregate quantity of maunds 8,320 was con-
49 signed to eight other stations on the section of the line in Behar,
50 with which there was no direct trade in 1895-96, salt going as
51 low down as Monghyr. The increased traffic on this railway
52 was with the province of Behar.
53 The trade with the Oudh and Rohkilkhand Railway was
54 almost stationary, maunds 1,09,320 having been booked against
55 maunds 1,09,508 in 1895-96. The principal traffic is with marts
56 on the section of the line between Fyzabadand Benares. During.
57 the year the trade with the Jaunpur mart decreased from maunds:
58 36,630 in 1895-96 to maunds 26,453, while that with Rai Bareli
59 on the Lucknow-Rai Bareli branch rose from maunds 4,320 in
60 1895-96 to mauuds 13,455 during thé year under report.
61 ( 13)
62 PUNJAB MINES.