1 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
2 REVIEW BY SECTIONS. Azamgarh and Ballia. The substance is largely exported to
3 INTERNAL BRANCH. the districts of Lower Bengal, where itis used for washing
4 Outturn of saltpetre re
5 fineries at work.
6 clothes and other purposes. Sajjiis so easily produced that
7 markets frequently become overstocked, and fluctuations often
8 oceur in the issue of licenses for that reason.
9 Rassit.—There was a decrease of 43 in the number of
10 licenses issued. for this substance during the year under report
11 as compared with 1895-96. Rassi is an impure form of
12 carbonate of soda, and is produced from brine obtained by the
13 lixiviation of sodic carbonate efflorescence which appears on
14 the surface of the soil. This brine is concentrated by solar
15 heat in large masonry evaporation pans, and the precipitation
16 of Rassi is so effected. The manufacture is confined to the
17 North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Its centre is in the
18 Cawnpur district, but there is also a large group of factories
19 near Lucknow. Though not extensive, yet the industry-is a
20 somewhat important one. Rassi is largely used in paper mills,
21 and in a faetory at Cawnpur owned by a Kuropean firm, it is
22 manipulated for the production of washing soda and Spitteler’s.
23 caustic soda ash. The falling off in the number of licenses
24 issued during the past year was partly due to the poorness of
25 sodic carbonate efflorescence in consequence of the drought, and
26 also to the distress which prevailed preventing the poorer
27 manufacturers from establishing factories.
28 Except in connection with work in saltpetre refineries,
29 the past year was not a favourable one for the manufacture of
30 saline substances. '[he drought was excessive and in conse-
31 quence nitrous soils*and efflorescences of sodic sulphates and
32 carbonates were poor.
33 61. The following statement gives details in connection
34 with the working of saltpetre refineries in the Internal Branch
35 during the past four years :—~
36 Quantity | Quantity of
37 Yea be pend of crude salt- | refined salt- pie ore
38 Fe See petre dise | petre pro- | ” idee 4
39 solved, duced. £
40 Mds. Mds, Mds.
41 1893-94, oe vee 540 10,05,191 §,90,814 85.748
42 1894-95 ron oon ane 575 12,24,090 7,26,287 1,14,534
43 1895-96 aoe soe oe 611 15,99,156 9,28,199 1,56,301
44 1896-97 one one oo 651 18,10,802 10,238,692 1,968,598
45 The number of refineries which worked increased from 611
46 in 1895-96 to 651 during the past year, a difference of 40 fac-
47 tories. Classified by provinces, the distribution of the factories
48 which worked during the past two years stands as follows :—
49 1895-95. | 1896-97.
50 No. No.
51 Punjab be ee sa Sy ie Bs 40 43
52 North-Western Provinces and Oudu ass bes tes 150 167
53 Province of Behar as, sea tes saa sa 408 428
54 City of Caleutta tes wea vee ove ves 18 13
55 Total 611 651
56 Excluding Calcutta, where the number of factories which
57 worked did not change, there was an increase in the number
58 of refineries everywhere. This was owing to the brisk
59 ( 60 )