1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1896-97,
2 There has beena slight but steady increase in Banjara REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
3 trade during the past four years. Banjara carriers follow SAMBHAR.
4 routes at right angles to the Rajputana Malwa Railway and
5 traverse the tracts of country to the southward in Réjputina
6 and Central India as yet untapped by railway lines. The
7 sales show that though the volume of this trade is small, yet it
8 is very steadily maintained. Local sales have reference to
9 demand in the neighbourhood of Sambhar, and fluctuations are
10 unimportant.
11 A comparison of the total sales at the Lake during the
12 past four years gives the following results :—
13 Sales, Increase or decrease,
14 , Mads, Mas.
15 1893-94 as ‘aie whe 27,95,141 eve
16 1894-95 és Rar, = wes 40,31,618 +12,36,477
17 1895-96 es ste we —-87,15,774 — 3,15,844
18 1896-97 ‘ . eee 39,31,210 + 2,15,436
19 The sales of 1893-94 were poor in consequence of a failure
20 ‘of stocks. necessitating an increase in price from 22 annas
21 to 54 annas and later on to 8annas a maund in that year.
22 During the next year 1894-95, the trade recovered itself, but
23 again fell off in 1895-96 owing to Calcutta salts being forced
24 up country under the influence of low prices. During the past
25 year the volume of trade again expanded, but was below
26 that of 1894-95, the most favourable of the four yearly
27 periods, by maunds 1,00,408. Even so, however, remembering
28 the severe scarcity and distress which prevailed over large
29 tracts of country within the areas of consumption of Sambhar
30 salt, I consider the year under report to have been a satisfac-
31 tory one.
32 The revenue derived from sales of salt at the Sambhar
33 Lake is so large. that the following details relating to the
34 manner of its realization may be of interest, The entire
35 revenue of the year under report amounted to Rs. 1,08,13,842.
36 This money was deposited as follows :—
37 Re.
38 Paid into the Treasury at Sambhar oe eve we 57,738,275
39 Paid into the following Treasuries :—
40 Thirty in the North-Western Provinces and Oudh sa... eee }
41 Three in the Punjab on tee eso te
42 One in Rajputana eee oe see ove
43 Two in Central India ove oe o 7 49:80,119
44 One in the Central Provinces . eve te
45 One in Bengal te ae ene ove J
46 Paid into the following Post offices :—
47 Ten in the North- Western Provinces and Oudh .,,. ~ 99,542
48 One in Réjputéna ase tie eae oe
49 Paid at eleven stations on the Indian Midland Railway, final deposit
50 being made in the Jhansi Treasury... ns ea ‘ 1,10,906
51 Total ee 108,138,842
52 Of the total revenue, a sum of Rs, 50,40,567 was paid
53 into thirty-eight provincial treasuries and eleven post-oftices,
54 and at eleven stations on the Indian Midland Railway. These
55 facilities for the payment of revenue on salt at places far dis-
56 tant from the Sambhar Lake not only tend to reduce the cost
57 of salt to the consumer, but also result in a convenient distri-
58 bution of treasure for the needs of Government.
59 38. In the case of a large and important trade like that Clearances cf salt,
60 of the Sambhar Lake it is necessary that the actual removals—
61 of salt to areas of consumption should be noticed, and the
62 ( 83 )