more picturesque than accurate:--

"The story is worth study. The Salt Union was formed in England
in 1889, and the manufacture of salt thereby converted into a
big monopoly.... The directors reckoned without their Germany.
They can make salt there, too. It is not so good as the Cheshire
product, but it is salt, and it is much cheaper than that sold
by the Salt Union. When that syndicate's price went up the
German manufacturers pushed into the world market, and that to a
purpose which is strikingly illustrated in the case of our great
Dependency. India needs much foreign salt, and the Indian ryot
needs it cheap: for the salt he uses has to bear the burden of a
tax. The natural result followed: German salt to a large extent
ousted English from the Indian market."

Most impressive! if only it were true. So far as the world market is
concerned, the figures below give no indications of the havoc alleged to
have been wrought by the machinations of the Salt Union.

EXPORTS OF BRITISH SALT.

---------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----
|1886|1887|1888|1889|1890|1891|1892|1893|1894|1895
---------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----
Quantities--thousand | | | | | | | | | |
tons | 805| 819| 899| 667| 726| 671| 654| 636| 769| 741
| | | | | | | | | |
Values--thousand L's | 588| 525| 486| 539| 653| 596| 539| 505| 604| 546
---------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----

So far as India is concerned, Mr. Williams is doubly wrong. In the first
place, German salt has not "to a large extent ousted English." During
the past five years--it was only in 1889 that the wicked Salt Union came
into being--Indian imports of salt have been as follows:--

INDIAN IMPORTS OF SALT.

Thousands of Tons.

------------------------------------------------------
Years ending March 31st. From U.K. From Germany.
------------------------------------------------------
1891 273 61
1892 222 103
1893 241 47
1894 269 48
1895 315 82
------------------------------------------------------

This does not look as if English salt wer