TACHARDIA 



Tra..- 



I have not (l.iilt \sith tho button-lac nor with the unmanufactured 

 forms of lac, since the exports of these are compar . u import* 



;int. The figures as they stand exhibit striking hirh 



the traffic in the resin-lac has compensated for the Ions of the trade 

 in lac-dye. 



Production and Local Trmfflc.ln tin- r. turn of railborne traffic, lac Produc- 

 is not treated under its separate headings, viz. of stick, seed, shell- Uv-, -t<-.. ton. 

 but collectively. In 1906-7 the total quantity -down as exchanged came 

 to 446,574 cwt. Of that amount, Bengal is exhibited as having exported 

 172,614 c\vt., chiefly as follows : 122,155 rut. u, and 50,076 cwt. 



to the United Provinces. On the other hand, the Ui. mces ex- 



ported 134,356 cwt., almost cntin-lv to Calcutta. Next - Central 



1'riivim-es with an export of 45,430 cwt., chiefly to the United Provinces. 

 Lastly, Assam exported 35,159 cwt. entirely to'Cii! lr has already 



been shown that the lac factories of India are almost C<M Nfirzapore 



in the United Provinces and to Calcutta in Bengal. This accounts for the 

 traffic being toward these centres. But all over India small <j 

 are worked, so that the statistics of lac factories by no means convey a 

 full conception of the Indian production and consumption. For example, 

 the Indian dyers, when they use lac-dye, prefer to obtain it direct from 

 the stick-lac, so that they are continually producing a certain amount of 

 seed-lac, which they dispose of to the local dealers and lac manufacturers. 

 It is, however, probably correct that the railborne traffic gives us the only 

 satisfactory indication obtainable of the chief items of product ion. A total 

 supply of 446,674 cwt. of stick-lac should be more than sufficient to furnish 

 the raw material for the export of 205,473 cwt. of shell-lac. The pro- 

 duction of the registered lac-factories is commonly believed to represent 

 two-thirds of the actual production, so that one-third (or thereabouts) of 

 the annual supply escapes all trade registration. 



Receiving Countries. Another feature of importance may be here Receiving 

 stated, namely the direct dealings of India with Europe and America Countries. 

 instead of through the United Kingdom. The following classification of 

 the returns for the past twenty-one years will exemplify this feature : 



Analysis of the Exports of Shell- lac from India. 



!:-.- -- : 

 Compaaief. 



It will thus be seen that, while the exports from India have steadily 

 expanded, the share drawn by the United Kingdom has not maintained 

 its supremacy. America has become by far the most important single 

 consuming country for lac, and what is still more remarkable, all the 

 finer grade lacs go to the States and are purchased direct from the 

 factories and not through Indian or British merchants. The traffic 

 is, in fact, controlled by the United States dealing with the manu- 

 facturers direct. The possibilities of expansion are also extremely 

 problematic. 



10G5 



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