![Letter and memorandum by George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs,concerning the abolition of the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the Central Indian States. [‎5r] (9/16)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001524.0x00033d/Mss Eur F126_74_0009.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Letter and memorandum by George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs,concerning the abolition of the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the Central Indian States. [‎5r] (9/16)")
Letter and memorandum by George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs,concerning the abolition of the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the Central Indian States. [5r] (9/16)
The record is made up of 1 file (8 folios). It was created in 30 Sep 1873-09 Jan 1874. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
( 5 )
trade in almost every article of commerce.
That policy has been most successful, finan
cially, in British Territory ; and there is no
reason to suppose that it will not be equal
ly successful in Native States. It is a
point that is generally lost sight of in dis
cussing the question of high salt duties
that they were imposed in lieu of a wide
spread system of transit duties. It
should be remembered that if we were to
abolish the Customs Line, we should at the
same time abolish the sugar duties which
cost the people of these Native States
more than £140,000 per annum. I be
lieve that the introduction of duties on
the single article of salt in lieu of the
innumerable transit duties now collected
in Native States would be a popular mea
sure with both the rulers and the people,
though it might be unpopular with the
persons who are at present employed as
tax-gatherers, and who, while they oppress
the people, defraud the State, and are a
heavy charge upon both.
In introducing such measures as these,
the Native States with whom we should
first have to deal, would be those in whose
limits salt is or can be produced. I have
already mentioned Jodhpur, Jaipur and
Bhartpur. There is in the Gwalior Terri
tory much saline earth from which salt
is made, but this salt, from its inferior
quality, does not at present cross the
Customs Line. At liatangarh in Bikanir
salt is made. I understand that earth salts
are manufactured in the Bhawalpur State,
and there may be other States in Rajpu-
tana capable of producing salt. I believe,
however, that few, if any, of the States in
Central India except Gwalior have salt,
and that they are dependent for their
supplies on Rajputana and Gujarat.
The first step would be carefully to
ascertain exactly in what localities salt is
or can be produced, and at the same time
approximately what revenue is derived
by the Native States from their salt and
About this item
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Letter from George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs, regarding Lewis Pelly's desire to abolish the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the British Territory.
The letter encloses a confidential memo which Batten wrote at Lord Northbrook's request on the feasibility of such a proposal and goes on to detail the only way in which the customs line could be abolished. Batten's proposal is to levy excise duties on salt at their place of production however this subsequently raises the practical difficulties of how to ensure salt is only manufactured for trade at those places the excise duty is being levied.
The enclosed memo, dated 30 September 1873 is titled "Note on the feasibility of abolishing that part of the Inland Customs Line which is on the frontier of Rajputana (including Bhawalpur) and the Native States of Central India".
It outlines details of the customs line including costs, manpower requirements, its purpose and the amount of taxation produced by it and the difficulties that would be encountered in abolishing it. Batten goes on to outline the only way he can see to abolish the line by levying excise duties on salt production and gives considerable detail on the way in which he believes such a proposal could be implemented.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (8 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The file has been foliated in the front top right corner of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Letter and memorandum by George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs,concerning the abolition of the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the Central Indian States. [5r] (9/16), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/74, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023252834.0x00000a> [accessed 16 April 2024]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F126/74
- Title
- Letter and memorandum by George Henry Maxwell Batten, Commissioner of Inland Customs,concerning the abolition of the customs line between Rajputana [Rājasthān] and the Central Indian States.
- Pages
- 1r:8v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence