1 PACHBADRA,
2 Territorial distribu-
3 tion of the salt issued.
4 Appendix VI.
5 Manufacture and stocks,
6 Appendix V.
7 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
8 " from Sambhar to Pachbadra has been productive of incon-
9 venience. The rolling-stock of the Jodhpur-Bikaner State
10 Railway was insufficient to admit of wagons being supplied
11 in sufficient numbers for the removal of the salt; and the
12 Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Company refused
13 to lend any of their rolling-stock. The result was a serious
14 block of traffic; the issues fell far short of the sales, and the
15 uncleared balance of through traffic salt at the close of the
16 year amounted to maunds 2,24,410. ‘Traders, on an average,
17 were compelled to wait from 23 to 3 months for consignments
18 ordered and paid for; and it speaks well for the quality of
19 the salt that the trade demand has continued strong under
20 such conditions.
21 The salt sold free of duty to the Jodhpur State during
22 the year amounted to maunds 1,14,550 compared with maunds
23 1,23,400 in 18g9-1900; and maunds £1,000 were supplied
24 free of both price and duty to the jodhpur and Udaipur
25 Darbars. The quantity of salt purchased for removal by road
26 rose from maunds [,539 in 1899-1900 to maunds 16,718, a
27 few Banjaras having been tempted by the more favourable
28 character of the season to visit the Source. Practically the
29 whole of the salt sold for removal by railway from Pach-
30 badra is through traffic. Maunds 1,700 only were sold during
31 the year for removal by railway in the ordinary way and
32 maunds 1,060 in 1899-1900.
33 27. Of the maunds 11,39,385 of salt issued from the
34 Source, maunds 6,74,600 went to the North-Western Prov-
35 inces and maunds 2,44,947 to Rajputana, and the rest, with
36 the exception of a small consignment of maunds 213, whica was
37 sent to the Punjab, to the Central Provinces and Central
38 India. There was an increase of maunds 1,37,485 in the
39 quantity sent to the North-Western Provinces compared with
40 the previous year, and some falling off in the issues to Raj-
41 putana and Central India, the falling off in the case of Raj-
42 putana being accounted for partly by the decline in the
43 demand from Jodhpur.
44 28. The heavy demand for salt from the Source and an
45 unhealthy actumn season, which interfered with the supply of
46 labour and consequently delayed extraction, disorganised to
47 some exent the arrangements made for the purchase of salt
48 from the pit-owners, and Appendix V shows a closing minus
49 balance of 3,76,816 maunds. The deficit is, however, more
50 nominal than real. The salt when purchased is stacked in
51 heaps on the pit banks, and the first payment made to the
52 Kharwals is based on an estimation of the quantity of salt in
53 the heaps, the quantity being designedly underestimated so as
54 to prevent overpayments. When the salt is weighed and
55 cleared, any balance due in accordance with the actual out-
56 turn is paid to the pit-owners. When the salt in the heaps
57 on the pit banks bas been estimated and paid for, the quantity
58 paid for is brought on to the Stock Registers. Salt was
59 extracted during the season from ‘100 of the 269 registered
60 working pits in the Tract. The opening balance of stock
61 at the beginning of the year was maunds 1,50,715, and
62 the estimated produce of 58 pits, amounting to maunds
63 4,76,811, was brought on to the Stock Register, while the
64 excesses discovered upon clearance of heaps upon pit banks
65 amounted to maunds 2,35,154. The total quantity of registered
66 stock was therefore maunds 8,62,680, while the sales and free
67 deliveries amounted to maunds 12,39,496, leaving a deficit af
68 ( 10 )