1 THROUGH TRAF-
2 FIC TRADE.
3 INTERNAL
4 BRANCH.
5 Receipts and charges,
6 Appendix [,
7 Appendix I},
8 Appendix 1
9 Licenses for the manu-
10 facture of saline sub-
11 stances.
12 Appendix XI.
13 Operations in saltpetre
14 refineries.
15 Appendix XII,
16 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
17 €
18 As remarked by Mr. Dane, it is very difficult to decide
19 with accuracy what portion of the permanent establishment
20 at each source is employed exclusively on through traffic
21 work, and in such circumstances the figures under fixed
22 establishment may be taken as indications merely. Com-
23 paring the receipts with the total expenditure shown (Rs.
24 89,182 against Rs. 95,376), a lossof Rs. 6,194 appears as
25 the result of the year’s transactions. In 1g00-o01 there was a
26 profit of Rs. 9,047 based on the same calculations, The
27 reason for the loss during the past year was the decline of
28 through traffic sales at Sambhar, which caused a loss of Rs.
29 14,043 in the through trafic charge of three pies a maund.
30 Excluding the estimated cost of fixed establishment, the
31 account shows that maunds 35,78,860 of salt were bagged
32 and despatched by railway at an average cost to the traders
33 of 4°78 pies a maund and to the Department of 4°31 pies a
34 maund, leaving a profit of Rs. 8,806. Similarly calculated
35 the profit in the previous year was Rs, 24,047.
36 84. The revenue of the Internal Branch for the year
37 amounted to Rs, 1,81,030 as compared with Rs. 1,84,260 in
38 1900-01, or a decrease of Rs. 3,230.
39 Maunds 48,116 of salt, educed in the manufacture and
40 refinement of saltpetre, were excised as compared with
41 maunds 50,834 in 1900-01, showing a small falling off of
42 maunds 2,718. The demand for saltpetre salt was normal,
43 and the decrease was owing partly to trade fluctuations, and
44 partly to the transfer of the refineries at Calcutta to the
45 control of the Bengal Salt Department. This transfer was
46 authorised in letter No. 3525-S. R., dated the 14th July 1g00,
47 from the Government of India in the Department of Finance
48 and Commerce, and was effected on the ist of July 1901, the
49 date on which the Bengal Salt Department was prepared to
50 receive charge.
51 Receipts from license fees amounted to Rs, 53,684 as
52 compared with Rs. 48,345 im 1g00-o1, or an increase of
53 Rs. 5,539 owing to a greater number of factories having been
54 licensed for the manufacture of crude saltpetre, This item of
55 revenue includes Rs. 6,421 on account of fees on the excise
56 of sitta (impure saltpetre salt), Rs. 8,737 having been in-
57 cluded in the figures of 1g00-01 on the same account. The
58 expenditure of the year amounted to Rs. 1,56,100 as come’
59 pared with Rs. 1,58,006 in the previous year, or a decrease of
60 Rs, 1,906. The net revenue of the Branch was Rs. 24,930
61 against Rs. 26,254 in 1900-01, or a decrease of Rs. 1,324.
62 55. The number of licenses for sattpetre refineries which
63 were taken out during the year was greater by 19 than the
64 issues of 1900-01 (441 against 422) owing to the slightly
65 improved condition of the saltpetre trade, and, for the same
66 reason, the.number, of crude salt petre licenses issued increased
67 by ¥3:967 (44,930 against 31,463). There was an increase
68 of 785 in the number of licenses taken out for the manufac-
69 tyre-of Khari (impure sulphate of soda), but a decrease of
70 ++ in the licenses for the production of Rassi and Sajji
71 (impure carbonate of soda). The manufacture of the latter
72 substances fluctuates somewhat violently, as there is a restrict-
73 ed demand, and markets are often overstocked.
74 56. A somewhat smaller number of saltpetre refineries
75 worked during the year, but, as compared with 1goo-o1, the
76 quantity of saltpetre manipulated was larger by maunds 57,680,
77 { 20 )