INTRODUCTION. XV 



1. Are the sea fisheries of Malabar at present being over-fished? 



2. Are fish which contain but a small quantity of oil, but arc well adapted for salting and human 

 food, being boiled down along with the oil Sardines for the little that can be procured from them ? 



3. lias the salt tax any bearing upon the occupation of the fish curers ? 



Salting- and drying fish is largely carried on in Malabar, as the following returns will demon- 

 strate, but further inquiries are needed for the purpose of ascertaining whether species well 

 adapted for salting are not finding their way into the fish-oil boiling pot, for the preparation of the 

 oil entails but slight labour, little skill, and very small outlay, whilst it is not easily spoiled when 

 obtained ; on the other hand the manufacture of salting fish requires a large outlay — the price of 

 salt being so high — whilst the profits are doubtful, owing to the moisture of the Western coast, 

 and the perishable nature of the article, which is increased if the impure black salt is employed 

 in curing it. Large taxes on its sea export, duties in the Native States upon its transit alono- 

 the backwater — the highway of Malabar — vexatious scrutinies and detentions at the various 

 customs houses, have hitherto proved very detrimental to this trade in the States of Cochin 

 and Travancore. 



Before examining into the salt returns a few preliminary remarks are necessary. In British 

 Malabar there are no salt manufactories, and the Natives are permitted to collect the salt earth or 

 impure salt as it exudes from the ground, and employ it for the purpose of curing fish, as no duty 

 is levied upon it, and no fiscal impediment exists in the way of their using it, so that for this purpose 

 it is almost exclusively employed, and manufactured salt used to a very limited extent. But 

 in the Native States it is manufactured by the Native government, and therefore the fish curers 

 must employ either the Native manufactured or Bombay salt. 



The selling price of manufactured (i. e. English) salt is now the same in the British and 

 Native States. The latter has been induced to raise the price to what obtains in the British 

 territory, whilst these States are no longer treated as foreign countries, as was the case formerly, 

 but (save as regards two or three excepted articles) are placed on a similar footing with British 

 Indian ports. 



The average market price of Bombay or English salt in Malabar, has been as follows : — 



Rupee. A. P. 

 1858-59 price per maund or 82^ lbs. 



1859-60 „ „ 



1860-61 „ „ . 



1861-62 „ „ . 



1862-63 „ „ . 



The price will thus appear to be about 3|- lbs. for one anna, or an average of one rupee six 



annas a maund. Variations in the price of salt are greatly affected by transit charges, which 



imperfect communications and consequently expensive carriage renders very heavy. 



In the Cochin Stale, previous to the agreement with the Madras Government, the selling price 



c 2 



