1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT fOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1899-1900.
2 55. Statistics of the import and export trade of Calcutta INTERNAL BRANCH.
3 in saltpetre are giyen below :—~
4 Saltpetre:
5 imports into and exports
6 from Calcutta.
7 1898-99, 1899-1900. Difference,
8 Saltpetre imported into Calcutta. Mads. ds. Mas.
9 from Madras... os ioe # ages 20 . +20
10 From the Panjab sie ane 54,616 66,971 $12,355
11 From the North-Western Provinces
12 and Ondh. 1,57,592 1,768,856 19,264
13 From Behar ove ess 3;28 248 8,00,009 — 28,239
14 From Rajputéins she ove a 4,864 +4,364
15 From Lower Bengal... ois 498 . 58 —440
16 From Bombay aoe tes ave 10,042 +10,042
17 a a Panersia AeA Nae eo
18 Total tac §,40,949 §,58,315 +17,366
19 Saltpetre exported from Caleatta— :
20 Internal trade fee vee 11,399 8,077 — 3,322
21 Export trade by se@ awe ee 4,97,902 5,836,423 +88,521
22 Total ies 5,09,301 5,44,500 +-35,199
23 T'he éxport tradé by sei shows some improvement conipared
24 with 1898-99.
25 56..
26 Provincial areas,
27 The following figures show the quantities of salt and
28 sttta (impure saltpetre salt) excised and of salt and sitta de-
29 stroyed in saltpetre refineriés during the past two years :—
30 Salt excised.
31 enn
32 Saltpetre salt excised and
33 destroyed,
34 Salt destroyed.
35 Sitts excised.
36 Sitta destroyed.
37 i
38 1899- } Differ. | 1898- | 1899- | Differ- | 1898- | 1899- | Differ- | 1898- | 1899- | Differ
39 eee. 1900. | ence. | 1899.} 1900.} ence. | 1899. 1900.} ence. | 1899, , 1900., ence.
40 Mds. | Mds. | Mds. | Mds. | Mds. Mds. | Mds,} Mds. | Mds. {| Mds. | Mds.{ Mads.
41 The Panjéb aes 4c 506]. +466) .. |. we | 6,589) 8,084 +-1,495| 40,553} 39,199] —1,354
42 North-Western Provin- | :
43 ces and Oudh. 32,637| 33,689] 4-1,052] 25,076| 15,254] —-9,822} 4,840) 15,287] +10,947] 8,905] 8,743 = 162
44 The Province of Behar | 14,415) 13,380] —1,035} 796} 1,472 +676). ase eo 3,696] 3,360 —336-
45 The city of Calcutta ... |, 4,158| 2540] —1,618] 5,494| 4,621 —973| ... we =| 5,187] 41291 —1,008
46 ‘
47 — ——
48 51 250 150,11 3.
49 Total aw 1,135 [81,366 |21,847 |—10,019 [10,929 }23,371 | +12,442 [58,291 | 55,4311 —2,860
50 The demand for saltpetre salt decreased in Bengal, but the “Sitta” passed out of
51 pcaee bart 7 : >. refineries on payment
52 demand for sitta, which is passed out of refineries on pay- of fsa,
53 ment of a fee of 8 annas a maund, increased largely during
54 the year. :
55 _ The substance is said to have taken the place of khari
56 (impure sulphate: of soda) to some extent in the curing of hides
57 and skins ; and beef for export to Burma is also largely cured
58 with it in the Agra, Aligarh, E(4wah and Mainpuri districts
59 in the North-Western Provinces, and at Saugor in the Central
60 Provinces: Exact figures relating to this beef trade cannot
61 be given, but it is estimated that about 4,500 maunds of
62 sitta were utilized during the year for curing about 36,600
63 maunds of beef.
64 57. Lregret.that Iam unable to say that I am satisfied
65 with the working of the Internal. Branch. The difficulty of
66 preventing the illicit manufacture of salt on licensed works
67 is undoubtedly very great, but it is certain that illicit
68 manufatture at present is: not prevented and the cost of the
69 preventive agency employed is excessive. The work is
70 probably better done than it would be-if the supervision of the.
71 saltpetre industry were made over to the Provincial Excise and
72 Police establishments; but'it is open to‘argument whether the
73 ( 38 )
74 Working of the Internal
75 Branch.