December i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



483 



mote the material wealth of the country, But their 

 hands are tied, and all measures of reform are 

 suliorJiuated to imperial exigencies. From the pub- 

 lished reports it will he seen that the revenues of 

 Coorg are far and away over the expenditure. A con- 

 siderable portion of the revenue has hitherto been 

 devoted to the upkeep of a Native Regiment at 

 Mercara. It is settled however that Mercara shall 

 be no longer a military station, and it is to be 

 hoped that future budget allotments will show the 

 money thus saved has been diverted to the due 

 miiinteuance and exteoeiou of local public works. — 

 Madras Mail. 



SALT FOR FISH-CTIEING. 



(To the Mitor oj the ''Madras Mail.") 



SiE, — A letter appeared in your issue of the 12th inst. 

 upon the subject of fish-curing, whii-h shows that some 

 at least of the public are ill-informed as to the system 

 on which salt is now, and in future will be, issued 

 duty-free for use for this purpose. I shall therefore be 

 obliged if you will allow me the use of your columns 

 to explain it. Financial consi<h'ration3 necessitate the im- 

 apositiou in this country of a duty on salt many times in 

 excess of its value. Its pricp, thus enhanced, is an effec- 

 tive bat to its use, as in other countries tor manure or 

 for the many industrial purposes to which it is applic- 

 tble. The question how it. can be so adulterated, or as 

 iho technical term is, " denaturalized." as to admit of 

 ts duty-free issue for such purposes, without danger to 

 he revenue from its diversion therefrom to alimentary 

 uses, is one which has long engaged the attention of Go- 

 vernment, but hitherto without result, as no tffoctive 

 method of de-naturalization has yet been discovered. For 

 fish-curing, however, this is not necessary. Ihe condi- 

 tions of the industry are such that it can without prac- 

 tical inconvenience be carried on in guarded enclosures 

 which correspond to the bonded warehouses of the Cus- 

 toms Department, and under the supervision of the officers 

 of Governmtnt, who are responsible that the untaxed salt 

 there used is tiot allowed to pass out for ordinary oii- 

 sumption. For sever.al years past, therefore, salt has fieen 

 issued for this purpose and in tliis manner at selected 

 localities on the coast, at prices which have varied from 

 six to twelve annas per niaiind, and whieh have been 

 calculated on the basis of covering expenses only, the 

 cost of manufactviring or purchasing the salt included. 

 These prices are equivalent (at par) to from £1 to £2 per 

 ton, and have until recently, owmg to the small scale of 

 the operations, involved a loss to the Government, the 

 margin added to the prime cost of the salt having been 

 insufficient to meet tho charges on account of buildings, 

 establishments, &c.. The quantity of salt used to cure 

 each pound of fresh fish is somewhat les> than a quarter 

 of a pound, but the fresh fish loses weight in the process 

 of curing to an extent which varies according to the 

 weather, the kind of fish, and the sy^tem of curing. An 

 estimate of the loss at fifty per cent, will however, be an 

 extreme one, so far as I am informed. The cost of the 

 maximum quantity of salt required to cure a pound of 

 fish may therefore be taken as ranging from '41 of a pie 

 to double that sum. 



The quantity of fish cured in the official year ending on 

 the 31ft of last March in the eleven fish-curing yards 

 thnn existing aggregate 1734 tons, an increase of clo^e on 

 400 tons as compared with i he preceding year. Quantities 

 of food stated in tons, however, convey hut a vague im- 

 pression to most people. I may therefore say that these 

 173-1 tons were probably sufficieut to furnish a meal 

 apiece lo over eleven millions of persons, or considpr- 

 ably more than one third of the population of the Presi- 

 dency. 



Up to the beginning of .\pril last, when (Madras) 

 Act I of 1882 came into force, it was not illogal to use 

 for fish-coring the salt-earth which ctiloresces in abun- 

 dance almost everywhere along the coast ani' in many 

 places in the interior, and which frequently contains 

 more than fifty per cent of pure salt. Large additional 



quantities of fish used to he cured in this way, though 

 in BO imperfect a manner as to he probably an unwhole- 

 some food, .ind certainly most offensive to the European 

 sense of sm-:^!!. No Statistical information is availiible 

 for the fiMining of an estimate of the addition, though 

 of indifferent quality, thus made to the food supply of fihe 

 people. This use of salt-earth was, however, so syste- 

 matically abused, and offered such facilities for the manu- 

 facture of contraband salt, that in the interest of tho 

 revenue it was found necessary to prohibit it. To prevent, 

 as far as jiossilde, this necessary measure from pressing 

 hardlj' on the fishermen, who are a poor class, it has been 

 determined to develop the fish-curing yard system, which 

 has hitherto been in a somewhat experimental stage, and 

 to open new yards in sufficient numbers for every fishing 

 villase alon(> the coast to have one within a few miles. 

 In pursuance of this policy, arrangements have been 

 made within the last six months for the opening of more 

 than eighty new fish-curmg yards in addition to the former 

 eleven. This number will be further increased if ex- 

 perience shows that a demand exists tor additional accommo- 

 dation of the sort. It has also been suggested that if 

 facilities are offered for the duty-free issue of salt for 

 the curing of fish in private esiablishments persons may 

 be found willim; to invest capital and to embark in the 

 business of taking and curinuj fish on a large scale. Ciim- 

 panies formed with this object are successful in Europe 

 and, so far as I can judge, should succeed in India fdso. 

 The supply of fish is most abundant and unfailing. But 

 more scientific means than the cataiuaram and the hook 

 and line are requirel to gather in from the sea 'he harvest 

 which nature provides, t-team trawlers pay on the English 

 Co.ast and shouhl do so on the coast of this Presidency, if 

 worked with economy. To buy and work them, or to or- 

 ganize the native methods of capture ou a scale large enough 

 lor eC'inoinical and efficient curing, capital is needed; 

 anl capitalists will probably olject to conduettheir curing 

 operations otherwise than on tlieiv own premises. Nor, in 

 fact, could they do so ; for the accommodation afforded 

 in the Government fish-curing yards is insufficient fr any 

 but the petty oyierations of the native fisherme.i, and it 

 would not be consistent with the position of tiovernment, nor 

 in all probability, profitable to the industry, that it should 

 undertake to ere -t buildings, &c., suitable to the conduct, 

 of larger enterprises. Government may do much to tester 

 inf int indu-tries, but experience proves that the less they 

 interfere with established ones the better. It was on these 

 considerations that the advetisement alluded to by your 

 corre.sjiondent was issued. If capitalists should embark on 

 the business of fish-curing. Government will be willing to 

 aid them by the duty-free issiie of salt at the lowest possi- 

 ble price consistent with the realization by the Department 

 of a fair manufacturing profit, and on some such conditions 

 as that suitable and secure premises be provided tor the 

 custody of the salt and for the conduct of the operations 

 of fish-curing ; and that the adventurers pay for the depu- 

 tation of a Government officer to supervise the work and 

 prevent the removal of the salt otherwise than incorpora- 

 tion with the salted fish, and give such other security 

 as may be thought necessaiy that the privilege granted 

 them will not be abused. I shall ahvays be happy to afford 

 enqidres on the suijectany informption in my power if they 

 will call at my office iu Madras. 



H. W. Bliss, 

 Salem, 24th Oct. Comis, of Salt Revenue. 



THE NORTHERN TERRITORY OF SOUTH 

 AUSTRALIA 



Where Meeera. Poett and Mackinnon have " lo- 

 cated" themselves in "Rum Jungle," is thus noticed 

 in a recent paper : — 



Messrs. Erickson, Cloppenburg, Harris and Head, 

 who have taken up land on the peninsula, in small 

 blocks, are all doing well with sugar-cane, tobacco, 

 maize and other produce. Their cane is splendid 

 in fize and quality, and there is some hope of their 

 being able to obtain a small mill, as lliey are rather far 

 from the De Lissa Company's mill. The above men 

 have been the real pioneers of tropical agriculture iu 



