No. 1 (1922) ADMINISTRATION REPORT, 1920-21 17 



24. Economic condition of the divers. — This heading will in 

 future disappear, as under orders of Government (G.O. Mis. No, 301, 

 Law, dated 6th May 1921), welfare work among the fishing com- 

 munities of the East Coast is transferred to the Commissioner of 

 Labour. At the same time every endeavour is and will be made to 

 advance the well-being of these people in every way possible* Con- 

 nected with this is the advance system under which from time 

 immemorial the divers receive advances from their employers in 

 times of seasonal unemployment and when bad weather interferes 

 with fishing. They also expect and demand advances at the 

 beginning of a fishery to meet the cost of the necessary preparations, 

 including such items as the repair of their boats, the purchase of 

 new gear and a sum to leave behind for their family's expenditure 

 in eases where the fishing is at a distance from their home port. 

 The system when worked sympathetically, as I can vouch it was 

 during the years I had direct charge of the fisheries, is of the 

 greatest value to men who are naturally improvident and whosp 

 vocation is an uncertain and seasonal one. Particularly is it of Ul. 

 to the men's wives, who otherwise would be dependent upon 

 uncertain remittances from their husbands when the latter were 

 away from home. It is a counsel of perfection and therefore not 

 practicable in ordinary life, to say that the system should cease 

 and the men be taught to rely upon themselves and to organize co- 

 operative societies to advance monies to members during emergen- 

 cies. If the men were educated and unprejudiced and thrifty, this 

 desirable arrangement might be possible, but we have to take things 

 as we find them; under present conditions I believe it will be 

 better to increase the rate paid in certain localities as compensation 

 for the rise in the cost of living and to wait till education has 

 made further advance before hastily scrapping a system that has 

 worked satisfactorily in the past and to which the men themselves 

 have a well-marked preference. According to the instructions 

 issued in 1920, special efforts were made during the past year to 

 reduce drastically the sum outstanding as advances ; the sum of 

 Es. 917-13-3 was also remitted under orders of Government. The 

 advances outstanding at the beginning of the year were 

 Rs. 3,618-0-7 ; with the sum remitted and special strictness in 

 recovery, this amount was reduced at the end of the year to 

 Es. 1,881-6-4. How far this drastic application of the instruction 

 to recover advances has affected fishery results adversely, it is diffi- 

 cult to assess ; the fact remains that reduced catches coincide with 

 unusual strictness in limiting and recovering these advances. 



25. The Beche-de-mer fishery was a complete failuie last season, 

 only 163 lb. being cured. The scarcity has been attributed to 

 heavy mortality due to an unusual influx of fresh water from the 



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