1 cIs-INDUS MINES.
2 Excavation in the Mayo
3 Mine.
4 Excavation at the smaller
5 mines.
6 Trade:
7 Sales and issues of salt.
8 Sales of salt.
9 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
10 Particulars of the outturn and stock of salt at the Mayo Mine
11 during the same period are given below :—
12 1897-98. 1898-99.
13 Mds. Mads.
14 Opening balance of stock oe eos ». 4,86,814 4,68,838
15 Exeavated during the year eee 19,57,792 18,36,104
16 Total owe 24,44,606 23,04,942
17 Deduct salt sold eas vas -.. 19,75,768 29,21,712
18 Closing balance of stock ‘a sé6 w. 4,68,838 2,83 230
19 « The stock balance at the close of the year under report,
20 though less than that of 1897-98 by 1,85,608 maunds, was
21 sufficient, and the Department was ina position to meet any
22 demand likely to arise. The salt excavated was paid for, in
23 accordance with the usual practice, by measurement; and the
24 outturn in 1898-99 represents 13,26,090 eubic feet of rock salt.
25 The rate paid for excavation was, as usual, 10% pies a cubic
26 foot, and the total cost amounted to Rs. 72,521. During the
27 three years prior to 1898-99, the yield of evéry hundred cubic
28 feet of salt was calculated at 135 maunds, and the incidence
29 of cost, at 104 pies a cubic foot, amounted to Rs. 4-0-9°78 per
30 hundred maunds. The yield was more favourable during the
31 year under report, working out to 138°46 maunds per hundred
32 cubic feet, and the incidence of cost to Rs, 3-15-2°34 per hun-
33 dred maunds—a decrease, compared with the three,previous years,
34 of one anna and 7°44 pies per hundred maunds. A proposal to
35 revert to the old system of payment by weight instead of by
36 meastirement, so as toensure a more frequent distribution of
37 wages to the miners, is at present under consideration.
38 At the smaller mines, the miners are paid for excavation
39 on the actual quantities of salt issued to the trade. These
40 were as follows during the past two years :—
41 1897-98. 1898.99.
42 Mds. Mds.
43 Warcha Mine... oa ~- wes 75,777 77,460
44 Nurpur Mine wav es ‘0, vie 4,465 4,195
45 Kélabigh Quarries a ae se. 1,00,966 1,22,996
46 Total ev 1,81,208 2,04,651
47 At Warcha and Nurpur the rate paid is Rs. 3-12-0 per
48 hundred maunds of salt issued. At Kélabigh the rate is Rs. 4
49 per hundred maunds, which includes the carriage of the salt
50 from the quarries on the slopes of the Saudagar: hill to the
51 depot on the bank of the Indus.
52 30. The rock salt of the c¢s-Indus mines is sold at a uniform
53 price of nine piesa maund. Inthe case of the salt of the
54 Mayo Mine, an extra charge of six pies a maund is levied
55 to meet the cost of its carriage by tramway from the mine to
56 the depét at the Khewra Railway Station, and the expense
57 of bagging, weighment and clearance. The sales of the divi-
58 sion during the past two years were as follows:—
59 1897-98. 4} 1898-99. |Difference.
60 ; Mas. Mads,
61 ( Through traffic sales _... | 19,09,877 | 19,80,316 | 470,939
62 Khewra Hepat «+ | Okdinary trade | 66,391 atime
63 Total... | 19,75,768 | 20,21,712 | +45,944
64 Warcha Depét ... | Ordinary trade - 73,512 77,827 | + 4,315
65 Nurpur Depdt «. | Ordinary trade Sea 4,465 — 270
66 Kéalabiégh Depdt «. | Ordinary trade ee | 1,04,254
67 Granp Toran we | 21,567,999 | 22,23,558 | -- 65,554
68 (20 )