1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1900-1901.
2 54. Appendix X shows the number of traders in each of
3 the provinces, supplied with salt by the Departmert, who dealt
4 direct with the Department during the year, and the number of
5 marts they represented. There was a satisfactory increase
6 during the year in the number of traders purchasing salt direct
7 from Sambhar and Pachbadra and a small decrease in the
8 number dealing direct with the Warthganj Depéot at Khewrah.
9 Altogether 3,473 traders representing 434 markets dealt
10 direct with the Department compared with 2,970 traders and
11 402 markets in 1899-1900. The total number of traders and
12 markets is doubtless swelled to some extent by the inclusion
13 of the same traders in the statement more than once, if they
14 have ‘purchased salt from more.than one source, but the
15 trade, especially in the Punjab, is in a healthy and satisfactory
16 state.
17 55- In the accounts, given. in former reports, of the cost
18 of despatching through traffic salt the miscellaneous charge
19 of 6 pies a maund, levied on all salt sold from the Warth-
20 ganj Depét at Khewrah, has hitherto been included as a
21 through traffic receipt. As pointed out in last year’s report,
22 also, the cost of the fixed establishment employed exclusively
23 upon through traffic work at Sambhar, Khewrah and Pach-
24 badra is a fair charge against the through traffic receipts, and
25 the omission of this charge in former years vitiates the cor-
26 tectness of the accounts submitted. According to these ac-
27 counts the receipts exceeded the charges by Rs. 77,578
28 during the five years which ended on the 31st March 1899, the
29 average annual excess amounting to Rs. 15,516. As shown
30 in the Report for 1899-1900, however, the inclusion in the
31 through traffic charges of that year of Rs. 19,000 on account
32 of the estimated cost of the establishment employed exclu-
33 sively upon through traffic changed a profit on the through
34 traffic account of Rs. 17,377 into a loss of Rs. 1,623. It
35 is very difficult to deeide with accuracy what portion of the
36 establishment at each Source is employed exclusively on ac-
37 count of through traffic and could be dispensed with if the
38 system did not exist, but my estimate last year of Rs. 19,000
39 as the cost of such establishment may have been too high. In
40 the current year therefore! have taken the amount (subject
41 to correction when the question has been further worked out)
42 at Rs. 15,000, vzz., Rs. 5,000 for Khewrah, Rs. 7,000 for
43 Sambhar and Rs, 3,000 for Pachbadras The Khewrah
44 receipts also have been calculated at 6 pies a maund upon the
45 quantity of through traffic salt only, sold from the Warthganj
46 Depét. An account of receipts and charges, prepared on
47 these principles, is given below :—
48 Receipts, Charges,
49 - es al
50 Rs, Fixe Contingent, Total,
51 Ks, Rs s.
52 Cis-Indus Mines «- 66,935 5,000 = 4,556 46,551
53 Sambhar... eee 22,545 7,000 11,268 18,268
54 Pachbadra ... woe 17,118 3,000 29,732 32,732
55 Total e £,06,598 15,000 82,551 97,551
56 The net result is a profit for the year of Rs. 9,047.
57 THROUGH TRAFFIC,
58 Number of traders
59 dealing direct with
60 the Department,
61 Appendix X.
62 Through traffic receipts
63 and charges.
64 _§6. The receipts from duty on saltpetre salt excised INTERNAL BRANCH.
65 during the year in the Internal Branch, v7z., Rs. 127,086, do Receipts and charges,
66 not differ materially from the receipts in the two preceding Appendix I.
67 years ; but the receipts from license fees, Rs. 56,874, which
68 include Rs. 8,737 on account of the excise of sitta (impure
69 saltpetre salt), were less than the receipts under the same
70 head in 1899-1900 by Rs. 8,951. The charges of the
71 Branch were less than in the preceding year by Rs. 11,884
72 ( 319 )