PRODUCTION OF CHAN IRQ IN S1ND. 288 



The average annual production during the quinquennium ending 

 1917 thus works out at only 734 tons of trona, an amount corre- 

 sponding to less than 500 tons of sodium carbonate. 



The reasons of the very marked fall in production in the quin- 

 quennium ending 1917, as compared with the quinquennium ending 

 1900, I am unable to state. 



Eeturns for the seasons 1915-16, and 1916- 

 Productiou of chaniho \~j are the only ones I have been able to 

 fro* Nawabshah dis- obtain from the Nawabshah district. The follow- 

 ing were the quantities of trona obtained : — 



MauudSt 



1915-16 10> 215 



191G-17 4 > 775 



The Collector of Nawabshah remarks 1 that : the marked 

 decrease in the output of ' chaniho ' during the year 1916-17 is due 

 to heavy rains, in consequence of which the tanks (i.e., dhands) 

 could not be worked for full three months, viz., July to September 

 1917 out of a season of seven months, April to October, during which 

 the deposits are ordinarily worked." 



Since Khairpur and Nawabshah district are the only areas 



which now produce chaniho, (the Thar and 

 ^Total production in p^j^ production nav ing ceased since 1899, 



as has been explained in Chapter V), the 

 total production for Siud can be obtained by adding the Nawab- 

 shah production to that of Khairpur. The following are therefore 

 the figures for the total Bind production for 1915-16, and 1916-17. 



Maunds. 



1915-16 43 - 362 



1916-17 25,988 



The Collector of Nawabshah 1 states " There is very little local 



demand for the commodity. Almost the 

 Markets for chaniho. whole rf ^ k exported to K a . ra cl.i and Sukkur, 



where it is used for washing and dyeing purposes, for purifying 

 molasses, and for soap-making. The product [i.e., of Nawabshah 



I Letter No. 3039 Rev. Dept., dated loth October. 1917, from A. W. Mnckie. 

 Esq., I.C.S., Collector of Nawabshah District , to the Commissioner in Kind. 



