مجموعة رقم ١/ ٤٩ "عدن. الإدارة والرقابة: التغيرات المترتبة على الإصلاحات الهندية الدستورية؛ النقل للحكومة البريطانية" [و‎‎٣‎٨‎٠] (٩٦٨/٧٦٨)

It may also be mentioned that the large number of labourers,,
boats, lighters and tugs maintained in the harbour and the Port of Aden
owing to their employment for the enormous shipments of salt, have
always contributed to the development of the Port of Aden in as much as
the shipping have found in them a great facility for being able to load and
unload not only economically but also very expeditiously and efficiently
and we submit that this is not a negligible asset for strategically
important coaling and distributing Port of Aden which protects the
Empire’s important routes and encourages its trade. During the Great
War the Port of Aden with the people of the Settlement ungrudgingly,
nay, voluntarii ^P^ ac ^ a11 these facilities, resources and their personal
services at the^ oi^the Empire and they are proud that they
were able to give a good account of themselves in every manner. The
continual dredging of the Port in order to afford comfortable and safe
berths for larger boats coming in every day and the high sanitary care
are the chief activities of our Port Trustees and members of the Settlement
Committee.
Aden is at present a free port and on this fact depends to no small
extent the importance of Aden as a Distributing Centre. A promise has,.
Indeed, been made that Aden will continue to be a free port even if it is
separated from India. The history of Somaliland Protectorate, however,
does not encourage the trading and commercial interests of Aden to rely
too much on this promise. We apprehend that the proposed transfer is-
the beginning of the end of the Indian commercial community at Aden.
We now beg to draw your Excellency’s attention to the actual
position of India’s supply and demand of salt. Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and
Assam are tne only Provinces which do not produce salt. The Indo-Aden Salt
Works was the only Indian salt works at Aden in 1927. The Hajeebhoy
Aden
Salt
Works,
Ltd.,
and
the Little
Aden
Salt Indus-
trial
Co.,
were
floated
later.
Prior to
1929,
Bengal
got
its
salt
supply
largely
from
foreign
salt
importers
at
the Red Sea littoral. They virtually monopolised the market and kept
the rates high so much so that during the Great War the price of salt
went up to over Rs. 200j- per 100 maunds. The Tariff Board instituted
an inquiry in 1928 and submitted its findings to the Legislative Assembly^
A salt duty on the import of foreign salt was imposed and since that day
tne import of foreign salt mostly from the Red Sea has considerably
decreased.
The production of salt in India proper has not reached even to the
extent of 50% of the total requirements of the Bengal Market which is about
5,40,000 tons per year in between Calcutta and Chittagong. Salt from Aden
Works, however, meet with the supplies to the required extent. If the
export of salt from Aden was insufficient, the Red Sea foreigners
specially Italian and Hamburg Salt (German,) would have got a chance
to come in at once and exploit the Market which had to be supplied the
deficit from sources other than at Aden and in India proper. Aden has
thus enabled the consuming Provinces, namely, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and
Assam to secure their salt requirement at the rate of Rs. 50 j - per 100 maunds
against the rate of about 75|- per 100 maunds, the rate which prevailed