1 INTERNAL BRANCH.
2 Licenses for the manu-
3 facture of saline
4 substances,
5 Appendix XI.
6 Work done in saltpetre
7 refineries.
8 Appendix XIf.
9 Salt educed and ex-
10 cised.
11 Appendix XII.
12 {Import and export
13 trade of Calcutta in
14 saltpetre
15 Appendix XIIL.
16 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
17 and the net revenue, Rs. 26,270, was consequently larger by
18 Rs. 4,902.
19 57. There was a decrease during the year in all provinces
20 in the number of licenses issued for the manufacture of crude
21 saltpetre and for saltpetre refineries, which is ascribed to the
22 unusually heavy and prolonged character of the winter rains
23 and in Behar also to the prevalence of plague. In the North-
24 Western Provinces and Oudh there was a small increase in
25 the number of Khari and Sajji and a decrease in the number
26 of Rassi licenses. In Behar there was a decrease in Khari
27 as well as in crude saltpetre licenses.
28 58. The number of saltpetre refineries, which actually
29 worked during the year, v7z., 462, was short by 46 of the
30 number which worked in 1899-1900, and the quantity of
31 refined saltpetre produced, maunds 4,79,651, was also less
32 than the quantity produced in the previous year by maunds
33 74,844. The decrease in the number of refineries occurred in
34 the North-Western Provinces and Behar, as in the Punjab
35 there was a small increase of two. The decrease is ascribed
36 partly to the continued depression in the industry and partly
37 to the shortness of the supply of crude saltpetre, as crude
38 factories were, generally speaking, unable to work until the end
39 of February. The percentage of refined saltpetre produced on
40 the crude saltpetre refined, viz., 55'67, was slightly higher
41 than the percentage of 1899-1900, but was below that of
42 1898-99.
43 In Calcutta the quantity of refined saltpetre produced
44 increased from maunds 49,534 in 18g9-1900 to maunds 61,924
45 during the year, but the number of licenses issued fell from
46 13 to 12, The supervision of these refineries was transferred
47 to the Bengal Salt Department with effect from the 1st July
48 1901,
49 sg. The quantity of salt educed during the year, maunds
50 52,600, was less than in the previous year by maunds 15,761
51 and was less than the average of the three preceding years by
52 maunds 26,685. The quantity of salt excised, however, was
53 practically the same as in 1899-1900,
54 Maunds 1,35,620 of sitta were produced compared with
55 maunds 85,614 in 1899-1900, the annual average of the three
56 years ending on the 31st March 1900 having been maunds
57 71,901. The quantity of sitta excised, maunds 17,474, was
58 less by maunds 5,897 than the quantity excised in the pre-
59 vious year, but exceeded the average quantity annually ex-
60 cised in the three years ending on the gist March 1igoo by
61 maunds 3,142. About 12,893 maunds of beef are reported to
62 have been cured with sitta during the year for export to Burma.
63 The fee levied on the excise of sitta has been raised to Re. 1
64 a maund with effect from the 1st July tgo1, as a fee of 8
65 annas appeared to be insufficient in view of the large pro-
66 portion of chloride of sodium, which samples of sitta, excised
67 from refineries, were found on analysis to contain, and of the
68 extent to which the quantity of sittaexcised has increased in
69 recent years. Theexistence of large quantities of sitta in
70 the salt markets is a temptation to crude saltpetre workers to
71 unlawfully produce for saie a simlar article on their factories.
72 Sitta is an elastic term, and dirty but edible salt may be
73 offered for sale as sitta without much fear of detection.
74 60. Both the imports of saltpetre into Calcutta during
75 the year from the Punjab, North-Western Provinces and
76 Behar and the exports from it were much below the figures of
77 ( 20 )