1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1898-99,
2 An increased number of licenses was similarly issued INTERNAL BRANCH.
3 during the year for the manufacture of rassi. This substance Rassi works,
4 is also an impure form of carbonate of soda, produced by.golar
5 heat. It is manufactured. by lixiviating carbonate of soda
6 efflorescence and evaporating the resultant brine by solar heat
7 in large masonry pans. ‘The manufacture is confined to the
8 “North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and the chief centre of
9 production is the Cawnpore district. The substance is in good
10 demand for use in paper mills, and for the production of wash-
11 ing soda and caustic soda ash; and it is also utilized in its
12 crude state for washing clothes and other purposes.
13 45. The following figures show the work done in salt-
14 petre refineries in- the Anteryel Branch during the past two
15 yearsi— - :
16 es ; 1897-98. 1898- 99, Difference.
17 Number of refineries which worked 622 583 —39
18 Mads. Meds, Mds,
19 vse 12,22,488 9,83.694 —2,38,794
20 Quantity of refined saltpetre. produced... 7,08,788 5,55,790 —1,52,948°
21 Quantity of salt educed —,,. ve §=1,51,524 119,913 —31,611
22 The year 1897-98 was a very poor one for the saltpetre
23 trade, and the above figures show that a still further decline
24 took place during: the year under report, owing to low prices
25 and slack demand for export. The production of salt has of
26 course been. in correspondence with the extent of the refining
27 work done.~
28 Further information in connection with. the working of
29 refinerjes will be found“in . the following statement :—~
30 1897-98, 1898-99
31 Quantity of crude saltpetre utilized
32 Panjéb— _ No. . Now
33 Refineries at work oes, aes sea 40 38
34 - Mds. Mads,
35 Crade saltpetre dissolved in refineries sa «+ =1,70,870 172,895
36 Refined saltpetre produced ’ ae 65,565 63,727
37 42,705 . 47,278
38 Sitta educed es
39 Percentage- of: refined éaltpetre, produced on crude . ‘
40 38°48 36°85
41 soe
42 dissolved
43 Percentageof sitta educed on crude dissolved ae: 85:07 - 27°34,
44 North-Western Provinces and Oudh— No. No.
45 Refineries working axe “ini se fae _ 160 156--.
46 . .,. Mds. ‘Mads. ;
47 Crade salpetre dissolved aes eee ye vee 8,977,808 275,588
48 Refined saltpetre produced aos ove «» =1,80,380- 1,387,319.
49 Salt eduged oe 69,867 45,560...
50 47°81 49.76.
51 Percentage of refined saltpotre on erude ae eas
52 Ditto salt on crude dissolved olny erude
53 saltpetre in sitta refineries 18°38 16°53
54 Quantity of sitta produced on dissolving crude aaltpetre ;
55 in sitta refineries abe en aia 8,462 7,972
56 Province of Berar— No. No.
57 Refineries working pan oak Pm 409 376
58 “Mads, Mads.
59 Crude saltpetre dissolved eve oes oe 5, 14,828 4,19,243
60 Refined saltpetre produced... ie «» 8,24,185 2,62,784
61 Salt educed eee oo 21,155 15,503
62 Percentage of refined saltpetre on crude dissolved... 62:97 62°68
63 Percentage of salt on crude dissolved Soe ees 411 3°70
64 Bengal (Caleutta)— No. No.
65 Refineries working ore eee ea 13 13
66 Mds. Mds.
67 Crude and kutia saltpetre purified ose ow» 1,59,992 - 1,15,968
68 Refined saltpetra produced “ax +. 1,28,608 92,160
69 Salt pure and impure educed tee we = - 18,297 11,577
70 Percentage of refined saltpetre obtained eae 80°38 79°47
71 pet eee ll: 44, 9 98
72 Percentage of salt educed ea
73 The refined salpetre produced in the Panjab is of a. ing
74 degree of refraction, and as the market prices offered were
75 fairly remunerative for such produce, refining operations in
76 that province did not decrease to an appreciable extent. But
77 the state of the market had a very unfavourable effect upon
78 the industry in the North-Western Provinces, Oudh and Behar,
79 where the best grades of salipetre are manufactured ; and upon
80 the work of the refineries at Calcutta, in which saltpetre is
81 purified toa high degree of refraction.
82 ( 33 )
83 Working of saltpetre re.
84 fineries.