1 4
2 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
3 REVIEW BY SECTIONS. saltpetre dissolved and the quantity of refined saltpetre yielded,
4 INTERNAL BRANCH.
5 Details of working of ree
6 fineries by provinces.
7 and of salt educed for the past four years :—
8 Quantity Quantity
9 Number of of crude of refined Total quan
10 Year. . tity of salt
11 refineries, saltpetre saltpetre
12 dissolved, | produced. educed
13 Mda, Mds. Mds.
14 1890-91 . owe one 612 12,85,208 8,36,081 96,558
15 1891-92 ‘ sae . 561 12,86,529 8,47,278 1,07,567
16 1892-93 eee tee tes 546 12,94,357 8,02.945 1,11,782
17 1893-94 ae ae 540 10,05,191 6,90,814 85,748
18 The unfavourable weather of the manufacturing season of
19 1892-93, when most of the ‘crude saltpetre worked up in
20 the refineries in the year under report was produced, was the
21 cause of the falling off in the figures shown in this statement.
22 The Assistant Commissioner of the Lower Division says:—
23 “The decrease is due solely to shortness of supplies cansed
24 by unfavourable weather and exhaustion of stocks. They
25 ran out in the very first quarter of the year, as frequent falls
26 of rain rendered manufacture quite impossible. Then again
27 the rains set in early, and were late in breaking up, and the
28 occurrence of floods late in October helped to keep the
29 soil moist and unfit for use.” The Assistant Commissioner
30 of the Upper Division says:—" For the general falling off
31 there was but one cause, and that the abnormal wet weather
32 which was a peculiarity of the past year. It retarded manu-
33 facture in crude factories and rendered weak and unfit for use
34 the nitrous soil of refineries. Dissolving and filtering opera-
35 tions thus simultaneously suffered ; the former by the diminution
36 of the supply of crude saltpetre; the latter by the stoppage of
37 work by what is known as the kuria or filter process.” As
38 compared with the previous year, the supply of crude saltpetre
39 dissolved in refineries fell off by maunds 2,89,166, or 22°34
40 per cent. The quantity of refined saltpetre produced fell off
41 by maunds 2,12,131, or 26°41 percent. The yield of salt in
42 the process of refining the saltpetre was less by maunds 25,984,
43 or 23°25 per cent. There is a very satisfactory uniformity in
44 these figures as accounting for the falling off.in the salt that
45 was educed during the year,
46 66. Details of the working of the refineries in the Pun- .
47 jab, the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, the Patna and the
48 Bhagalpur Divisions, and in Calcutta are given separately in
49 the following abstract for the past two years:—
50 Punjab.
51 ' 1892-98. 1893-94.
52 Refineries at work ... <6 ace ee No. 39 35
53 Crude saltpetre dissolved in refineries < .. Mda. 1,97,956 1,29,886
54 Outturn of refined saltpetre .., ar oe On 76,396 46,437
55 Sitta educed ves ue nee fess de 45,123 28,931
56 Percentage of refined saltpetre produced on crude
57 dissolved Sus aes saa rT) 38°59 85°75
58 Ditto of sitta educed on crude dissolved cos. gs 22°79 22:37
59 North-Western Provinces and Oudh.
60 1892-93. 1899-94,
61 Refineries working oe wwe No. 96 ul
62 Crude saltpetre dissolved sie a Mds, 2,68,622 2,24,297
63 Refined saltpetre produced ese cee os 1,57,859 = 1,28.166
64 Salt educed tos wa eae jaa o 48 39,670 32,380
65 Percentage of refined saltpetre on crude dissolved a - 68°76 67°13
66 Ditto salt on crude dissolved, excluding crude
67 saltpetre in sitta refineries... eos wee
68 Quantity of sitta produced on dissolving crade saltpetre
69 in sitta refineries ... iss aaa ag 10,538 6,898
70 15°36 14°82
71 ( 60 )