1 PACHBADRA.
2 Territorial distribution
3 of the trade,
4 Appendix VI.
5 Manufacture and stocks
6 of salt,
7 Appendix V.
8 e REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
9 against maunds 1,1 4,550). The quantity of salt issued free of
10 both price and duty was the same in both years, vzz., maunds
11 1,000 to Mewar and maunds 10,000 to the Jodhpur State.
12 Maunds 9,10,058 of the salt, which paid full duty, were
13 disposed of under the through traffic system, and mavunds
14 21,464 were sold to local purchasers. Of this latter quantity
15 only 100 maunds were bought for removal by railway, the
16 rest, maunds 21,364, being purchased by Banjaras for
17 conveyance by road. The trade of these carriers improved
18 ‘somewhat from maunds 16,718 in 1900-01 tomaunds 21,364
19 in the past year, but the scarcity of fodder and water over
20 the country between the Aravalis and Pachbadra, in conse-
21 quence of deficient rainfall, prevented many of them from
22 visiting the source. This branch of trade would improve in
23 some degree with good rainfall, but, owing to the extension of
24 railways, itis never likely to reach its former dimensions.
25 Actual issues of salt, on which duty was realised, were
26 greater by maunds 1,15,610, clearances amounting to maunds
27 11,11,215 as compared with maunds 9,95,605 in !goo-or,
28 There was difficulty during the latter year in clearing salt as
29 quickly as it was purchased by the trade owing to insufficiency
30 of rolling-stock on the Jodhpur- Bikaner Railway, and the year
31 closed withan uncleared balance of maunds 2,24,410. The same
32 difficulty was experienced from time to time during the year
33 under report, but facilities for removal improved, and, by the
34 end of it, the uncleared balance was reduced to maunds 45,400.
35 Though alarger quantity was purchased, the issues of
36 duty free salt to the Jodhpur Darbar were less than in 1900-01
37 by maunds 26,005. This was owing to the contract system
38 that is followed by the Darbar in connection with their salt.
39 The contractor has to purchase a certain quantity during the
40 year, and it sometimes happens that he is unable to remove
41 the whole of the salt before its close.
42 24. The total quantity of salt which issued during the
43 year, maunds 12,29,190, 1s the largest that has been removed
44 from the source since the Department assumed charge of it
45 in 1878-79. Bookings to the United Provinces of Agra and
46 Oudh were larger by maunds 1,16,400 (maunds 7,91,000
47 against maunds 6,74,600), and consignments to the Central
48 Provinces increased by maunds 13,676 (maunds 1,06,110
49 against maunds 92,434). Consignments to the United Pro-
50 vinces were widely distributed over that area, where Sambhar
51 salt was displaced to the extent of the enhanced issues
52 from Pachbadra. There was a decrease of maunds
53 31,485 in the quantity issued for Rajputana (maunds 2,13,462
54 against maunds 2,44,947), attributable principally to the
55 smaller quantity of salt cleared for the Jodhpur State, and
56 of maunds 9,323 (maunds 1,18,068 against maunds 1,27,391)
57 in the bookings to Central India owing to fluctuations of
58 trade. Maunds 400 were consigned to the eaktern districts
59 of the Punjab as compared with maunds 213 sent to the
60 same area in 1900-01. A small consignment of 150 maunds
61 was also sent into Sindh over the newly opened extension of
62 the Jodhpur-Bikaner Railway to Shadipali in that Province,
63 28. The year was an unfavourable one for the manue
64 facture of salt at Pachbadra, in respect of both the quantity
65 and the quality of the outturn. As salt is obtained from
66 subterranean brine, the source is independent of mmor fluc-
67 tuations in the annual rainfall, but the drought of the last
68 few years has been exceptionally severe. The average annual
69 ( 10 )