AND TAXATION 



Bombay. 



= 



Madras. 



SALT 

 ODIUM CHLORIDE 



Mil 



duty was lowered to Rs. 2-14 a raaund, and the <i .rthi-n. India 



to Rs. 2-8. At the same time the duty in Madras and Bombay WAS raised 

 from Rs. 1-13 to Rs. 2-8 a maund. Th- whol.- nutonw-lmr waa 



>ned in 1879, with the exception of a portion along the Indus, 

 maintained to prevent the still lij.'htl\ -taxed Kohat salt from ! 



.,'led across the river" (/;/, J.'iU-I). [Cf. Repti 



A . I tol. Suit Itr/it. ; Drew, Jummoo and Kashmir, 297-301 ; Lawr 



/ of Kashmir, 1895, 393-5.] 



3. Bombay. Salt is produced in Bombay for local consumption and 

 for export both liy land -routes and sea to Central India, Rajputana, the 

 Central Provinces, the United Pro\iu< ,-s. t!i.- Niram's Territory, Malabar, 

 Madras, Bengal and the Straits. Under existing arrangements exports, 

 both by land and sea, pay full excise duty to Bombay. By an Act of 1837 

 the manufacture of salt was placed under restrictions, and both locally 

 manufactured and imported salt were subject to a duty of 8 annas a ma 



gradually raised until in 1888 it had become Rs. 2-8, and in 1903 

 was reduced to Rs. 2, and in 1905 to Rs. U per maund. The excise system 

 is followed, viz. licenses are issued to private manufacturers at approved 

 places which are guarded, and whence no removals are allowed except on 

 payment of the duty. In Gujarat all the works in Briti.-h territory are 

 the property of Government. The two chief centres are Kharaghora on 

 the borders of the Rann and Dharasna on the coast of Surat. The Khara- 

 ghora salt is in large crystals made from brine-wells. [Cf. Admin. Repto. 

 Bomb, and Sind.] 



4. Madras. Madras salt is practically all made from sea-water. Lit t ! 

 is known of the salt system of Madras prior to the establishment of the 

 Government monopoly in 1805. Under this system private manufacture 

 was permitted, but all the salt made had to be sold to Government. The 

 salt was resold by Government at a price calculated to include purchase- 

 money, storage, transport and other charges reduced to an average for 

 the whole Presidency. Later on the excise system was introduced, but 

 this has never been enforced universally, and hence there are two systems, 

 one in which the produce has to be sold to Government, the other in 

 which salt privately made can be dispensed as the owner pleases, 

 but only after paying the duty. [Cf. Admin. Rept*. Dept. Sou Rev., 

 1895-6 to 1904-5 ;*Dist. Gaz. Bellary, 177-9; Anantapur, 127-8; South 

 Arcot, 234-6; etc.] 



PRODUCTION AND TRADE. Consumption and Taxation.' 1 Dur- Production 

 ing the six years, 1898 to 1903, the average annual production of salt 

 in India amounted to 979,572 statute tons." And following on the 

 shrinkage of 1903, there was a great increase on production in 1904 

 to 1,171,050 tons, in 1905 to 1,291,137 tons, and in 1906 to 1,225,280 

 statute tons ( = 1,244,939 metric tons). This expansion was mainly in 

 Bombay and Madras sea-salts. The output of the former in 1903 was 

 267,619 tons, in 1904 it expanded to 430,409 tons, but in 1905 became 

 425,090 tons, and in 1906, 390,535 tons ; while in the latter (Madras) the 

 production in 1903 was 244,923 tons, in 1904 it became 356,834 tons, in 

 1905, 388,646 tons, and in 1906, 412,717 tons. During the five years 

 ending 1906-7 the IMPORTS of salt have been : 1903-4, 446,559 tons ; 

 1904-5, 486,980 tons ; 1905-6, 464,531 tons ; and 1906-7, 467,949 tons, 

 valued at Rs. 66,77,390 (445,159). The total supply mav thus be ob- 

 tained by adding together the production and imports ; thus in 1903-4 



969 



