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This article on the important salt industry
in Aden describes the situation as it was at
the beginning of 1951. By far the oldest of
Aden’s salt works was the Aden Salt Works,
also known as the Italian Salt Works. A 99
year lease of 642 acres was granted on 1
January 1886. All subsequent leases by this
and the other companies were to be for 30
years. This was also to be the only
rent-free lease.
From the start, however, the Aden Salt Works
had to pay royalties of 8 Annas per ton. A
further 240 acres was leased in 1909, the 30
year lease being renewed in 1939. For this
land extension the company had to pay an
annual rent of 1690 Rupees. At the 1939
renewal the Government took the opportunity
to impose a surcharge of 7 Rupees on every
55 tons exported over 55,000 tons in any 12
month period commencing in June each year.
It is really not surprising that these first
salt works were run by Italians. It was a
family run business, with the owners living
in Trapani in Sicily – no doubt when they
established their business they based the
set-up on that at their salt works between
Marsala and Trapani, including the use of
windmills to pump the salt water into the
pans. The renewal of the 240 acre lease was
completed literally only a day or two before
Great Britain and Italy went to war in June
1940. The 14 Italian employees were interned
and after the war they did not return to
Aden. |
The Salt
Works
The salt pans
painted a picturesque scene, the majestic
windmills with their broad canvas sails spread on
broad wooden lattice frames, reflected in the
shimmering azure water. The windmills would later be
replaced with pumps, driven by small engines,
located in rather unattractive tin sheds.
An aqueduct carried sea-water from the pumping-station of the salt works
to the most inland of pans where the first stage of
evaporation was carried out. It was then pumped from
one series of pans to another, becoming stronger
brine at each stage, until the salt at last
crystallized out in the pans round the salt works.
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