1 REVIEW BYSECTIONS.
2 PANJAB MINES.
3 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
4 Rewari-Ferozpur Railway—tThis is a branch of the Raj-
5 puténa-Malwa line. The trade over it was steady during the
6 year with a slight tendency to increase.
7 Indian Midland Railway.—One petty despatch of 25
8 maunds was sent to the Morar station (near Gwalior) on this
9 line. Rdjputina salt is consumed in the country traversed by
10 this railway. Rock salt is used only for medicinal and religious
11 purposes, and supplies are generally obtained from neighbour-
12 ing marts, such as Agra and Cawnpore.
13 Bengal and North-Western Railway.—The traffic with
14 this line during the year amounted to maunds 4,200, compared
15 with only 160 maunds during 1896-97 ; 3,000 maunds were sent
16 to Gorakhpur, 600 maunds to Uska Bazaar, and 600 maunds to
17 Gonda. Rock salt should find a good market in the damp
18 country trans-Ghagra, as it wastes less from moisture than
19 other salts.
20 Delhi-Umballa-Kalka Railway.—A satisfactory increase
21 appears in connection with this railway, of maunds 7,450 com-
22 pared with 1896-97, Over the section between Delhi and
23 Umballa, the trade was normal, with only a slight improve-
24 ment, The principal increase in the traffic occurred on the
25 section between Umballa and Kalka, mainly in bookings to
26 Kalka, This was an indication of an improved trade with the
27 hill country north of Kalka,
28 Ordinary Trade.
29 Salt cleared by merchants themselves was booked only
30 to stations on the North-Western Railway. The figures of
31 the year under report were lower than those of 1896-97 by
32 maunds 10,398. Clearance by mercantile agency has generally
33 decreased throughout the Panjab, the most notable instance
34 having connection with the mart of Rawal Pindi, to which only
35 maunds 4,100 were sent as compared with maunds 17,140 during
36 1896-97. The through traffic system, under which salt revenue
37 can be paid intoany treasury and depositors are supplied with
38 salt with rapidity and precision, is now working so efficiently
39 that merchants find it unnecessary to go to the expense of
40 maintaining agents at Warthganj to despatch salt to them.
41 Removals of ordinary trade salt by road from the Warth-
42 ganj depét amounted during the year to maunds 36,253 com-
43 pared with maunds 36,873 during 1896-97. The condition of
44 the trade was normal. The principal localities served by this
45 road traffic were Multan, Jalalpur, and Chakwal; 245 maunds
46 were booked to Sukkur compared with 440 maunds during
47 1896-97.
48 The following figures show the direct trade in rock salt
49 with the North-Western Provinces, Oudh, and Bengal during
50 the past five years :—
51 Mds,
52 1898-94 .. abe ies ‘es ons oe —-2,40, 283
53 1894-95... Phe ass ‘aes eos eee 2,15,697
54 1895-96... Pie ae es vos ve «= 220,413
55 1896-97... one eve wee 06 nee 2,41,180
56 1897-98 ais sis sae a we 8,08,851
57 There has been a steady improvement in the trade during
58 the past four years. This has been owing to the increased
59 consumption of Panjab rock salt in the province of Behar in
60 Bengal, and in the country lying between Fyzabad in Oudh
61 and Benares in the North-Western Provinces. During the
62 year under report indications have appeared of an increased
63 trade with the country trans-Ghagra also.
64 ( 16)