1 “REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
2 MANDI MINES.
3 Detail of asles and dis-
4 tribution of Mandi
5 salt,
6 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDI A
7 The realizations of the year under report fall below those
8 of 1896-97 by Rs. 819, and are the lowest recorded above.
9 This decrease was owing to less of the salt of these mines
10 having been consumed in British territory.
11 A charge of Re. 1-2-0 a4 maund is levied on all salt
12 issued. This charge includes price and duty, and it is divided
13 in the proportion of thirteen annas to the Raja of Mandi and
14 five annas to the British Gevernment. Out of the total receipts
15 of Rs. 1,40,212, the share of the Raja amounted to Rs. 1,01,264
16 and that of the British Government to Rs. 38,948. This last
17 item was charged with the cost of the departmental establish-
18 ment at the mines, leaving a net revenue of Rs, 31,271-
19 Under the head of charges there was a slight increase of
20 Rs. 223 during the year, as compared with 1896-97, This was
21 owing toa Superintendent of higher rank having been posted to
22 the mines during the latter half of the past year.
23 27. .The statement below shows. the quantities of salt sold
24 at the Mandi mines during the past four years, and the consign-
25 ments to British territory and to Native States :—
26 For export For sale
27 Year. to in Total.
28 British Native States.
29 territory.
30 Mas, Mas, Mads.
31 1894-95. oa ove tae 74,080 54,709. 1,28,789:
32 1895-96: eee ae ae 83,174 54,157 1,37,331
33 1896-97 one ee vee 75,316. 50,045 1,25,36%
34 1897-98 eee eee eas 71,352 53,280 1,24,632
35 The total sales of the year are the lowest recorded in the
36 table. They fall below those of 1896-97 by maunds 729, and
37 are less than those of 1895-96 and 1894-95 by maunds 12,699
38 and maunds 4,157, respectively.
39 Appendix VI of this report shows the distribution of
40 Mandi mines salt to areas of consumption in British territory
41 and Native States.
42 Of the bookings to British territory, aggregating maunds.
43 71,352, maunds 53,137 were consigned to Kangra, maunds 16,861
44 to Kulu, and maunds 1,354 to the Simla district. There wasa
45 decrease in the trade of maunds 2,818 with Kangra, of maunds
46 1,134 with Kulu, and of maunds 12 with Simla—a total falling
47 off of maunds 3,964. The Kangra district was supplied with
48 maunds 48,612 from the mine at Guma, and maunds 4,525
49 from the more distant one at Drang. Kulu obtained maunds.
50 15,846 from Drang, and only 1,015 maunds from Guma. The
51 trade with the Simla district, maunds 1,354, was supplied
52 from Drang. The trade with Simla has shown a tendency to
53 decrease for some time past, owing probably to the advance of
54 Panjab mines reck salt into the hills from the Kalka terminus.
55 of the Dehli-UmbaHa-Kalka Railway. The falling off in the
56 trade with Kangra and Kulu is said to have been owing to the
57 lateness of the harvest preventing head-load men from visiting:
58 the mines, and tothe grain trade with Kulu being slack in con-
59 sequence of the prices prevailing not yielding a margin of pro-
60 fit.
61 The bookings to Native States aggregated 53,280 maunds.
62 Of this quantity, 14,060 maunds were supplied from Guma and
63 ( 24 )