1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFIOIAL YEAR 1897-98.
2 the purpose of confining the use of Kohat salt to the territories REVIEW BYSECTIONS.
3 lying oy the right bank of the river Indus: — PANJAB MINES.
4 . Fixed :
5 Year, establish. | Contingen- Total.
6 s ment. Sunee
7 Rs. Rs. is.
8 1894-95 eee ae ies Nae 42,571 4,528 47,094
9 1895-96 eee ee i sa ae 43,561 5,200 48,761
10 1896-97 aoe ne “i wee 39,651 6,546 46,207
11 1897-98 ves rn ase aaa 22,823 3,328 26,151
12 Compared with 1896-97, there was a decrease of Rs. 16,838
13 under the head of fixed establishment, and of Rs. 3,218 under
14 contingencies. The entire expenditure of the year under
15 review was Rs. 20,056 less than that of 1896-97. This decrease
16 was the result of the reduction which I was enabled to make
17 in the strength of the establishment, and which I described in
18 my annual report of 1896-97, owing to the enhancement of
19 the duty on Kohat salt and the gradual exhaustion of stocks of
20 that salt which had been purchased at the former, and lower,
21 rate of duty.
22 - Towards the end of the year under report, the Government
23 of India decided upon the abolition of the line, and in Depart-
24 ment Finance and Commerce letter No. 10308.R., dated the ist
25 of March 1898, I received orders to remove the establishment
26 from the river Indus. Coincident with this step, rules under
27 Act XII of 1882 were published by Government, in Depart-
28 ment Finance and Commerce Notification No. 13168.R., dated
29 the 17th March 1898, abolishing the special protective zone on
30 the left bank of the Indus, but maintaining legal restrictions
31 on the transit of Kohat salt Cis-Indus in quantities in excess
32 of five seers.
33 The orders of Government, in regard to the removal of the
34 establishment from the Indus, were carried out by the close of
35 March 1898, and since then the Preventive Line has ceased to
36 exist. Iam glad to be able tosay that down to the time of
37 writing this report, the information at my disposal leads me to
38 believe that no loss: to Government has occurred from this
39 measure, in consequence of the smuggling of Kohat salt into
40 Cis-Indus eountry. Statistics of 1897-98 go to show that
41 during that year the consumption of Cis-Indus salt distinctly
42 advanced along the line of that river. The following com-
43 parative bookings of Ciés-Indus salt to the different districts
44 will be of interest in connection with this question :—
45 District. Bookings during Bookings during Difference.
46 1896-97. 1897-98,
47 Mds. Mads. Mas.
48 Rawal Pindi « 79,818 95,248 15,430
49 Peshawar ia ee 260 + 260
50 Kohat See 521 1,435 +914
51 Bannu a. 1,743 4,232 +2,489-
52 * Dera Ismail Khan owe 18,040 22,888 +4,848
53 Dera Ghazi Khan * eee 82 3,801 +3,719
54 Rawal Pindi district.—The line of country dealt with
55 extends from Hassan Abdal down to Makhad on the Indus,
56 below the Khushalgarh railway terminus. From Hassan
57 Abdal, the trade largely supplies the Hazara district, and some
58 salt is also exported to Kashmir. During the year, Cés-Indus
59 salt entirely occupied the Amb jaghir, to the exclusion of
60 Kohat salt, and crossed the Indus into independent territory
61 at Torbela. Southwards, Czs-Indus salt held its own along
62 the line of the Indus in this district.
63 ( 19 )