1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:18,799 Speaker 1: Tracy Vie Wilson and I'm Holly Frying way back in 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 1: April of It's not so way back, but when you 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: consider that you and I came onto the show in 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: March of it feels like forever. It does. Uh. We 7 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: did an episode on Australia's rabbit proof fence, so essentially 8 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: the English had introduced rabbits to Australia and that rabbits 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: had done what they do, and this led to the 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, which was more than 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: a thousand miles long and was this desperate attempt to 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: keep rabbits from completely destroying any available agricultural land, and 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: this fence still exists in some places today. Also led 14 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: to a listener request from Christopher to talk about India's 15 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: Great Hedge, which was another British effort to build a 16 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: massive fence. But in this case, while it's intent was 17 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: not to keep people from moving from one place to another, 18 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: it definitely had that effect. Its actual purpose was about 19 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: collecting taxes. So first we're going to talk about salt 20 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: which may sound weird if you don't know what we're 21 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: talking about today, but I promise it comes around to 22 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: stick with us. Uh. As much as modern medical science 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: likes to tell you that salt is bad for you, 24 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: too much is but salt is necessary to human survival. 25 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: Your body actually needs it to function, and it is 26 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: a critical part of a lot of food preservation methods. 27 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: And even though it's not just about making things taste better, 28 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: I know, I'm a big fan of it. It makes 29 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: things taste better yep. In India specifically, salt is an 30 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: especially critical dietary staple. The climate and a lot of 31 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: India is very hot, and that means that people routinely 32 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: need to replenish the salt in their bodies as they 33 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: sweat it out of their bodies. This hot climate also 34 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: makes India home to a number of diseases that cause diarrhea, 35 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: and that also means that people need more salt. They 36 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: have to replenish the salt in their body as they 37 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: rehydrate after having had diarrhea. So everyone needs salt to survive, 38 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: and this is especially true in India. For most of 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: India's recorded history, salt has been both abundant and subject 40 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: to taxation. People have collected salt from the ocean, salt lakes, 41 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: and the soil, and methods of taxing the collected salt 42 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: have varied from place to place and from ruler to ruler. 43 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: Throughout India's history, salt taxation has taken the form of 44 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: a tax on the sale of salt, a permitting fee 45 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: for gathering your own salt, and the variety of other methods. 46 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: This idea of taxing salt continued to be present after 47 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: the British East India Companies are rival in India. The 48 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: company's first ships arrived in India in sixteen o eight, 49 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: and over the next two centuries, the company annexed more 50 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: and more Indian territory and then ruled it on Britain's behalf. 51 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: During all of this time, it continued to collect taxes 52 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: on salt. In eighteen fifty seven, the Indian army rebelled 53 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: against British troops, which could be a whole different episode. Afterward, 54 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: Britain began ruling India directly rather than going through the 55 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: East India Company, and when it did, it also maintained 56 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: salt taxes. Because the salt was one of the two 57 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: primary sources of revenue for the British and India. The 58 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: other was a tax on land. The British government paid 59 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: close attention to who was getting salt and from where. 60 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: Parts of India that lay near the ocean, like Madras 61 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: and Bombay, could get salt from seawater. Farther inland, people 62 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: could get salt from washing the soil, although this salt 63 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: wasn't very pure or very good quality for that matter. 64 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: The northwest India lay several princely states that were not 65 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: completely under British control. Nearby parts of India could trade 66 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: with them for salt. But the British ideal, since salt 67 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: was such an important part of its revenue, was for 68 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: all of India to get all of its salt from 69 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: Britain or from salt that was produced in India that 70 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: uh in productions that were actually controlled by the British, 71 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: and then that way all of the salt in India 72 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: would be subjects to British tax. Consequently, salt, which everyone 73 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: truly needed, was expensive under British rule. Personal salt collection 74 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: was outlawed, and people weren't always able to get as 75 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: much as they needed through the official channels. Sometimes this 76 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: was because the government underestimated the allotment of salt each 77 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: family should be entitled to. Sometimes it was because the 78 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: government controlled supply ran out. Sometimes it was because the 79 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: tax just made this necessary nutrient too expensive and costly 80 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: for people to be able to afford MHM. Even within 81 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: British documents, opinions really varied in terms of how widespread 82 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: these problems were and how serious. There were British reports 83 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: saying that the number of salt shortages was near disastrous, 84 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: and then there were others saying that it was a 85 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: challenge but not insurmountable. Regardless of how the British felt 86 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: about it, the Indian population definitely objected to the salt tax. 87 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: For many, the tax made salt too expensive to afford. 88 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: As we mentioned just a moment ago, the tax itself 89 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: was also a reminder of British colonial rule, and the 90 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: various methods for enforcement of the tax and the terrence 91 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: of smuggling were embarrassing and they landed people in jail. Consequently, 92 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: protest of salt taxation was a critical part of Indian 93 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: of the Indian independence movement and of Gandhi's work there, 94 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: and people were willing to or forced to get their 95 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: salt from illegal means. There's a whole episode on Gandhi's 96 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: Salt March from Way Way, way way back, and I 97 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,039 Speaker 1: think the Candice and Jane era of the podcast you're 98 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: interested in that. And before we talk a little more 99 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: specifically about how Britain tried to stop salt smuggling during 100 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: its colonial rule of India, take a quick break for 101 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: a word from a sponsor that sounds grand. So to 102 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: return to the ways that Britain tried to stop salt smuggling. 103 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: Because the salt tax was such a huge source of 104 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: revenue for the British, the government really had a vested 105 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,600 Speaker 1: interest in stopping people from smuggling salt, and for the 106 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: most part, the smuggling was from the princely states in 107 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: the Northwest, which were outside of British control, into the 108 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: rest of India. In eighteen oh three, a law was 109 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: passed to allow the establishment of a customs house in 110 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: every district in the Bengal Presidency, which was one of 111 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: Britain's major provinces in India. The customs houses had two 112 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: jobs to do, to stop smugglers and collect taxes on 113 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: imports and exports, and it wasn't just salt. There were 114 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: also taxes and duties on things like sugar and tobacco. 115 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: Britain built customs barriers on all of the Bengal presidencies 116 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: major roads, primarily putting them near salt mines and near 117 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: any place where salt might be illegally manufactured, and this 118 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: included places where the soil was very salty and places 119 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: that had easier access to the sea. Unsurprisingly, the department 120 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: in charge of all this monitoring quickly became quite corrupt. 121 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: For the most part, the people in charge of the 122 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: outposts were British and the rest of the workers were Indian. 123 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: All of them were rewarded with thirty five percent of 124 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: the value of any salt they confiscated. While this may 125 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: have been intended to encourage thoroughness, in reality, the lowest 126 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: ranking customs officers didn't actually make enough to live off 127 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: of just from their wages, so abusing the thirty percent 128 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: reward plan encouraged people to dishonesty. There was also an 129 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: ingrained culture of bribery and extortion in this department, and 130 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: some of the most nefarious customs workers did send pretty 131 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: deliberate things to try to get that thirty bonus, pretty 132 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: often things like throwing salt into people's houses and then 133 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: accusing them of having stolen it, and then confiscating all 134 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: of the salt that they did have, as well as 135 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: any vessels that they could have been using to smuggle salt. 136 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: But generally we're just using to do things like store 137 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,319 Speaker 1: their food. This whole system of customs houses gave the 138 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: British many places from which to seek out smugglers and 139 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: collect taxes. But since patrolling officers couldn't be everywhere at once, 140 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: smuggling was still rampant, and so in eighteen three George Saunders, 141 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: the Customs Commissioner, proposed another line of customs outposts, this 142 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: time along the Yamuna River, and it was these outposts 143 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: that wound up forming the backboat of what would become 144 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: the Great Customs Line. So the British Customs Line took 145 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: on a lot of different forms over the years. The 146 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: British would move branches of it, start new ones, abandoned 147 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: parts of it, and otherwise fiddle with it for a 148 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: round fifty years or so. Generally speaking, it separated the 149 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: Bengal presidency from the princely states and their non British 150 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: controlled salt stockpiles by following the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, 151 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: then grow then going cross country towards Delhi. In addition, 152 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: the salt tax itself was higher in some parts of 153 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: British territory and lower in others, and so the Customs 154 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: Line had additional guards and customs houses around the places 155 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: with the lower tax to try to keep people from 156 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: smuggling salt out of the low tax areas and into 157 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: the higher tax areas. There was also an independent princely 158 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: state within the Customs lines borders for many years, and 159 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: so that had its own helping of customs outposts and 160 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: surveillance until eventually annexed it as well. Because Britain was 161 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: continually annexing new territory, it kept building new customs houses. 162 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: A man named G. H. Smith became Britain's Commissioner of 163 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: Customs in India in eighteen thirty four. He gradually took 164 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,839 Speaker 1: over the whole of the Customs Line and started consolidating 165 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: all of its various spurs and duplications that had come 166 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: about from these annexations into one unified line. He also 167 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: focused on its mission a little bit, dropping some of 168 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: the less lucrative levies on things like shawls and tobacco 169 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: and instead really going after salt. It was also during 170 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,959 Speaker 1: Smith's time as Commissioner that the Customs Line grew into 171 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: an actual physical barrier. To start with, there were basically 172 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 1: customs posts every mile, and they were connected by a 173 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: raised path. Officers were stationed at every post, and there 174 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: were men in addition to that every quarter of a mile, 175 00:10:57,559 --> 00:11:00,080 Speaker 1: and these men patrolled their section of the line and 176 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: tried to apprehend any smugglers who crossed it. When it 177 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: was time to change shifts, guards had to sweep their 178 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: section of the path with bamboo or grass so that 179 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: the next guard could be responsible for any footprints that 180 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: crossed it on their shift. Somewhere around eighteen forty the 181 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: British started using vegetation as a barrier, and that practice 182 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: was becoming more widespread by the eighteen fifties. In Smith's 183 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,439 Speaker 1: time as Commissioner of Customs, which lasted for twenty years, 184 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: the Customs Line budget swelled to seven hundred ninety thousand 185 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: rupees a year and its staff grew to six thousand, 186 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: six hundred people. The next Commissioner of Customs was Allen 187 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: Octavian Hume. According to his reports, by eighteen sixty eight 188 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: there was a stretch of impenetrable hedge along the customs 189 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 1: line that was about a hundred and eighty miles long, 190 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,560 Speaker 1: and maintaining this barrier took a huge amount of time 191 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: and labor. Thanks to storms, fires, termites, normal decay, and vandalism, 192 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: about half the vegetation had to be replaced every single 193 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: year through the late eighteen sixties and until the end 194 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: of his tenure in eighteen seventy. Commissioner Hume's annual reports 195 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: detailed the line's growth as the hedge extended into this 196 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 1: hundreds of miles long barrier that was at least ten 197 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: feet tall and two feet thick. Soon the British government 198 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: created an entire inland Customs department. This department was enormous 199 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: in terms of both money and power. Between eighteen sixty 200 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: nine and eighteen seventy, the cost to run the customs 201 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: line was about one point six million rupees, but in 202 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: the same time, the customs line collected twelve point five 203 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: million rupees in tax just on salt. It continued to 204 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: collect taxes on other necessities such as sugar as well, 205 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: so it cost some money to maintain, but they were 206 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 1: making a whole lot more money in the taxes they 207 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: were collecting from it. Commissioner G. A. Jim Batton took 208 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: over as Commissioner in eighteen seventy, and he focused mainly 209 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: on making the existing line completely impassable and also lengthening it. 210 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: Here is a description in the words of Sir John 211 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: and Lieutenant General Richard Strakey, of what the customs line 212 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: and its heads were like at its peak from the 213 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 1: Finances and Public Works of India from eighteen sixty nine 214 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 1: to eighteen eighty one parenth Season eighty two. So this 215 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: is the quote. A customs line was established which stretched 216 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: across the whole of India, which in eighteen sixty nine 217 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: extended from the Indus to the Mahanadi in Madras, a 218 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: distance of two thousand, three hundred miles, and it was 219 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: guarded by nearly twelve thousand men and petty officers. The fine, 220 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: the Commissioner of Inland Customs wrote in his report for 221 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:50,319 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty nine eighteen seventy, is divided into one D 222 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: ten beats, each presided over by a patrol and watched 223 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: from one thousand, seven hundred and twenty seven guard posts. 224 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: A very perfect system of patrolling exists, and except in 225 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: some wild portions of the central provinces where tigers bar 226 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: the way alike to smuggler and customs officer after dark, 227 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: goes on with unabated vigilance night and day. The workers 228 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: who patrolled this line were exclusively men, and they had 229 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: to live along the line in dwellings that they themselves 230 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: were responsible for building, and they also had to leave 231 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: their families behind the most ideal parts of the hedge 232 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: were ten to fourteen feet high six to twelve ft 233 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: six impenetrable live vegetation, including acacia, prickly pair, indian plum, 234 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: and a thorny creeper growing through it. At its longest, 235 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: it was two thousand, five hundred and four miles long. 236 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: The last commissioner to oversee the customs line was W. S. Halsey. 237 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: He reported that eighteen seventy seven. In eighteen seventy eight, 238 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: the hedge contained four hundred eleven point five miles of 239 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: perfect and good green hedge, two miles of combined green 240 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: and dry hedge, four hundred seventy one miles of dry hedge, 241 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: six miles of stone wall, and three hundred thirty three 242 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: miles that were quote wanting or insufficient for a total 243 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: of a one thousand, five hundred twenty one miles at 244 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: that time. So this was as it was sort of 245 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: waning at the very end of its time and use. 246 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: The same report also mentions that additional work on the 247 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: line was ending since it was about to be abandoned. 248 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: So before we jumped into the next segment, which is 249 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: kind of going to talk about the impact of this hedgeline, 250 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: do you want to have a word from a sponsor. 251 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: Let's do so to get back to the impact of 252 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: this customs line. The Streaky's whose report on Finances and 253 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: Public Works we read from earlier, we're pretty upfront in 254 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: their opinions about the impact of this hedge. They wrote, 255 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: quote it may be easily imagined what great and inevitable 256 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: obstruction to trade, what gross abuses and oppression, what annoyance 257 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: and harassment individuals took place? The interference was not combined 258 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: to the traffic passing into British Territory. For owing to 259 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: the levy of an export duty on all sugar passing 260 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: from Bridgish British Territory and to raj Patana which had 261 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: been retained after all other similar inland duties were removed, 262 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: and to which I shall again refer, the same obstructions 263 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: were offered to the traffic passing in the other direction. 264 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: They also noted that it was impossible to operate without it, 265 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: given that the salt tax was levied differently in different provinces. 266 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: So from their point of view, it was an evil, 267 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: but a necessary one. Yeah. I didn't find in their 268 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: report what their thoughts really were on the tax itself, 269 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: but they were sort of like, yes, as long as 270 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: this is how the tax is working, we have to 271 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: do something. People who lived really close to the customs lie, one, 272 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: we're allowed to take two pounds of salt across it 273 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: without paying taxes. But they still had to be searched, which, 274 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: in addition to just being an indignity, opened up the 275 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: possibility for extortion and bribery if they were falsely accused 276 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: of smuggling something. People who tried to smuggle salt across 277 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: the line, and we're caught, we're fined or imprisoned. In 278 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty eight alone, nine hundred and twenty four smugglers 279 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 1: were fine, and one thousand, four hundred sixteen were imprisoned. 280 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: The fine for smuggling was also more than double the 281 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: average agricultural wage, so it was a huge deal. People 282 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: tried a lot of different ways to try to smuggle 283 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 1: salt over the line. One was to float salt down 284 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: the river on an unmanned barge so that it would 285 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:51,120 Speaker 1: be collected farther down the river away from the customs hedge. 286 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 1: People would also like plant a pole into the ground 287 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: and then shinny up it and sort of jump over 288 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: from the top, and the hope of not getting caught 289 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: on all the thorns um that would leave the evidence 290 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 1: of the post behind them on the other side, so 291 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: that someone would know that someone had gotten across. People 292 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: would also disguise salt and dried fruit or other food items. 293 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: But in spite of all these justifications that the British 294 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,120 Speaker 1: gave for needing the line, and for all the expensive 295 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: running in and all the headaches and delays that it 296 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: added onto basic trade and commerce operations in India, the 297 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 1: reality was that it was still really expensive. So right 298 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: about the same time as Britain completed this giant barrier 299 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: that basically walled off the princely states of Rajasthan from 300 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: the Bengal presidency, it put its eye to different to 301 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: a different way to maintain its tax on salt, a 302 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: total monopoly on salt production in all of India, including 303 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: the princely states that were out of its control. First, 304 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,360 Speaker 1: it bribed the rulers of Jaipur and Jodpur for the 305 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: control of the Sambar salt lake, and this was a 306 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: major supplier of salt both legal and illegal, to British 307 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: India from outside of the customs line. The British lease 308 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: on the Sambar salt works went into effect on May first, 309 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy one. Ao Hume, who we previously talked about 310 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: during this uh, during his term as Customs Commissioner, negotiated 311 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: with the Princely States of Rajasthan in eighteen seventy eight, 312 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: basically securing British rights to smaller sources of salt around 313 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: the princely states. The British paid the leaders of the 314 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: princely states almost two point three million rupees for control 315 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: of nearly all of the remaining salt production, meaning that 316 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 1: even though the princely states were not British territory, their 317 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,439 Speaker 1: residents still had to pay the British salt tanks. The 318 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 1: Customs Line and its accompanying hedge were abandoned on April one, 319 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy nine. At this point, the British had gained 320 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,160 Speaker 1: near total control of all salt production in all of India, 321 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 1: including both the territory it had annexed and the princely 322 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,160 Speaker 1: states which are we're not really under its jurisdiction. Following 323 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,400 Speaker 1: a famine that had started three years before, Britain had 324 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: also kind of rebalanced the taxation levels so that they 325 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 1: were more consistent from one place to another. The actual 326 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: goal of this was to reduce taxes in the areas 327 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: that were hardest hit by the famine and increased in 328 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: other areas to make up for the difference. So it 329 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,679 Speaker 1: just had the overall side effect of meaning that the 330 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: tax was mostly the same everywhere, and it was no 331 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:29,719 Speaker 1: longer financially worthwhile to have a big smuggling operation from 332 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: a low tax area because the taxes wasn't that much 333 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: lower anymore. So the people of India were relieved of 334 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: a major trade obstacle and the searches, seizures, extortion, etcetera 335 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: that came with it of the Customs Line, but they 336 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,920 Speaker 1: were still faced with paying an oft an unaffordable amount 337 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: for a basic dietary staple that they literally had to 338 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: have to survive, whether they were actual subjects of British 339 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 1: rule or not. So. Protesting the salt tax was a 340 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: huge part of the Indian into Dance movement. The tax 341 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: was repealed in nineteen forty six, and India gained its 342 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: independence from Britain in nineteen forty seven. The independence movement 343 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: and the all the events that went along with it 344 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,959 Speaker 1: could definitely be entire other podcasts, And as we said earlier, 345 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: there is one about the Salt March back in the archive. 346 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: Roy Moxham, who wrote The Great Hedge of India The 347 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: Search for the Living Barrier That Divided a People, which 348 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: was one of the main sources for this episode, looked 349 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: for remaining evidence of the Hedge during several trips to 350 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: India during the nineteen nineties. This actually started after he 351 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: stumbled over a reference to it in a used book 352 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 1: that he had purchased on a whim. Even after finding 353 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,439 Speaker 1: old maps showing the customs line, he still had trouble 354 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 1: finding any actual remnants of it on his subsequent visits 355 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:49,720 Speaker 1: to India. Yeah, the book itself is part history of India, 356 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: history of this hedge, history of the salt tax, and 357 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: part travel log of his efforts to find an actual 358 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: remnant of it. I mean, since it was made of vegetation, 359 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: once it was not maintained anymore, it mostly disappeared. It was, 360 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: you know, the dry parts eaten or destroyed or burned up, 361 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: and the living parts kind of growing into something that 362 00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: wasn't an orderly hedge anymore. Um, his search probably would 363 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: have been a lot easier today. GPS receivers weren't ubiquitous 364 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: when he was doing this. You know, you just you 365 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: just didn't have one in your smartphone that you carried 366 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 1: around with you. So we had to buy one. It 367 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: cost a hundred and twenty five pounds at the time. Um. 368 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: The printers and scanners and digital cameras that could have 369 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,199 Speaker 1: helped him wrangle all these old maps also were not 370 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: nearly as ubiquitous as they are today. So he made 371 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 1: several trips to India, and not not all of them 372 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,239 Speaker 1: specifically to look for the hedge. But it took him 373 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: a lot of tries and a lot of poking through 374 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: some more remote areas before he did find what he 375 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: felt like was a last remaining vegetation part of the hedge. 376 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: It's a really interesting book. Um, and we have talked 377 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: almost none about his travels into India and all of 378 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: his efforts to do that part, because it's not so 379 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 1: much about the history part. But if you're interested in 380 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,439 Speaker 1: the story, that's all through there. Do you also have 381 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 1: some listener mail for us? Now that we are thinking 382 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: about salt and lunch, I do I feel guilty that 383 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: the whole time we talk about salt, I think about food. 384 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: That's okay. This is actually from our Facebook in box, 385 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: and it's from Anna. Anna says is the North American archaeologist. 386 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: I was very excited to see the episode on Poverty Point. 387 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: Many Americans have an unfortunate lack of knowledge about Native 388 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,640 Speaker 1: American history, which contributes to the numerous misconceptions and stereotypes 389 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 1: about the many very groups that lived or still live 390 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,120 Speaker 1: in North America. I've had students asked if pre contact 391 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,440 Speaker 1: Native Americans had weapons, and many even believe that Native 392 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: Americans are extinct. I'd love to hear more about the 393 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 1: worries of pre or post contact Native groups. I'm one 394 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 1: of those rare people who does not care so much 395 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,720 Speaker 1: for the biographical episode, so thank you for including episodes 396 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,160 Speaker 1: about events or culture groups as well. Sadly, I never 397 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: had the opportunity to dig either at Poverty Point or Kahokia, 398 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: but I did excavate at the buried Gardens of Campsville site, 399 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:23,479 Speaker 1: which is contemporaneous with Kahokia and situated about seventy miles 400 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,120 Speaker 1: north of the city. Well within Kahki is extensive trading network. 401 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: I thought you might enjoy my favorite story about this 402 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: trading network. Archaeologistic ka Hokia have actually found shark teeth 403 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: traded all the way from the Gulf Coast. That's pretty cool, 404 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: But what fascinates me is that replica shark teeth made 405 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 1: out of stone have also been recovered. The wealthy elite 406 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:47,640 Speaker 1: could afford the real teeth, but the next sociological stratum, 407 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: in order to appear wealthy or fitting with the trend 408 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: of having these teeth as adornment or display, had to 409 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: make do with a stone knockoff. Just goes to show 410 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 1: that people are pretty much the same everywhere, even thousands 411 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: of years ago. I love you for the show. Thanks 412 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 1: for all you do. Anna. PS. Thank you for using 413 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 1: the term projectile point instead of Arrowhead. Thank you Anna 414 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 1: for writing that letter. I love the part about the 415 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: shark teeth. I did too. I like that we're doing 416 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 1: designer impostors, yes, even historically well. And I also like 417 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: how it shows a different culturally between Kahokia and Poverty Point, 418 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,160 Speaker 1: because at poverty Point there's not a lot of evidence 419 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:32,159 Speaker 1: of different social strata um but the shark teeth points 420 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 1: to evidence of their being sort of higher and lower 421 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: classes in Khokia, which is really interesting. If you would 422 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: like to write to us about this or any other episode, 423 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 1: you can write history podcast at how stuffworks dot com. 424 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: We're also on Facebook at Facebook dot com slash miss 425 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 1: in history and on Twitter at miss in History. 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In the search bar, 435 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: you will find why did Gandhi March two D forty 436 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 1: miles for salt, And you can come to our website, 437 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: which is missed in history dot com to find show 438 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 1: notes and an archive of every episode and lots of 439 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: other cool stuff. So you can do all that and 440 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:30,919 Speaker 1: a whole lot more at how stuff works dot com 441 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: and missed in History dot com. For more on this 442 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,400 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, it how stuff works dot 443 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: com