1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1896-97.
2 Excluding the year 1892-93, when only maunds 90,666 of REVIEW BYSECTIONg,
3 salt were produced in consequence of unfavourable weather, SAMBHaR.
4 the average quantity of salt, manufactured at the Lake amounts
5 to maunds 45,14,3138. If the ten yearly periods be taken toge-
6 ther, the average outturn is maunds 40,71.949. The past year
7 was a poor one for manufacture owing to unfavourable climatic
8 conditions, which will be described further on, and its outturn
9 of salt, maunds 30,89,846, contrasts unfavourably with the
10 averages which have been given.
11 As regards sales, excluding the year 1893-94, during which
12 the price at Sambhar was raised to eight annas a maund, and
13 ‘trade declined greatly in consequence, the average quantity
14 disposed of amounts to maunds 40,68,348. The salcs of the
15 year under report fall short of this by maunds 1,37,138. But
16 if the figures of the entire period of ten years be taken, the
17 average comes to maunds 39,41,027, and the sales of 1896-97
18 fall short of this quantity by maunds 9,817 only.
19 32. The manufacture of salt at the Sambhar Lake is de- _ goaintali,
20 pendent upon the rainfall and favourable weather conditions.
21 Statistics of the rainfall at the Lake during the -ten years
22 which ended with 1896-97 appear in the statement below :—
23 et oe
24 | | | | Ss
25 i] ot te . co]
26 5 a -{ S13) n B “a
27 ety g & -— he a : oe mh
28 > lg gis| EB] 2 4/2181 2) 812) 6422
29 & : i Ey 2 ° ‘} 8's
30 g EIPisiaoit] #1 2 l8]e 38/2) 8i a] Ss let
31 pe qa {air or) < na Ole AlRl lass = {4
32 \
33 1887-88 ... |005! ... {0°35! 1434! 7:31) 0°98 0-06! ... 0.06] 0°48] 0°73} 1:14) 26°50) 68
34 ° i
35 1888-89 .., |O47| ... | 023, 439} 1419 04410-17{ 0-44 ... 10°84) 1-26 0°34] 22-27) 48
36 1889-90... | O21 1:53) 2°68 507) 1265) ws |O°OL} wa» | vas | one | ove | O54) 22°69} 50
37 1890-92 ,,. |... |... |0390, 3°85! 4:11} 215 0:13] 0°01 0°31) 0°97] ... | O66] 12°09} 45
38 1891-92 ,,, | 0°04, 0°25 ie 3:83) 3°79 ei oes woe { one 1083! 0°02) 2. | 11°89] 47
39 1892-93 .., | ... |060)1°69) 10°50) 12°24 908 ase | eee | 6°09} 0°86) 0°54) O31! 40°81} 69
40 1898-94 ... | ... | 2°2212°34) 10-27] 665} 383 0021 1°75 0-12/0°48) ... |... | 27°68) 60
41 1894-95 ... | ..° | 1°75] 3°63; 8:02} 613, 297] ... | ... | 8°64) 0 67] 0:06 0-35} 27-221 70
42 4895-96 ... | 0°57,0°06) 1:27; 4:87; 8:30} O34) ... | 1. | 0°10} 0°04! 0°06) 0-02) 15°63) 41 e
43 1896-97 .. | oes Joos Ba 474 2°40 vss 0°20) 1°17 O12) ... loos 0°08) 15°18) 44
44 . For successful manufacture it is necessary not only that
45 the rainfall should be good, but that it should occur in such a
46 manner during the monsoon months as to cause the rivers to
47 come down in flood, and so fill the Lake to.a depth sufficient to
48 prevent the unduly rapid evaporation of brine. ‘I remarked in
49 my last annual report that the rainfall of the monsoon of 1895
50 was light, and that the brine supply failed early in the following
51 manufacturing season. Though this was so, yet a reference to
52 the table will show that 8:30 inches of rain fell in August 1895,
53 and this concentrated fall caused the Lake to fill to a certain
54 extent. During the monsoon of 1896 the rainfall was more
55 distributed, 4°74 inches falling in July, only 2°40 inches in
56 August, and 2:95 inches during September, and the result was
57 that but little water entered the Lake. Aaded to this, the
58 weather was exceptionally hot-and dry, but little rain fell during
59 the winter, and the brine supply was not only exceptionally
60 small but failed very early in the season. Under these circuws-
61 tances, the past year was a very unfavourable one for manu-
62 facture.
63 ( 27 )