'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [‎539r] (1079/1386)

17
England and of increasing imports from other countries which immediately made
haste to compete. The imports of the last three years have been as follow:
1887-88.
1888-89.
1889-90.
Tons.
Tons. .
Tons.
United Kingdom
• 339> 6 51
337.089
285,767
Germany
• 23,187
7,711
45-439
Arabia
- 42,633
20,129
35,736
Aden
. 15,004
17,397
33,782
Other countries
3422
16,484
10,084
423.897
398,810
410,808
The average import annually for these years amounts to 411,172 tons. In
the three calendar years of 1887, 1888 and 1889, the quantity of salt produced
in India gives an average annual production of about 1,051,000 tons.
Prices of Liverpool salt kept very high in Calcutta until about the close of
the year, the average for the year being but little below that of the preceding year.
The prices since 1881-82 have been as follow (duty excluded) :
, Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per
100 maunds.
1881-82 . 51’9 to 60-4
1882-83 . 48-9 » 55-9
1883-84 . 56'3 „ 62 3
1884-85 . 52-5 „ 57-9
1885-86 . 55-9 » 606
1886-87 • 685 „ 74'4
1887-88 . 73-5 „ 808
1888-89 . 88'3 „ 1026
1889-90 . 89*8 „ 98 2
They have fallen materially however since then, the range being:
1890.
March
. 87-8
to 91-8
April
• 8175
» 91'5
May
• 79'75
0 91
June
• 76
» 877
July
. 66’12
„ 82
The fall is chiefly the consequence of the rise in exchange, though no doubt
the competition of other salts has had something to do with it also.
The imports of sugar continue on a large scale. Last year we imported
1,723,1 13 cwt., the declared value of which was just 22 million rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. . Of
this the quantity re-exported represented a value of 2,676,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , so that
India imported sugar to the value of more than 19 million rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. for consumption
in the country. It comes from all parts now, chiefly from Mauritius, but car
goes were received from China, the Straits, Ceylon, England, Germany, France,
Belgium, and Austria. Yet India produces sugar in abundance and refines it
in abundance and exports large quantities (last year about 1,420,000 cwt., value
for 9,200,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. ). The exports are mostly from Madras. They consist
in the bulk of unrefined sugar whereas the imports into Bombay are mainly
refined sugar. Is there any sufficient reason why Madras or Bengal or North
ern India should not supply the requirements of Bombay in refined sugar ?
Sugar.