PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURES
What Kashmir is principally known for to the outside world is its
shawls; but the wool from which they are manufactured is not produced
in Kashmir itself: it comes from Tibet and Chinese Turkestan. It is
the soft down lying under the long hair of the Tibetan goat. Kashmir
does, however, produce a coarser wool of its own. Kashmir villagers
keep immense numbers of sheep, for round their villages and on the
mountain uplands there is an abundance of rich grass, the leaves of
the willow trees and of irises furnish winter fodder, and these
animals are not only thus easily fed, but also furnish their owner
with clothing, with food and with manure, and by crowding in the lower
portion of his house keep him warm in winter. They are shorn twice in
the year, once in early summer and again in the autumn. The wool is of
good quality, and in the winter months the women spin it, and the men
weave it into blankets and into the well-known "puttoo" cloth, in
which sportsmen in Kashmir clothe themselves, and for which, since the
Swadeshi movement, there has been a great demand in India.
Silk is another and increasingly important product. The whole of the
valley is covered with mulberry trees, and for many centuries
sericulture has been practised in the country. But it is only recently
that it has been placed on a really business-like footing. Now good
"seed," _i.e._ silk-worms' eggs, are imported fresh every year from
France and Italy--about six-sevenths from France and one-seventh from
Italy--and in the spring are given out to the cultivators free of
charge. The villagers hatch out the eggs, feed the silk-worms on the
mulberry leaves, and then bring the cocoons to the State silk factory
at Srinagar for sale. 1720 lbs. of eggs were given out last year, and
1,712,000 lbs. of cocoons were bought in by the State. In the present
year the figures were 1762 lbs. of eggs and 2,273,760 lbs. of cocoons.
The amount paid for these cocoons to 17,433 rearers was Rs. 4,25,848,
so that the Kashmiri villagers at very little trouble and no cost are
able to put a nice little sum of money into their pockets every
summer, and are consequently now clamouring to be given seed. The
mulberry trees are carefully watched by the State, and an inspector of
mulberry trees goes round the valley, seeing that the trees are not
damaged and are properly pruned. Young mulberry trees are distributed
by the State to the villagers to the number of from 30,000 to 40,000 a
year.
Fruit is another of Kashmir's important products which may be expected
to largely increase in the future. Kashmir apples are renowned all
over India. They are large, red, and attractive looking, and sell well
as far down as Calcutta and Bombay. But they are not of really good
flavour, and the apples from European stock now being grown are sure
to have a large sale in the future. In the autumn months thousands of
cart-loads are carried down the roads to the railway at Rawal Pindi.
The apple grows wild in Kashmir, and the villagers uproot the wild
trees and plant them in their orchards. But the State also now
supplies them with young trees. Near Srinagar there are large State
nurseries stocked with the best kinds from Europe, and every year
thousands of young trees are given out free to the villagers, so that
the valley may gradually be filled with the best available trees. The
State also to a small extent grows apples for sale, and their trees
are extraordinarily prolific. In the autumn one sees these apple trees
weighed down to the ground with fruit, and M. Peychaud, the director
in charge, says that he has taken as many as 30,000 from one tree. The
apples also grow to an enormous size. And when the railway comes to
Kashmir, and carriage is easier and cheaper, the export of apples and
other fruit should increase to striking dimensions, and not only be
one of the best means of making the railway pay, but bring great
profits to the cultivators. The apple of Kashmir has a great future
before him.
So has the pear. He is not so much to the fore at present, because he
does not stand carriage as well; but the railway will remove that
drawback, and he will run the apple hard. Like the apple, the pear
also is found wild and transplanted into orchards. But good stock is
now being grown in the State orchard and distributed from there. Some
of these, and some that have been imported by European residents, have
taken so kindly to Kashmir, that I believe their present products are
not surpassed anywhere. From Major Wigram's garden comes a famous
pear, so large, and soft, and luscious, as scarcely to support its
own weight. Other winter pears keep right through to the early summer.
Quinces also are grown in considerable quantities. They make excellent
jam, but are chiefly grown for their seed, which is exported to the
Punjab.
Grapes have been tried, and on the shores of the Dal Lake there is a
vineyard under the charge of a Frenchman, from which what is known as
Kashmir wine is made. But this branch of fruit culture has not so far
been so successful as the culture of pears and apples. It is said that
the rain falls at the wrong time. But probably the most suitable
descriptions of grapes have not yet been tried or the most suitable
site yet selected. In the time of the Moghals they were plentiful, and
wild vines are often seen. So it is hard to believe that grapes cannot
be grown in Kashmir as well as the other fruits for which it is
famous.
Walnut trees are found all over the valley, and quantities of the nuts
are now exported, though formerly they were only used for oil. They
are an excellent fruit, and one kind known as the _kagazi_ has such a
thin shell that it is easily cracked between the fingers, and the
kernel is excellent. The villages on the lower slopes are often
surrounded with walnut trees, some of enormous size, and adding
greatly to the beauty of the village.
[Illustration: THE CAMPING-GROUND AT LIDARWAT]
Mulberries, as has been remarked in regard to sericulture, are
plentifully grown. They are eaten in immense quantities by the people
as well as by their animals.
Almonds are grown in considerable quantities in large orchards.
Apricots are grown, but not very plentifully, and principally for oil.
Peaches, cherries, pomegranates, and plums are also cultivated, but
have not yet received much attention from the villagers. Strawberries
grow abundantly in the gardens of Europeans, and gooseberries and
currants also succeed. There is, indeed, scarcely a limit to what the
fruit production of Kashmir might be if it received attention and
care.
* * * * *
Of the food grains rice is the principal. With all the streams running
down from the mountains ample water for the copious irrigation it
requires is available. The Kashmiris are exceptionally clever in its
cultivation, and they grow it up to an altitude of 7000 feet. The
fields are terraced carefully to hold the irrigation, and are
incessantly watered and anxiously weeded. Lawrence says that in one
district alone he has found fifty-three varieties, and certain
villages are famous for their peculiar rices. But they may be roughly
divided into two classes, the white and the red, of which the former
is the more esteemed by epicures, though the cultivators prefer the
latter as it is less delicate, suffers less from changes of climate,
and gives a larger out-turn. Lawrence gives the average crop of
unhusked rice per acre as 17 maunds, or 1220 lbs. Large quantities of
rice are exported to the Punjab.
Maize is the next most important crop. In the black peaty land lying
along the Jhelum, and in the high villages where numbers of cattle
graze and manure is plentiful, very fine crops are grown. As a rule it
is grown on dry land, and is seldom irrigated. The stalk forms
excellent fodder for cattle. The average yield in irrigated and dry
swamp land is 11 maunds, or 880 lbs., and on dry land 8 maunds, or 640
lbs. per acre. As a diet maize ranks after rice, but the villagers,
when money is scarce, will sell their rice and subsist on maize.
Barley is largely grown, but it is not of good quality, and no pains
are taken in its cultivation.
Wheat receives better treatment, but the wheat flour of Kashmir is not
esteemed. The average production on dry land is 7 maunds, or 560 lbs.
per acre.
Millet is another food grain grown in Kashmir, but not very generally.
Buckwheat is cultivated in the higher villages.
Pulses are not much grown. _Mung_ (_Phaseolus Mungo_) is the best, and
is often sown in rice lands which require a rest. Others are _raah_
(_Phaseolus radiatus_) and _mothi_ (_Phaseolus aconitifolius_). Peas
and white beans are occasionally cultivated; in the gardens of
European residents they give excellent results.
Oil-seeds are largely grown, and now that a company for oil-pressing
is being started, still more attention is likely to be paid to them.
The Kashmiris do not use _ghi_ (clarified butter) in their food. They
consequently require vegetable oils for that purpose, and as mineral
oils are too expensive, they use them also for lighting. The principal
oil-seed grown is the rape, of which there are three varieties. An
average crop is 3 maunds, or 240 lbs. per acre. Large quantities of
linseed are also produced, of which an average crop would be 1-1/2 to 2
maunds, 120 to 160 lbs. per acre. _Til_ (_Sesamum indicum_) is a very
common crop. It yields 1-1/2 maunds, or 120 lbs. per acre. Til is also
extracted from the walnut and apricot. Rape seed gives the best oil
for lighting purposes, and linseed for eating.
Cotton is grown to a small extent all over the valley, and both the
fibre is used for home-manufactured cotton cloth, and the seed is used
as food for cattle.
Tobacco is cultivated in many parts. And two very beautiful crops are
amaranth and saffron. The former is grown in many places along the
edges of the fields, and gives a purply crimson touch to the
landscape. Its minute grains are first parched, and then ground and
eaten with milk or water. It is especially used by the Hindu on
festival days. The latter is grown on the plateau above Pampur, and
when in blossom forms one of the sights of Kashmir. The plant is like
a crocus, and the flower mauve and purple. A large space of the
plateau is covered with it, and this sheet of colour adds a strikingly
beautiful effect to an already beautiful landscape. The saffron of
Kashmir is famous for its bouquet, and is used as a condiment and as a
pigment for the forehead marks of the Hindus. The flowers are
dried in the sun, and the pollen is extracted by hand. It is this
pollen and the pollen-bearing portion of the flower which form the
saffron.
[Illustration: A WAYSIDE SHRINE]
Mustard is also grown--mostly for oil; and round the town, especially
round Srinagar, in the vicinity of the Dal Lake, vegetables are
cultivated in market gardens. The cultivation of potatoes, indeed, is
now increasing so rapidly that many scores of cart-loads are annually
exported to the Punjab.
Hops are grown by the State at Dabgarh near Sopur, and their
cultivation could doubtless be extended, but so far the cultivators,
who are very conservative, have not taken to it.
* * * * *
Such are the chief vegetable products of Kashmir, and the State is
making endeavours to improve existing staples and introduce anything
new which may prove productive in the country. For this purpose the
Maharaja has established a model farm, known as the Pratab Model Farm,
and situated near the Shalimar garden to experiment with different
varieties of grain and different methods of cultivation, and it is
hoped that if new varieties prove specially productive they will be
taken up by the cultivators. The farm was opened by Lord Minto in the
autumn of 1906. Long rows of accurately measured plots of ground,
one-sixteenth of an acre each, are planted with the different
varieties, and their yield carefully measured. As one passes up the
line he sees at a glance the relative qualities of each variety of
wheat or maize or rice, and if the farm is carefully worked for a
series of years it ought to give some valuable results. Already the
cultivators have been attracted by the enormous size of some maize
from Canada grown on the farm. Some very straight Russian flax
recommended by the Dundee Chamber of Commerce seems to promise good
results. And perhaps beetroot for sugar may also have a success, for
almost any vegetable product that grows in a temperate climate will
grow in Kashmir.
The crops reaped in the spring in Kashmir are wheat, barley, rape,
flax, pea, and bean. Those reaped in the autumn are rice, maize,
cotton, saffron, millet, tobacco, hop, amaranth, buckwheat, pulse,
sesame.
* * * * *
The alluvial soil of the valley is of great fertility, and every year
is renewed by rich silt from the mountain streams. The soil of the
higher parts is not so rich, though it, too, will give good returns.
Irrigation is largely used for water is abundant, as the snow on the
mountains forms a natural reservoir stored up for the hot weather,
when it melts and runs down to the valley at the time when it is most
wanted. The Kashmiri is very clever at making his little water
channels and leading the water on to his field.
The agricultural implements used are simple and primitive. The plough
is light, for the cattle which are yoked to it are small. It is made
of wood, and the ploughshare is tipped with iron. The spade likewise
is made of wood, has a long handle and a narrow face, and is tipped
with iron. A hand hoe is also used for weeding.
Ploughing for rice, maize, and other autumn crops commences in the
middle of March. In April and May these crops are sown. In June and
July wheat and barley, sown in the previous autumn, are harvested. In
July and August linseed is harvested. In August and September
cotton-picking commences. In September and October rice, maize, and
other autumn crops are harvested. In November and December ploughing
for wheat and barley takes place. And during the winter rice and maize
and other autumn crops are threshed.
FORESTS
Besides agricultural products the yield of the forests of Kashmir is
also of great value. All the northward-facing slopes are covered with
dense forests, a considerable part of which is of the valuable deodar.
This is cut into sleepers, launched into the streams which find their
way into the Jhelum, and so allowed to float down the river to the
plains of the Punjab. Here the sleepers are caught where the river is
slow and shallow, and sold at considerable profit to the State. The
deodar is a very handsome tree, and is a variety of the cedar of
Lebanon. It will be noticed by visitors to the valley along the road
between Uri and Baramula, especially near Rampur. Less beautiful and
less valuable as timber is the Blue pine (_Pinus excelsa_). It grows
to a greater height than the deodar, which does not flourish above
6000 feet, and it may be seen at Gulmarg. The Himalayan spruce (_Picea
morinda_) is very common, and also grows round Gulmarg, but its timber
is of little value. Birches grow high up above the pines and next the
snows; their timber is of no use, but the bark is much employed for
roofing. In the forests are also found silver fir, horse-chestnut, and
maple.
All these forests are owned by the State, and are now under the charge
of a Forest Department, with a conservator from the Government service
at its head. The boundaries of forests are being laid down, and the
State is determining under what conditions neighbouring villagers and
others may be granted the customary concessions for felling timber,
grazing, and gathering grass and fuel. It is usual for the State to
let fuel and fodder be gathered free, and to charge for grazing and
for cutting timber for building and agricultural purposes. But the
areas in which these operations can be permitted, and the rates to be
charged, have to be fixed, and the operations regulated. The trees are
counted, marked for felling according to their age, and in regular
succession, so as to allow of young trees growing up to fill their
place. And in many other ways the forests are watched so as to prevent
their denudation, and all the damage that would be caused through the
rainfall rushing off at once instead of being held up by the trees. By
the proper regulation of the forests the State raises a handsome
income; it secures the soil being retained on the hill-sides; and it
has the water held up in springs as a reservoir; while the authorities
in the Punjab know that the rain which falls in Kashmir will be held
up by the forests till the cold weather, when it is wanted for the
canals which are taken off from the Jhelum and Chenab rivers flowing
out of Kashmir territory.
Of the trees which grow in the level portions of the valley the chenar
is by far the most striking. As it grows in Kashmir it is a king among
trees, and in its autumn foliage is one of the many attractions which
go to make Kashmir one of the supremely beautiful spots in the world.
Its official botanical name is the _Platanus orientalis_, and it is
one of the varieties of the plane tree. The chief characteristic is
the massiveness of its foliage--its umbrageousness. It grows to a
considerable height; it has long outstanding branches and great
girth--one which Mr. Lawrence measured was 63 feet round the base. And
as the leaves are broad and flat, the whole mass of foliage is
immense, and so thick that both sun and rain are practically excluded
from any one sitting in its shade. Under the chenar trees in the
Residency garden one can sit through a summer day without a hat, and
through a summer shower without getting wet. All this mass of foliage
turned purple, claret, red, and yellow in the autumn tinting, backed
against a clear blue sky and overhanging the glittering, placid
waters of the Dal Lake or the Jhelum River, forms a picture which can
be seen in no other country than Kashmir.
The elm tree of Kashmir, though not so striking as the chenar, is
still a very graceful object. One in the Lolab valley has been
measured as 43 feet in girth, and in the Residency garden are some
fine specimens.
The walnut is more common, and round the villages many handsome trees
are often seen.
The poplar is now very common, and is planted alongside the road to
what is now a quite distressing extent, for though these trees give
shade they also cut out the view. The timber is used a good deal for
building, though it is of poor quality.
The willow is a more really useful tree, and is much planted in moist
places. Its leaves are used for fodder. Its shoots are to some extent,
though not sufficiently, used for basket-making.
MINERAL PRODUCTS
The mineral products of the Kashmir valley are small. In other
districts of the Kashmir State there are indications of a moderate
amount of mineral wealth. In the Jammu province there is a
considerable quantity of coal of a rather poor quality, and there is
good iron and bauxite. Sapphires also are found there. And in Ladak,
in the Indus and its tributaries, there are gold-washings. But in the
Kashmir valley, with which we are at present dealing, only a small
amount of iron has been worked so far, though it is believed that
large quantities exist near Sopor and about Islamabad and Pampur; and
copper has also been found near Aishmakam in the Liddar valley.
Peat is extracted from the low-lying lands on the Jhelum River, and
can be used as a cheap fuel. Several strong sulphur springs are found
in the valley, and limestone exists in many places, notably about
Rampur, and on the Manasbal Lake.
ARTS AND MANUFACTURES
Of manufactures the shawl is the best known, but the production has
sadly fallen off of late years. In accordance with the treaty between
the Kashmir State and the British Government, six pairs of shawls of
fine quality have to be yearly paid to the latter, and but for this
the industry would almost disappear. Kashmir shawls in the middle
of the last century used to be very fashionable in Europe, but the
Franco-Prussian War seems to have sealed the fate of the industry.
After 1870 the fashion went out and has never revived; and the famine
of 1877-79 carried off numbers of the weavers, so that now very few
carry on the industry. According to M. Dauvergne, who was for many
years connected with the shawl and carpet industry in Kashmir, the
Kashmir shawl dates back to the times of the Emperor Baber. The first
shawls which reached Europe were brought by Napoleon at the time of
his campaign in Egypt as a present to the Empress Josephine.
[Illustration: EVENING ON THE DAL LAKE]
The best shawls are made from the very fine wool, known as pashm,
underlying the long hair of the Tibetan goat, which is woven into a
delicate material called pashmina on which the shawl patterns are
worked. Some of this pashm, and some of the best, is also imported
from Chinese Turkestan from the neighbourhood of Ush Turfan. It so
happens that I have been in this particular region, and I well
remember the rolling grassy downs among the Tian Shan mountains on
which the nomad Kirghiz kept immense flocks of sheep and goats. It was
an ideal country for the growth of wool, and I believe much of this
beautiful wool of which the finest shawls were made is now allowed to
run to waste.
From 1862 to 1870 the export of shawls averaged 25 to 28 lakhs of
rupees per annum, or over a quarter of a million sterling, and when
the trade was at its zenith 25,000 to 28,000 persons were engaged in
their manufacture.
Some of the best of the old shawls are preserved in the museum at
Srinagar. They show much tasteful arrangement of colour and fineness
of workmanship; but one does not wonder that they have gone out of
fashion, and even at their best one misses that extreme delicacy of
finish denoting strength and character in the worker which one sees in
Japanese, and more still in Chinese workmanship.
* * * * *
Carpets have now surpassed shawls in order of importance, and two
European firms, Messrs. Mitchell and Co., and Mr. Hadow, have quite as
much as they can do to keep pace with the orders they receive, of
which a very large number come from America. Many of the old weavers
have taken to carpet-making, and the pashm used formerly for shawls is
now being increasingly used for the finer kind of carpets. The dyes
are good in Kashmir, and as the finest wool is to be had the carpet
industry ought to have a good future before it.
Silk is another most thriving industry with great future
possibilities. The State have now in Srinagar the largest silk factory
in the world, employing about 3300 men, and turning out 191,000 lbs.
of silk last year, and in the present year 230,939 lbs., most of which
is sold as yarn in the European market at prices varying from 14s.
10d. to 18s. 2d. per lb., and bringing in a very handsome profit to
the State. A small amount of silk weaving is also carried on in the
same factory, and 212 handlooms have been set up, but at present the
factory is only capable of turning out a comparatively light cloth in
what is called the green state. For throwing, dyeing, and finishing,
other machinery would be necessary, which the State will set up in
time as funds become available. The rough cloth already made is
admittedly superior to Japanese cloth of the same weight, and has sold
in London at somewhat higher prices. When it can be turned out dyed
and finished it should have a great sale in India, though the State
are not likely to derive the same high profits from the woven cloth
that they do from selling the yarn.
Electric power has now been supplied to the silk factory from the
great electric installation on the Jhelum River, and is used for
heating the water in the basins in which the cocoons are immersed for
reeling. It will also be used for turning some of the reeling
machinery, and possibly also for electrocuting the grubs in the
cocoons.
Papier-mache is a favourite artistic product of Kashmir, and some very
handsome candlesticks, bowls, and vases, well adapted for English
country houses, may be purchased. The old designs are especially
beautiful. But nowadays very little is made from real pulp of paper,
and most of what is sold as papier-mache is made of smooth wood.
The silver work is poor, as it lacks finish, and the modern designs
are not especially beautiful. But the Kashmiri workmen used to be able
to produce a peculiar sheen on the silver work which gave it a
striking and unusual appearance.
Some handsome copper work is also produced in Srinagar, and some
pretty enamel work.
But at present the fashion rather turns to wood-carving, which has
certainly much improved since I first knew it. Very handsome screens,
tables, panels, boxes, etc., are made, and the Kashmiri carpenter is
getting to finish his work much better. Whether the work is worth the
prices asked is, I think, doubtful. Better wood-carving can be had in
Europe for the same price.
* * * * *
Turning from art industries to more practical manufactures the first
to notice is basket-work. Most villages have their artisan who makes
baskets for agricultural purposes, for carrying loads and for rough
village work. Willow trees are plentiful and might be much more
extensively grown; and Raja Sir Amar Singh has always been keenly
interested in establishing a really important basket industry in
Kashmir, and supplying the needs not merely of Kashmir villagers, but
of India generally.
Puttoo cloth and blankets are well-known manufactures of Kashmir.
Since the _Swadeshi_ movement has extended in India, and the demand
for goods made in India has increased, there has been a regular run on
the rough woollen "puttoo" of Kashmir, and the price has gone up.
Formerly a sportsman could get a good shikar suit for eight rupees.
Now he has to pay ten or twelve. It is excellent wearing material, but
is too loosely woven and liable to get out of shape. Proposals are on
foot for establishing woollen factories in Kashmir, and with suitable
machinery and proper supervision, good useful cloth should be made
from the excellent wool with which the country abounds.
Cotton cloth is also manufactured in the villages, of a rough, homely
description. But whether this manufacture will ever increase to a
great extent is doubtful. A French gentleman who has lived for many
years in Bokhara, and who visited Kashmir, told me that he considered
that as cotton was grown so successfully in Bokhara and Russian
Turkestan, it ought to grow equally well in Kashmir. This may be so,
and the State is making experiments in cotton growing to find a
variety suitable to the country. But so far the future of cotton
manufacture cannot be considered so assured as that of silk and wool.
Finally, among the industries of Kashmir must be mentioned
boat-building, which is indeed one of the most important in the
country. The Kashmiri is an intelligent and clever carpenter, though
in accordance with his character he lacks accuracy and finish. His
boats are of all sizes, from the great grain barges, carrying cargoes
of thirty tons, to State "parindas" or fliers propelled by forty or
fifty rowers, and to light skiffs for a couple of paddlers.
House-boats of quite elaborate design are also made. And if properly
supervised and instructed, the Kashmiri should be capable of
constructing any kind of craft.
There is little iron-work in Kashmir, for iron is not plentiful. But
the Kashmiri has such natural skill that he can turn out quite good
guns and rifles, and will make all the ordinary surgical instruments
required in the hospital.
TRADE
Of these products and manufactures considerable quantities are
exported to India, and will help to make the proposed railway pay,
while this railway on its part will help to increase the exports, for
much that cannot be taken out of the country, now that everything has
to be carried 196 miles by road, would be exported if railway carriage
were available. Apples and pears to the extent of 90,000 maunds, or
3210 tons, are exported annually, besides from 10,000 to 20,000 maunds
of other fruit. Rice and maize exports vary greatly according to the
demand in the Punjab. The present year was one of scarcity in the
adjoining British province, and, consequently, the export of grain was
quite unusual--amounting to 100,000 maunds, or more than three
thousand tons; but ordinarily it does not exceed more than about a
thousand tons. The export of ghi or clarified butter amounts to 720
tons. Potatoes are an increasingly important export, and the demand
for them is certain to rise. Last year 750 tons were exported. Hides
and skins to the amount of some 350 tons are annually exported.
Linseed was in special demand last year owing to the failure of crops
in the Punjab, and in consequence 1740 tons, to the value of Rs.
2,61,000, were exported; but the usual amount is only about one-fifth
of this. Silk to the value of Rs. 18,44,205 was exported last year,
and this may be taken as the normal amount. And wool and woollen
goods, to the value of about two lakhs of rupees, are also exported,
besides a few miscellaneous articles, and some 4000 live animals,
mostly sheep and goats. In addition, from ten to twelve lakhs of
rupees worth of timber are floated down the river.
Altogether the exports from the Kashmir valley, including timber,
during the last two years have amounted to--
8,83,141 maunds = 31,540 tons
9,77,305 maunds = 34,957 tons
and their value has been--
Rs. 55,18,508 = L367,900
Rs. 49,64,800 = L330,986
Of this amount, deducting the timber which was floated down the river,
there was exported by road--
1,78,355 maunds = 6,370 tons
3,28,027 maunds = 11,715 tons
Cotton piece-goods are the chief imports into Kashmir. Twenty-five to
thirty thousand maunds of piece-goods (895 to 1070 tons) are imported
annually, to the value of fifteen to nineteen lakhs of rupees
(L100,000 to L126,000). Some are the coarse, but rough and
well-wearing products of the Punjab peasants, but most are the
products of Manchester, and are worn by the Srinagar and other
townspeople.
Salt is the next most important import, and now that the Government of
India has decreased the duty on it, the quantity imported into Kashmir
is likely to steadily increase. In the last three years the amounts
imported have been 112,710, 119,803, and 201,451 maunds respectively
(4025, 4280, 7194 tons), with a value of Rs. 2,81,680, Rs. 4,83,698,
and Rs. 5,01,485, or L18,778, L32,246, and L33,432. It is sadly needed
by the poorer classes, both for themselves and for their animals, and
as yet not half enough for their real requirements comes into the
country. What is imported comes from the salt districts of the
Punjab.
Tea is now being largely imported, which shows that the people are
acquiring a larger purchasing power. One and a quarter million pounds
of tea, with a value of seven and a half lakhs of rupees, or L50,000,
are now imported annually.
Sugar is being imported in increasing quantities, the amounts for the
last three years being 57,931, 62,907, and 75,817 maunds respectively,
or 2070, 2246, 2709 tons, with a value of Rs. 4,58,183, Rs. 4,24,495,
and Rs. 4,95,895, or L30,545, L28,305, L33,059. The Kashmiris are very
fond of sugar, and as their condition improves the demand for sugar
and the amount of imports is sure to increase.
Metals are another import of increasing value and importance. 20,000
maunds are annually imported, with a value of three lakhs of rupees,
or L20,000. At present the Kashmiris use earthenware cooking pots, but
when in time they take to metal the import of copper must increase.
Other imports of minor importance are wearing apparel, twist and yarns
(of a value of nearly three lakhs, or L20,000), drugs and medicines
(half a lakh of rupees), turmeric, gunny bags, leather, liquors,
petroleum, provisions, seeds (half a lakh), manufactured silk, spices
(three-quarters of a lakh), stationery, tobacco (three lakhs), and raw
wool.
The total weight of imports during the last three years respectively
has been--
3,35,889 maunds = 11,996 tons
3,99,892 maunds = 14,281 tons
4,53,202 maunds = 16,185 tons
and their value has been--
Rs. 53,88,315 = L359,221
Rs. 57,99,785 = L386,652
Rs. 66,08,422 = L440,561