1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1896-97.
2 This enhancement made it necessary that I should study on pryrew By SEcrIoN.
3 the spot, and in concert with the loca] officers, the question con-
4 nected with the production and distribution of Kohat salt. I
5 accordingly visited the salt mines with Mr. Tupper, Officiating
6 Financial Commissioner of the Punjab, during March 1897, and
7 we had the advantage of being able to discuss these questions
8 with the Commissioner of Peshawar and the Deputy Commis-
9 sioner of Kohat, who had charge of the administration of the
10 Kohat salt revenue. The conclusions arrived at by Mr. Tupper
11 and myself are now before the Government of the Punjab and
12 will soon be laid before the Government of India.
13 As regards the Indus Preventive Line, the Government of
14 India decided (in letter No. 2546 S.R., dated 12th June 1896,
15 to the Secretary to the Government of the Panjab) that
16 the question of its maintenance would be taken into con-
17 sideration when prices had settled down after the disposal of
18 accumulated stocks of Kohat salt. Mr. Tupper and I found
19 that stocks had not all been disposed of. From information
20 given to us by the Deputy Commissioner of Kohat, about two
21 lakhs of maunds of Kohat salt were still in private stores
22 on the 1st of March 1897. We therefore considered that it
23 would be inopportune to raise the question of the maintenance
24 of the line.
25 Since then, however, I have found that though stocks of
26 salt purchased at the’ eight-anna rate of duty still exist, yet
27 prices have settled down to some extent, and attempts to pass
28 Kohat salt across the river into the preventive zone have dec-
29 reased. Under these circumstances, I have recently been able
30 to reduce the strength of the establishment of the line by two
31 Superintendents, one Inspector, one vernacular clerk, 16 jama-
32 dars and 148 peons. The force now posted on the Indus com-
33 prises one Superintendent, one Assistant Superintendent, four
34 Inspectors, six kotgushts, 15 jamadars and 84 peons. This
35 arrangement will considerably reduce the cost of the line. The
36 reduction has been greatest at the northern and southern extre-
37 mities of the zone, where the cost of carriage by road enhances
38 the price of Kohat salt, and least in its centre opposite the Kohat
39 salt mines, but everywhere the object has been to reduce expen-
40 diture while protecting the revenue efficiently. I have made
41 these arrangements tentatively. Prices of Kohat salt have
42 not yet hardened to what will be their level when the old
43 stocks have been disposed of, and it is too early even yet to say
44 what reduction will be finally possible.
45 23. The receipts and charges and the net revenue of the
46 Kohat Salt Mines for the past four years will be found in the
47 following table :—
48 Receipts, | Charges.
49 TT,
50 Year. | Establish- ae
51 Quantity ! ent and | Percentage revenue,
52 of salt Collections. rainy t a to maliks,| Total.
53 _ sold. gencies. &e,
54 Mds. Rs, Rs, Rs. Rs. Rs.
55 1893-94 6,90,285 | 2,381,488 39,947 28,767 68,714 | 1,62,774
56 1894-95 5,91,497 | 2,832,003 37,841 23,144 60,985 | 1,71,018
57 1895-96 7,85,470 | 3,08,100 89,004 31,848 70,852 | 2,387,248
58 1896-97 4,96,170 | 1,95,444 55,336 | 54,721 | 1,10,057 | 85,387
59 (17
60 PUNJAB MINES.
61 Visit of Commissioner to
62 Kohat Salt Mines.
63 Reduction of Establish-
64 ment on the Indus Line,
65 KOHAT MINES.
66 Receipts, charges and net
67 revenue.