1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1898-99.
2 city of Calcutta and its environs ; and the duties of the Branch INTERNAL BRANCH.
3 are, the prevention of illicit manufacture of earth salt, the
4 supervision of licensed factories for the production of salt-
5 petre. and sulphate and carbonate of soda, and the excise of
6 salt separated in the refinement of saltpetre. The following
7 aigures show the receipts and charges of this Branch of the
8 Department for the past two years :—
9 1897-98, 1898-99, Difference,
10 Receipts—
11 Rs. Re. Rs.
12 Excise duty on saltpetre salt... 1,78,803 '1,28,126 —~50,6 77
13 Fees on licenses ... , ; 57,047 ; 58,619 wn 3,42
14 Fees on impure saltpetre salt
15 issued from bond tee 4,266 §,509 1,234
16 Miscellaneous revenue ° 188 329 +141
17 Total or 2,40,304 1,87,574 — 52,730
18 Charges—
19 Establishment... be 129,386 1,32,207 2,821
20 Contingencies... one 37,698 37,196 —502
21 _ Totat “a 1,67,084 1,69,408 +2,319
22 Net revenue " 4, 78,220 18171 —55,049
23 The falling off in the revenue was owing to the depressed Fluctuaticns in revenue
24 wend expenditure ex-
25 state of the saltpetre industry during the past year. Prices _ pisinea,
26 were low at Calcutta, and demand was dull. This affected the
27 manufacture and refinement of saltpetre in the North-Western
28 Provinces, Oudh and Behar, the areas of greatest production,
29 and refining operations at Calcutta fell off greatly owing to
30 the same cause. The increase in the cost of establishment
31 was due to officers of higher grades having been posted to the
32 Branch during the year. ‘Expenditure under the head of
33 contingencies shows a small decrease, which was the result
34 of savings under a number of minor heads. .
35 44. The statement given below shows the licenses issued
36 for the production of saline substances, and the fees realized
37 in the Internal Branch, during the past two years :—
38 Issue of licenses,
39 Saltpetre
40 refineries.
41 Year, aes °
42 ay i]
43 Bl oiai,
44 3 3
45 zaletla2ls
46 Rs. | Rs
47 1897-98... 590] 1,178} 222) 444} 45,152! 57,047
48 1898-99 ...] 403] 24,612} 36,997 ane 7,565] 5,453) pal 1,770) 321} 642{ 46,743] 58,619
49 Saltpetre refineries.—The issue of licenses for the differ- saitpetro refineries.
50 ent areas in which these factories work, is shown below :—
51 1897-98. 1898-99.
52 No. No.
53 The Panjéb ave ise aes wee 40 82
54 North-Western Provinces and Oudh ar saa 156 117
55 Province of Behar is Bengal’... ees sue 362 ~ 330
56 City of Calcutta eas eos vee ove 14 14
57 Total ave 572 493
58 * Decrease «.. isa te 100 ae vee 79
59 The decrease in the issues in the first three areas was
60 owing to low prices and slack demand for saltpetre for export
61 from"Caleutta. The number of licenses taken out for the city
62 of Calcutta did not vary. The owners of the works there do
63 not manufacture saltpetre, but deal with partially refined pro-
64 duce imported from Upper India.
65 ( 31 )