1 s
2 5 )
3 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1902-1983
4 stocks of salt in the district were large at the commencement
5 of the year, but had been greatly depleted by its close ; ‘and
6 the recovery of the trade since the end of the year supports
7 the view that there was no real decrease in the demand for the
8 salt. °*The sales of the first quarter of the current year have
9 amounted to maunds 1 12,361 compared with maunds 85,538.
10 in 1902-03, and maunds 88,162 in 1901-02.
11 62. The quantity of salt issued (maunds 373,047) was
12 less by maunds 1,597 only than the quantity sold, anda ba-
13 lance of maunds 2,211, on which duty had been paid, had not
14 been cleared when the year closed. As a general rule, traders
15 resort to the depéts immediately after they have deposited the -
16 duty ; and if treasury receipts are correctly drawn up and advice
17 liste are punctually despatched to the depét officers, the system.
18 of payment of the duty into treasuries ought not to cause any
19 serious delay to persons purchasing salt from the quarries.
20 Twenty six cases, however, octurred during the year under
21 xeport in which traders were delayed and put to inconvenience
22 owing to mistakes made in treasuries. To prevent these
23 delays a circular has been issued by the Revenue Commis-
24 sioner of the North-West Frontier Province to all district
25 officers, enjoining the necessity of accuracy in treasury pro-
26 cedure, and at his request instances of errors are at once
27 brought to the notice of the district officer concerned.
28 63. Until the reduction in the ditty, a special weight,
29 termed the Kohati maund and equivalent to 10232 ibs.
30 avoirdupois, was used for‘the weighment of Kohat salt. The
31 change to British weight required by the notification relating
32 to the duty was not anticipated ; and as the change occurred
33 at the busiest season of the year when.the quarries are
34 thronged by ¢vans-border tribesmen, some difficulty might in
35 consequence have arisen at the depéts. Fortunately, however,
36 there were a number of British weights available at the Warth- |
37 ganj Depdt at Khewrah in the ¢/s-Indus Mines Division.
38 These were despatched to Kohat by passenger train under
39 orders sent by telegraph, and the matter was thus arranged.
40 64. Maunds 316,598 of salt issued from the mines were
41 declared as destined for British territory and maunds 56,449
42 for the country beyond the border. The bookings of 1go1-02
43 were maunds 336,284 and maunds 89,495 respectively.
44 There was an increase of maunds 13,955 (maunds 97,127
45 against maunds 83,172) in the.quantity declared for Bannu,
46 Kurram and the Derajat, due probably to the raising of the
47 Mahsud blockade, bookings to Bannu in particular showing a
48 marked increase. Onby maunds 328 were, however, booked
49 direct for Waziristan. Maunds 84,804, much of which
50 probably was exported, were consigned to the town and district
51 of Kohat compared with maunds 83,511 in 1901-02, and the
52 consignments declared for Peshawar fell from maunds.
53 169,601 in 1901-02 to maunds 1,34,717,a decrease of 34,884
54 maunds, There was a decline pf maunds 29,309 (maunds
55 51,207 against maunds 80,516) in the direct trade with Swat
56 and Bajaur,,and the quantities declared for export to Kabul fell
57 from maunds 5,937 to maunds 2,276 and to Tirah from
58 maunds 3,042 to maunds 2,638. The returns of the Statis-
59 tical Bureau show that maunds 181,383 of salt were regist-
60 ered as having crossed the border during the year into Tirah,
61 Kabul, Swat, Dir and Buner. The difference between this
62 quantity and the quantity booked at the mines may be due to
63 the export of salt previously purchased and stored in the
64 Peshawar District.
65 ( 25 )
66 *
67 KOHAT.
68 Issues of salt.
69 Appendix II.
70 Change in the weights
71 used for the weighs
72 ment of salt,
73 Distribution of trade.
74 Appencix VI.