60 
The Indian WJieat Trade, 
The following general remarks are appended : — 
" Our agents cannot supply accurate information as to the increase in the i 
area, under cultivation, and we have not been questioned as to this. We ! 
know, however, that the cultivation, chiefly of wheat, has greatly increased, ' 
and the conclusion, therefore, to be derived is that of late years ryots must | 
have obtained a better return from their land tlian previously, which is also i 
mentioned in a general way in some replies. The prices quoted (unfortu- I 
nately not forthcoming) are naturally those ruling in the central markets, 
and those obtained by the ryots must be inferred from the information sup- I 
plied about the cost of transport from the districts. The comparative cost i 
also of production, which, we think, must be in favour of recent over previous 
years, has not been here touched upon." 
The districts from which these reports were received repre- 
sent all the most important wheat-growing provinces of India, 
including the Punjab, the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, 
the Central Provinces, and Bombay. It will be noticed that 
five of the reports state that the cost of transport has been 
diminished, while four represent it as the same or about the 
same, three are doubtful, and two declare it to be higher. With | 
respect to one of the last, I have directly contradictory evidence, 
which can scarcely be challenged, as far as cost of transport is 
dependent upon rail rates. The Secretary of the East Indian 
Railway Company has favoni'ed me with the following com- 
jDarative statement of rates on his line from three of the most 
important centres of the wheat trade : — 
\ 
Bates for Wheat from the uxder-mextioxed Stations to 
HowRAii (Calcutta) during January 1871, 1880, and 1888. 
stations 
1871 
1880 
1888 
Rs. 
a. 
P- 
7J.t. 
a. 
P- 
nt. 
a. 
P- 
1 per 1 00 maunds 
116 
0 
0 
80 
0 
0 
53 
0 
0 
Delhi (miles, 954) . . 
- per ton . . . 
31 
9 
3 
21 
12 
5 
14 
fi 
10 
^ per quarter 
6 
15 
10 
4 
13 
2 
3 
3 
1 
I per 100 maunds 
95 
0 
0 
63 
0 
0 
53 
0 
0 
Cawnpore (miles, 684) . 
j per ton . . . 
25 
13 
9 
17 
2 
4 
14 
6 
10 
'■per quarter 
5 
11 
7 
3 
12 
9 
3 
3 
I 
/ perlOOmaunds 
52 
0 
0 
38 
0 
0 
27 
0 
0 
Patna (miles, 332) . . 
j per ton . . . 
14 
2 
6 
10 
G 
3 
7 
4 
0 
^ per quarter 
3 
2 
2 
2 
4 
10 
1 
9 
9 
In 1871, the rates were enormous; but they have been 
reduced until, for 1888, they stand in two cases at less than 
half the amounts charged in 1871, and in the third case to 
little more than half It is clear that there is no rule as to I 
equality of mileage rates on the railway, the charge from 
Cawnpore being the same at the present time as from Delhi, 
which is 270 miles further from Ilowrah, the goods station of Cal- 
cutta. The reductions are much beyond the average, having been | 
