BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

PATTERN OF TRADE IN THE PAST

Wardha district is well known for trade in cotton since the past. The excellent quality of cotton at Hinganghat in this district earned a very good reputation not only in India but in Great Britain also. The account of trade given in the former edition of the Wardha Gazetteer [Central Provinces District Gazetteers,Wardha Disrhict, Vol. A, 1906.] published in 1906 throws a searching light on the state of trade in cotton and other produce in the district, in the past. The account is reproduced below:

"As soon as railway connection with Bombay was made available in 1867 the trade of Wardha became very considerable. The following extract is quoted from the article on the District in Mr. (Sir C.) Grant's Gazetteer of 1870: ' The trade of the Wardha District is only remarkable on account of the cotton exports. The excellent quality of the staple, known to the commercial world as ' Hinganghats' from the cotton mart of that name, has secured for it an almost unlimited demand, and a higher price in the English market than any other description of Indian cotton, except perhaps the acclimatised New Orleans of the Southern Maratha country. It seems also to have grown into favour on the Continent ..........The commercial celebrity of the ' Hinganghat' brand has always drawn to that mart for foreign export quantities of cotton from Eastern Berar, Nagpur, Chanda and neighbouring Districts, but deducting these, the exports from Wardha alone may be stated to average 25,000 bales per annum, reckoning the value at 400 lbs....... A considerable trade has also grown up, since the opening of the railway to Bombay, in butter, either fresh or clarified, which is largely produced in the Arvi tahsil and regularly exported to the Bombay market. The exports of butter in the year 1868-69 amounted to 22,000 maunds valued at Rs. 4.43 lakhs. There is a small exchange grain trade between Wardha and Berar, the imports being juar (millet) and the exports wheat and dal (pulse). The principal import is salt, to the extent of about 51,000 maunds, valued at Rs. 3.60 lakhs, English piece goods to the value of about two lakhs of rupees, with some hardware, spices and other miscellaneous products.' Mr. Purshotam Das Settlement Report gives no description of the trade of the District but includes a statement of exports of four staples beyond the Province from the stations of Pulgaon, Degaon, Wardha, Paunar and Sindi during the years 1888-1892. This statement omits the exports to stations within the Province which form a considerable part of the District trade, and it also omits the station of Hinganghat, which despatches between two-fifths and a half of the whole exports of the District. It is chiefly interesting as showing that Pulgaon, which since 1899 has sent away more raw cotton than any other station in the District, had practically no trade at all in this staple within so short a period as seven years previously. Pulgaon is quite a new town, but the rapid growth of its trade as shown by the railway statistics is certainly remarkable."

" Statistics of rail-borne trade.—Statistics of the principal exports and imports from the four principal stations of Wardha, Pulgaon, Hinganghat and Sindi have been obtained for the six years 1899 to 1904 inclusive. These statistics cannot be taken to represent accurately the volume of the District trade for more than one reason. They include the traffic between stations of the District itself, which should properly be excluded, but of which the figures are not completely available. In respect of raw cotton, however, this factor exercises no appreciable influence on the returns, the quantity despatched from one station to another in the District having been only 15,000 maunds in 1904, nearly the whole of which went from Pulgaon to Wardha. Nor as usual do the statistics of the stations within the District represent its trade without deductions and additions. A part of the produce of the Arvi tahsil goes to Dhaman-gaon in Berar and to Katol in Nagpur. Sindi receives some small quantity of cotton from the adjoining tracts of Nagpur, and Hinganghat substantial contributions of cotton and grain from Berar and Chanda. A considerable quantity of cotton from the adjoining tracts of Berar is probably brought to Pulgaon. The trade of the stations of Paunar, Degaon and Sonegaon is not included in the statistics at all because figures for these stations are not given separately in the railway returns. Paunar and Sonegaon have no trade and their omission does not affect the statistics. But there are appreciable exports of linseed from Degaon station. Figures for 1904 compiled from the fortnightly postcards submitted by station masters of exports of the leading staples beyond the Central Provinces and Berar, show that the exports of linseed from Degaon were 8,000 maunds in this year. This figure was under 1 per cent of the total bulk of exports and about 6 per cent of the exports of linseed from the four leading stations. These last statistics, as stated, include exports within the Province, but linseed is generally exported for the foreign trade. Practically nothing else was sent from Degaon, so that its exports are not likely to have exceeded 1 per cent of the total. Subject to the above modifications the following statement shows the value [The values have been calculated according to the Central Provinces export prices in the trade returns.] and bulk of the principal exports and imports of the District during the years 1899-1904 inclusive."

EXPORTS

FIGURES REPRESENT THOUSANDS*

*Source.—Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, Vol. A., 1906, p. 153.

IMPORTS

FIGURES REPRESENT THOUSANDS*

*Source.—Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, Vol. A., 1906, p. 154.

Exports of Cotton.—" As regards the above figures the present writer is unable to estimate what proportion of them represents the net trade of the District. They are published rather to convey a general idea of the volume of its commerce, and of the great wealth which Wardha is now accumulating from cotton cultivation, as well as of affording a basis of comparison for similar statistics in future years, than as exact returns of. exports and imports. According to the figures the exports of the District have averaged about 1½ crores of rupees for the last four years, representing a sum of nearly Rs. 38 per head of population or as much as the annual income of an adult agricultural labourer in many Districts. The exports of raw cotton were between a half and two-thirds of the total value during these years, and in 1904, they exceeded two-thirds. The bulk of raw cotton exported in 1904 was 5½ lakhs of maunds, whereas the total outturn of the District calculated on the standard outturn per acre only amounts to about 5 lakhs of maunds on a full average crop; and the crop of 1903-04 in Wardha was returned as only 80 per cent of normal. The settlement outturn of 280 lbs. of seed cotton and 80 lbs. of ginned cotton per acre has recently been raised to 320 and 106 lbs., respectively. But in view of the above figures some hesitation may be permitted in accepting even this figure as adequate. According to a report submitted by the Deputy Commissioner the ginning factories of the District ginned an average of 225 khandis (of 9 maunds of 80 lbs.) of seed cotton per gin in 1904. The total number of gins in all the factories is 1,065, and taking the outturn of ginned cotton at 35 per cent the figure stated by the factory owners, the total quantity produced comes to 7½ lakhs of maunds. The present writer was told in Arvi in 1903 that 1,30,000 maunds of cotton were then annually exported from Arvi town, the quantity being six-fold what it had been six years previously. It is impossible to estimate at all accurately what the real exports from the District are, but they are probably larger than would be expected from the area under crop. Considerable quantities of cotton are sent to Nagpur for use in the mills and small quantities to Jubbulpore and Raj-Nandgaon. The remainder is nearly all consigned to Bombay. The exports to Nagpur amounted to 1,14,000 maunds in 1903 and 55,000 maunds in 1904. The quantity consigned from one station to another in the District was 14,000 maunds in 1904, while the figures for 1903 are not available. The exports of yarn and piece-goods are now also of very substantial value. The exports of yarn have averaged 80,000 maunds valued at Rs. 24 lakhs during the last four years and those of piece-goods between 7,000 and 19,000 maunds valued at Rs. 2.75 and 7.50 lakhs, respectively. In the case of these staples only a small proportion goes to other stations in the District and from 80 to 90 per cent of the whole are consigned outside it. Yarn is sent mainly to Bhandara and Chhattis-garh and piece-goods all over the Central Provinces, Central India and Berar. Pulgaon cloth is better known than that of Hinganghat in the northern districts of the Province. The figures also include some hand-woven cloth, as exports of piece-goods are shown from Wardha and Sindi. The exports of yarn and piece-goods have in the last two years been nearly equivalent to the whole produce of the mills reported from the District.

Other exports.—" Next to cotton and its manufactures, oilseeds form the most important product of the District. Cotton-seed now largely exceeds the other oilseeds both in value and bulk. It is practically all sent to Bombay for the foreign trade. According to the trade returns there has been a large decline in the price of cotton-seed from Rs. 3 in 1900 to Rs. 1-4 a maund in 1903. But cotton-seed is shown under ' other oilseeds,' and though it is by far the most important of these, it is doubtful whether the variation in price refers solely to this commodity. The exports of linseed are also very important, though not so much so as they were 10 or 15 years ago, this crop having considerably declined in favour; but during the last four years they have averaged between 3 and 5 lakhs of rupees annually. Small quantities of oilcake are also exported. In the last two or three years the imports of grain and pulse have largely exceeded the exports. The total exports were only Rs. 1.43 lakhs in 1904 or smaller even than in the famine year of 1900. Ghi is the only other important product, and the net exports of this have varied between 8,000 and 14,000 maunds, of the value of Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs. It is sent from the Wardha and Arvi tahsils both to Bombay and Nagpur. The busy season is between December and March. It may be noted that Wardha is one of the few Districts in the Province which exports dressed hides to a small extent. "

Imports—Cotton and grain.—" The value of the annual imports has averaged Rs. 40 lakhs during the last six years, and exceeded Rs. 43 lakhs in 1904. This is equivalent to Rs. 11 per head of the population of Wardha, though it seems probable that as in the case of exports, the railway stations act as distributing centres to the adjoining area of Chanda and Berar. The principal imports are cotton piece-goods, husked rice and wheat, gunny bags, kerosene oil, salt, refined and unrefined sugar, tobacco, timber, dried fruits and nuts, chillies, and coal and coke. European cotton piece-goods were imported to the value of nearly Rs. 6 lakhs in 1904 and Indian piece-goods of Rs. 2 lakhs. This quantity is alone sufficient to clothe half the population without considering the local mills and the produce of handlooms. The value of European cotton cloth imported in 1904 per head of population was more than double the Provincial average, and that of Indian nearly quadruple. European piece-goods come principally from Bombay, as the people have no great taste for the fine cloth consigned to Calcutta and worn by Bengalis. Indian piece-goods are obtained from the Empress Mills at Nagpur and from Cawnpore. Silk-bordered cloth comes from Umrer and Hyderabad and soft Madras cloth is used for head-cloths. Shawls are obtained from Benares and Kashmir and tasar silk for head-cloths is imported from Chanda and Chhattisgarh. Some raw cotton is also imported principally to Hinganghat for use in the mills, being probably of finer counts than that grown locally. The imports of grain and pulse were nearly 3 lakhs of maunds valued at Rs. 8½ lakhs in 1904, the exports in the same year being Rs. 1½ lakhs. Husked rice is the grain chiefly imported for consumption. This comes from Gondia, while other grain is received from Nagpur, Kamptee, Gadarwara and Cawnpore. Gunny-bags are imported for holding grain and cotton, but considerable numbers are also sent out of the District, the exports being about half the imports.

Other Imports.—" Of metals, wrought copper, brass and iron are all imported in substantial quantities. Brass and copper vessels come from Poona and Nasik. The imports of kerosene oil are now worth about Rs. 2 lakhs. Wardha takes 12 per cent of the Provincial imports or more than triple the general average per head of population. The imports of salt are valued at between Rs. 2 and 3 lakhs. The consumption per head of population was 15 lbs. in 1903 and 14 lbs. in 1904 as against the Provincial average of 13 lbs. This merely means that larger quantities are given to cattle. The total imports of sugar were valued at nearly Rs. 7½ lakhs in 1904, this being much the highest figure ever recorded. But prices were higher in 1904 than in 1903, and the actual bulk of imports was slightly larger in the latter year. More than half the imports consist of gur or unrefined sugar. This comes both from Bangalore and from Sholapur and Poona. It is also imported by road from Betul. Mauritius sugar is principally consumed, only Marwaris and other highly orthodox persons eating that called Mirzapuri which comes from the United Provinces. The consumption of sugar is roughly estimated at 19 lbs. per head in 1903 and 18 lbs. in 1904 as against the provincial average of 13 lbs. Unmanufactured tobacco is imported to the extent of 4,000 to 5,000 maunds annually, its value varying between Rs. 5 and Rs. 10 a maund or between 8 and 16 lbs. a rupee wholesale. Some hundreds of maunds of manufactured tobacco are also imported. Bidis or native cigarettes are obtained from Poona and Nagpur and foreign cigarettes from Bombay. Large quantities of timber and bamboos are imported, principally from the Bhandara and Chanda Districts. Fifteen thousand maunds of cocoanuts valued at one lakh were imported in 1904 and 11,000 maunds of chillies valued at Rs. 86,000. Fresh fruit is also obtained from Nagpur and potatoes from Chhindwara are eaten by all the well-to-do classes. Betel-vine leaves besides being grown locally are imported from Berar and Ramtek. Earthen pots are obtained from Warora and Kamptee, and foreign glass bangles from Bombay and Indian ones from Nand in Umrer and from Chanda. Stone mills, mortars and cups are imported by road from Chanda by Dhimars. Woollen blankets are obtained from Cawnpore, Berar and Chanda. About 1,000 maunds of matches are imported annually and 10,000 maunds of mahua flowers for the manufacture of country liquor. The imports of coal and coke are about a third of the whole bulk and their value is about Rs. 1½ lakhs. Coal is principally obtained from Warora for consumption in the mills and factories.

Excess of exports over imports.—" The excess of exports over imports was Rs. 122 lakhs in 1903 and Rs. 115 lakhs in 1904, but as already stated it is impossible to say what proportion of the exports comes from outside the District. The total revenue realised in Wardha was just over Rs. 11 lakhs in both years.

Railway stations.—" The leading stations for exports are Hinganghat and Pulgaon. The exports of Hinganghat in 1904 were 5,25,000 maunds or 42 per cent of the total bulk, and in 1903, 729,000 maunds or 48 per cent. This proportion has been maintained or nearly so for the last five years. Pulgaon is the second station, having sent away 3,45,000 maunds or 27 per cent of the total exports in 1904 and 4,41,000 or 29 per cent, in 1903. Wardha despatched 2,89,000 maunds or 23 per cent in 1904 and 2,33,000 or 16 per cent in 1903. The bulk of the exports from all these stations is raw cotton, while Hinganghat and Pulgaon also export yarn and cloth. Hides and skins and gunny-bags are nearly all sent from Wardha. Oilseeds mainly go from Hinganghat and what little oilcake is exported is wholly from here. The exports from Sindi are less than 10 per cent of the total. It sends away considerable quantities of grain. As already shown the exports from Degaon are insignificant. In respect of imports, excluding coal, Wardha was the most important station in 1904 with 3,38,000 maunds or 34 per cent of the total bulk, though in 1903 it was slightly exceeded both by Hinganghat and Pulgaon. The three stations are very nearly on a level, while Sindi only receives about 5 per cent of the whole imports. Wheat comes principally to Pulgaon for consumption in the Arvi tahsil. Hinganghat has the largest imports of salt and sugar and probably acts as a distributing centre for the adjoining tracts of Chanda and Berar. Messrs. Ralli Brothers have agencies at Hinganghat, Pulgaon, Wardha and Sindi and conduct the trade in oilseeds and grain and to some extent in cotton. The remainder of the trade in grain and cotton is divided between Marwari Banias and Muhammadan Cutchis. These latter and Madrasi Muhammadans deal in hides and horns. The trade in yarn and cloth is in the hands of Marwari Banias and Komtis. Muhamraadan Cutchis import sugar, dried fruit, salt, spices, groceries and cloth and Bohras deal in stationery, glass and Chinaware and hardware. " [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, 1906, Vol. A, pp. 150-60.]

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