291 COTTER: SODA INDUSTRY OF S1ND. 



Grade II. — Broken in small pieces, very vesicular, although 

 'crystalline in parts, and of a good white colour. 



Grade III. — Broken in small pieces, vesicular, of a dirty colour, 

 and more impure in appearance. 



Grade IV. — Broken in small pieces, of a still dirtier colour 

 than III, and apparently more impure. 



The analyses of chaniho given in Tables XI and XV show 



_ . >x how 7 very variable is the composition, so that 



Quality of chaniho. . L ' 



it is mainly a matter of chance whether the 



chaniho sold is over 90 per cent, carbonate or 50 per cent, sulphate. 



No one seems to be able to recognise the existence of sodium sulphate 



as a separate and distinct compound from salt and trona. Some 



of the Sindhi villagers appear to think that it is a mixture of the 



two latter, because its taste is feebly saline. Doubtless they are 



content to use such poor stuff as the so-called chaniho of Lambro 



or Nainwaro for their domestic use, having a prejudice, like all 



lovers of their country, for their own good old Sind chaniho, which 



has been used by their forefathers from time immemorial. 



The analyses of chaniho in Table XI show however what sort 



of quality of trona may be expected, provided a scientific scrutiny 



is exercised over the deposits. Some of the trona, such as that 



of Laiwari, Gadanwar', and Pakhyaro, seems to be quite high 



enough in carbonate to put on the modern market, but it can hardly 



be a wise policy to mix such sulphatic deposits as those of Lambro 



with the purer trona of other dhands, since the modern world is 



now-a-days quite expert enough to form a correct opinion of the 



quality of the articles they buy, and to refrain from buying the 



inferior article. 



n - - , ., In 1900, the bazaar prices for chaniho 



FriC68 Of chaniho. r l 



were as follows : — 

 Grade 2, packed in wooden boxes, known as papar-khar, per 



maund Rs. 3-12 to Us. 4. 

 Grade it, known as Gulahi, per maund Rs. 2-10. 

 Grade III, per maund Rs. 2-4 to Rs. 2-6. 



The Thar and Parka r chaniho used to be sold at Re. 1-8 for the 

 better quality, and Annas 10 for the inferior quality. 



in 1917 the bazaar prices in Karachi were 1 from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 

 per maund wholesale up to Rs. 10 per maund retail. 



1 Letter No. Exc. 396, dated 22nd Aug. 1917- 



