1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1901-1902,
2 Province of Behar. A falling off, however, occurred in the
3 bookings to other areas, vzz., maunds 60,213 to the United
4 Provinces of Agra and Oudh, maunds 11,595 to Rajputana,
5 maunds 8,727 to Central India and maunds 30,000 to the
6 Central Provinces. A recurrence of seasons favourable to the
7 manufacture, and production of salt of good quality, will pro-
8 bably result in the trade of the lake resuming its normal
9 dimensions.
10 In the eastern districts of the United Provinces of Agra
11 and Oudh Sambhar has been largely displaced by Baragara
12 salt from the Kharagora salt works in the Bombay Presi-
13 dency. The latter has to be carried a much longer distance,
14 .across India in fact, but the differential mileage rate charged
15 by the railway enables it to compete with Sambhar within
16 areas which would otherwise obtain their supplies from the
17 lake. Maunds 8,54;694 of Baragara salt were booked to
18 the United Provinces during the year, as compared with
19 maunds 21,82,650 of Sambhar, and maunds 7,91,000 of
20 Pachbadra salt. .
21 There was a decrease of maunds 1,05,826 in the uncleared
22 balance at the close of the year (maunds 2,85,198 against
23 maunds 3,91,024 at the end of 1900-01) the result of exi-
24 'gencies of trade and the demand in the markets.
25 13. In respect of the quantity of salt produced, the re-
26 sults of manufacture at the lake during the year were fairly
27 good, Maunds 63,75,864 were added to stock, and the
28 stock balance at the close of the year amounted to maunds
29 37,48,729 as compared with maunds 5,53,742 at the end of
30 1900-01,
31 14. The monsoon rainfall was very deficient and unfavour-
32 able. The annual normal rainfall is 20°74 inches, The en-
33 tire fall of the year amounted to only 10°37 inches on 29
34 days, as compared with 23°88 inches on 73 days in 1900-01,
35 The monsoon commenced on the 8th of July and practically
36 ceased on the 2oth of August 1go!, the fall during those two
37 months amounting to only g'6g inches on 2a days. Very
38 little water entered the lake from the feeder streams, and
39 the heat of the weather during the breaks in July and August
40 caused rapid evaporation. Rain fell in September on two
41 dates only, when 22 cents were registered. At the beginning
42 of September the brine in the lake was very impure and
43 discoloured, its depth outside the Sambhar and Nawa Kyars,
44 respectively, being 44 and 83 inches only, and by the end of
45 September it had practically all disappeared by evaporation,
46 The unfavourable character of the season can be realised,
47 when it is mentioned that the best quality of Sambhar salt
48 is obtained when the lake is filled to such an extent that
49 the brine does not reach saturation point until February at
50 earliest.
51 15. Extraction of salt from the Kyars, from brine formed
52 by the monsoon rainfall of 1900, was proceeding at the open-
53 ing of the year underreport, and by the end of June 1gor
54 maunds 24,07,162 had been secured from the works at Sam-
55 bhar and Nawa. The outturn of 1900-01 amounted to
56 maunds 7,43,396. The larger production of the past year
57 was owing to the comparatively favourable rainfall of 1900.
58 Mone of the salt was of first rate quality, but it had to be
59 accepted in consequence of the deficiency of the stock
60 balance in hand, As soon as it became apparent that the
61 monsoon rainfall of 1go1 had ceased in August, arrangements
62 were made to fill the Kyars with the brine available, inferior
63 (5s )
64 SAMBHAR.
65 Manufacture of salt.
66 Appendix V.
67 Rainfall and the chae
68 racter of the season,
69 Kyar salt,