1 THE PUNJAB
2 SALT SOUKCES:
3 (1)
4 Cis-INDUS AND
5 KALABAGH
6 MINES.
7 Sales and issues of salt.
8 Appendix II,
9 Territorial distribution
10 of trade.
11 Appendix VI.
12 © REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
13 on account of treaty payments, maunds 10,60,17,144 of
14 salt were manufactured at an average cost of three annas
15 a maund, and maunds 10,06,08,544 were scld at an average
16 price of three annas and six pies a maund, a profit accruing
17 at the rate of six pies a maund and amounting to Rs.
18 27,906,047 in the aggregate. The transactions of the past
19 year show that maunds 61,49,456 of salt weme manufactured
20 at an average cost of two annas a maund, and that maunds
21 44,84,204 were sold at an average price of three annas and
22 six pies a maund, the profit amounting to Rs. 2,05,288, or an
23 incidence of one anna and six pies a maund. The rate of the
24 profit of the year is the same as that which accrued in 1901-02,
25 If, however, the actual payments under the treaties on
26 account of the lease of the sources be debited to the cost
27 of the salt, instead of the fixed sum of five lakhs of rupees,
28 a considerable loss will be found to have occurred. During
29 the past ten years the expenditure on establishment, con-
30 tingencies and rent and royalty ,has amounted to Rs.
31 1,39,19,257, and the incidence of this sum on maunds
32 5,23,25,015 of salt produced is four annas and three pies a
33 maund ; while, on the other hand, Rs. 1,06,49,805 were realized
34 on a sale of maunds 4,83,14,468 of salt atan average value
35 of three annas and six pies a maund. Salt was therefore
36 sold during the ten years at nine piesa maund below cost
37 price. The total loss of revenue has amounted to Rs.
38 22,64,741.
39 47. The trade of these mines continued to improve.
40 Maunds 25,56,951 of salt were sold compared with maunds
41 24,26,378 in 1901-02, the increase amounting to maunds
42 1,30,573, Onthe 31st December 1902 the sales were in
43 excess of those of the corresponding period of the previous
44 year by maunds 74,119, but the rumours ofa reduction of
45 duty reduced this excess to maunds 37,632 by the 22nd of
46 March 1903. The reduction of the duty then became known,
47 and arush for salt occurred, maunds 1,58,483 having been sold
48 during the last eleven days of March. The trade of the
49 minor depots was practically stationary, and the large increase
50 which occurred was mainly confined to the sales of salt
51 from the Mayo Mine, the trade in which forms 89°42 per
52 cent. of the total transactions of the Division. The arrange-
53 ments for the issue of the Mayo Mine salt at the Warthganj
54 Depét are very efficient, and the issues of salt at the cis-Indus
55 and Kalabagh Mines generally keep pace with sales. Asa
56 result, however, of the rush for salt after the reduction of the
57 duty, a balance of maunds 1,11,000 remained uncleared at the
58 close of the year compared with maunds 34,544 only at the
59 end of 1902-03. The total quantity of salt issued during
60 the year amounted to maunds 24,80,495 compared with
61 maunds 24,48,270 in 1901-02.
62 48. Maunds 19,87,508 of salt were booked to the country
63 cis-Indus in the Punjab (including the Feudatory States
64 and Kashmir) and the Hazara District of the North-West
65 Frontier Province compared with maunds 19,44,153 in 1g0I-
66 o2, an increase of maunds 43,355. The bookings to the
67 trans-Indus country were also larger by maunds 7,000 (maunds
68 7,620 against maunds 620) and to Sind by maunds 3,677
69 (maunds 24,733 against maunds 21,056), The consumption
70 of the rock salt of this Division in the country ¢vans-Indus .
71 is probably larger than appears from the figures, as it is
72 believed that some of the salt consigned to stations on the
73 ( 20 )