1 GENERAL REVIEW.
2 Financial result of the
3 salt agreements.
4 Deputation of officers to
5 inspect salt-producing
6 tracts in various Native
7 States.
8 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
9 The total sum payable during the year amounted to Rs.
10 30,04,893-0-9, while the sum actually disbursed was Rs.
11 30,08,424-4-9, a difference appearing of Rs. 3,531-4-0. A run-
12 ning account is kept of these treaty payments, as the entries
13 in the remark eplumn of the table will show. Payments are
14 arranged by the Comptroller of India Treasuries, and the
15 amount disbursed represents the adjustment during 1897-98,
16 under the head of assignments and compensations in connection
17 with this Department.
18 7. The abstract below gives the usual account of the
19 financial results for the past year of the Sambhar Lake
20 Treaties and of the salt agreements concluded with the
21 Darbars when the other salt sources in RAéjputdna were leased,
22 and the customs line was abolished :—
23 Credits—
24 Rs.
25 Price of 6,738,886 maunds of Sambhar salt, at an average cf 4
26 annas per maund _ ove eee * .. 1,68,459
27 Duty on 6,738,836 maunds, at Rs. 2-8 per maund ise ws 16,84,590
28 Price of 63,815 maunds of Didwana salt, at 1 anna per maund 3,989
29 Duty on 19,732 maunds, at Rs. 2-8 per maund ine toe 49,336
30 Duty on 4,083 maunds, at Re. 1-4 per maund Se oie
31 Price of 3,22,304 maunds of Pachbadra salt, at 14 annas per maund, 30,216
32 Duty on 1,57,599 maunds, at Rs. 2-8 per maund ee we = 8,938,997
33 Duty on 3,610 maands, at Re. 1-4 per maund ide saa 4,513.
34 Price of 3,635 maunds of Falodi salt, at 3 annas per maund sa 682
35 Average cost for the three years ending 31st March 1879 of tha
36 abolished customs line .., ace Per «. ~=—- 8, 80,506
37 Total oe 81,723,386
38 Debits—
39 Treaty liabilities in 1897-98 to Native States under salt agreement, 20,85,057
40 Share of Sambhar Lake treaty payments for 1897-98 calculated on
41 the quantity of salt sold from Sambhar for consumption in
42 Native States ove ves ous ew =—:,5 1,049
43 Shares similarly calculated of —
44 (1) Sambhar Lake fixed and contingent charges ove on 40,584.
45 (2). Fixed and contingent charges of the Didwana salt eee 7,527
46 «3) Ditto ditto Pachbadra salt cae §2,126
47 (4). Ditto ditto Falodi salt ... see 1,018
48 Total we 23,387,358
49 Credit balance ow» «=: 8, 84,028
50 The sales of salt for which credit has been taken are
51 those declared at the salt sources, at the time of issue or clear-
52 ance, te be for places in Native territory. The credit balance
53 of the year amounts to Rs. 8,34,028, and even if the average
54 cost of the abolished customs line be omitted from the account,
55 there still remains a balance of Rs, 3,522 at credit.
56 8. During the first three months of the year, the scarcity
57 and distress occasioned by the failure of the monsoon rainfall
58 of 1896 continued to be so acute and widespread that, except
59 in the case of two States, I refrained from deputing officers to
60 Native territory to inspect saline localities and report upon
61 the due observance of the salt agreements.
62 The Political Officers having informed me that there was
63 no objection to an inspection of Udaipur and Shahpura, ay
64 Assistant Superintendent of this Department was deputed to
65 visit the salt lands of those two States, and the manufacture of
66 earth salt was found to be effectually suppressed.
67 The Kachor-Rewasa, Sargot and Kuchaman salt marshes
68 inthe neighbourhood of the Sambhar Salt Lake, were inspected
69 by officers deputed from Sambhar, and were found to be ina
70 safe condition during the year.
71 Towards the close of the year under report, officers were
72 deputed by me to inspect the salt lands of the States of
73 Sampthar, Dattia, Dholpur, Bhurtpur, Alwar, Jeypur,
74 ( 6 }