MANUFACTURE OF SALT IN CHESHIRE. 21 



500,000 tons of white salt and 30,000 tons of rock salt 

 sent into the interior by canal and railway yearly. During 

 the last three years the make of white salt in Cheshire 

 cannot have been much short of ij million of tons per 

 annum. 



It may be interesting here to speak of the price at which 

 salt sells at the works. In using the expression a at the 

 works " it must not be understood that salt is sold de- 

 livered at the works. The usual rule is to sell delivered 

 at the port of shipment, or, if in the country, at the place 

 where required ; but to avoid all complications arising 

 out of varying rates of carriage and freight, it is custom- 

 ary to sell at a " works w price and add on the freight or 

 carriage. The salt that generally regulates prices is 

 common salt, which is the cheapest and most largely used 

 of any. Taking the price of common salt as a standard, 

 the other salts, as a rule, vary according to the following 

 table. When prices rule high, the difference increases ; 

 and when they rule low, it is rather less; but on the 

 average the prices here given may be considered the usual 

 ones. 



With common as the standard, 



s. d. 

 Butter (or unstoved boiled) salt is 1 6 per ton more. 



Shoots, or broken stoved boiled salt 3 o „ „ 



Handed squares stoved salt 5s. to 6 o „ „ 



Fishery or coarse salt (according to quality) is, 6d. to 5 o „ „ 



Bay salt and refined table-salt, being made only in very 

 small quantities, fetch prices not regulated by any other 

 qualities, varying from 305. to 505. per ton. 



The following table will show the fluctuations in common 

 salt (or the standard salt) for ten years : — 



