[23] 



THE FISHERIES OP INDIA. 



405 



Salted fish. — Lastly, how are fish salted? The ptocesses employed 

 are chiefly divisible into the two following: (I) Those cured with 

 monopoly salt, or salt which has paid the Government tax; and (2) 

 those prepai-ed with salt-earth, or spontaneous and untaxed salt. It 

 must be here remarked that I have very little information as to what 

 clianges have been effected during the last five years, but I believe a 

 shght (5 or 10 per cent) import duty has been collected on salt fish 

 landed from foreign ports, while the salt tax in Sind, Bonibny, and Mad 

 ras has been increased to a very considerable extent. I propose first 

 referring to salt and its cost; for wherever the fisherman or fish {urer 

 can obtain this condiment at a cheap rate, there marine fisheries Nour- 

 ish; Avhere it is dear, his occupation is destroyed, except for the pur- 

 pose of supplying daily wants and a little surplus for salting or sun- 

 drying. This will be most easily explained by referring to the diii'eient 

 districts in detail. 



Exportation of salted and dried fish. — The amount of salted and dried 

 fish exported by sea from Indian ports was as follows (the value is given 

 in pounds, computing 1 rupee at 2 shillings*) : — 



Five years ending. 



1857-'58 



1862-'63 



1867-'68 



1872-73 ^ 



Prom Sind. 



£8, 472 

 13, 064 

 18, 725 

 22, 944 



Prom South 

 Canara. 



From Mala- 

 bar. 



No returns. . No returns 



No returns . . £26, 272 



£6, 969 48, 207 



14, 921 90, 849 



From Coio- 

 mandel coast. 



No retnrii.s. 



No leturiis. 



£1,753 



4,513 



The duty on salt in Sind was 2s. a maund of 82f pounds avoirdupois, 

 sometimes less, during the entire period comprised in the above table. 



Government tax on salt — The first great increase in salting fish oc- 

 curred in 1860-'61, in which year the duty was raised in Bombay from 

 2.S. to 2s. 6fZ. a maund. The next spurt of this trade, in Sind, was in 

 1864-'65, when the salt-duty in Bombay was again raised from 2s. Gd. to 

 3s. a maund. Possibly the importations into that Presidency from Sind 

 would subsequently have been more, but the Government decided, in 

 1867, to admit all salt fish from foreign ports, where no salt-duty exists, 

 into British India free of duty, to the immense advantage of the Portu- 

 guese settlements and the Meckran coast, but completing the ruin of 

 Indo-British fishermen and fishcurers, unless they were advantageously 

 located. 



In olden times salt was allowed duty-free in British territory, for 

 salting fish ; but this enactment was repealed (year not ascertained) 

 because the excise officers considered that it assisted smuggling. 



The following table, being returns from different districts on the west 

 or Malabar coast of Madras, shows the annual sales of Government or 



*In the United States the shilliBg is worth 24,3 cents, and the rupee is worth 43.G 

 cents. 



