1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1897-98,
2 Compared with 1896-97, there was a small decrease of REVIEW BY SECTIONS.
3 maunds 1,131 in-the quantity of salt excised during the past INTERNAL BRANCH.
4 year. Of the total quantity excised during the year, 116
5 maunds were taxed in the PanjAb, 37,708 maunds in the North-
6 Western Provinces and Oudh, 20,215 maunds in Behar and
7 13,482 maunds at Calcutta. Of the salt excised at Calcutta,
8 only 1,010 maunds were consumed in that city; 12,192 maunds
9 were exported under rawannas to the Burdwan district, 100
10 maunds to the Hughli district, aud 180 maunds to the Midnapur
11 district.
12 There was a decrease of 33,307 maunds in the quantity of
13 sitta destroyed during the year, compared with 1896-97. This
14 was due to the contraction in the operations in refineries and the
15 production of a smaller quantity of sitta. Of the total quan-
16 tity of 64,934 maunds dealt with in 1897-98, 37,584 maunds
17 were destroyed in the Panjab, 8,254 maunds in the North- Wes-
18 tern Provinces and Oudh, 8,097 maunds in Behar, and 10,999
19 maunds in Calcutth. There is practically no market for duty-
20 paid saltpetre salt in the Panjab, and the demand elsewhere
21 is limited. It is, therefore, not profitable to refine all the
22 impure salt which is produced. ;
23 Compared with the figures of 1896-97, there is a small
24 increase of 1,619 maunds in the quantity of salt destroyed
25 during the year. Of the total quantity, 54,982 maunds were
26 destroyed in the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, 1,569
27 maunds in Behar, and 10,971 maunds in Calcutta. As already
28 mentioned, there is only a limited market for taxed saltpetre
29 salt, and the quantity which the saltpetre refiners chose to
30 destroy shows that the supply was in excess of the demand.
31 The destruction of salt (both pure and impure) does not
32 affect the salt revenue prejudicially. All that the interests
33 of that revenue call for is that saltpetre salt shall not enter the
34 market except after payment of duty. Saltpetre refiners have
35 the option of either excising or of destroying their salt, and in
36 disposing of their produce they are influenced by market demand
37 and prices obtainable.
38 During the past year, a quantity of 8,547 maunds of sitta Sita passed ont of reft-
39 (impure salt) was passed out of saltpetre refineries in the acne ea
40 Panjab and the western districts of the North-Western
41 Provinces on payment of a fee of eight annas a maund. Com-
42 parative issues were as follows :—
43 . 1896-97. 1897-98.
44 Mas. Mds.
45 North-Western Provinces and Ondh Sea a «=, 194 2,82
46 Panjéb fs ove ies we 5,957 6,055
47 Total we 9,151 8,547
48 ———— ee
49 There was a decrease in the North-Western Provinces, and
50 a slight increase in the Panjab. The total quantity cleared
51 during the year was less than that which issued in 1896-97 by
52 604 maunds. Sitta is used for industrial purposes. It is
53 largely employed in the hide-curing industry and in salting
54 goat skins for export to the Madras Presidency.
55 65. The following is anaccount of refunds of salt duty efands of duty on malt
56 allowed to the North-West Soap Company at Meerut on salt used re, .for_tndastrial
57 in the manufacture of soap, and to the firm of Messrs. Schroder
58 Smidt and Company on salt utilized by them in their factories
59 at Cawnpore and Dinapur, in salting hides and skins for export
60 to Europe and America.
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