§1 



catches and in such cases no interest is charged. The fishermen 

 own boats and nets and some of them have already become ticket- 

 holders in the yard and more of them are anxious to get tickets but 

 owing to the want of space in the yard they have not yet been 

 admitted. These are therefore obliged to sell their catches to the 

 existing ticket-holders at cheap rates and are deprived of the 

 profits which they could get if they themselves cured their fish. 

 Most of them do not require any advance but the curers induce 

 them to take it in order to have control over them. In one of the 

 hamlets served by this yard there is an influential man who has 

 secured a right or privilege to himself whereby all the fish landed 

 in the hamlet must be sold through him. The fishermen cannot 

 sell it direct to any body nor will any one come forward to make 

 purchase directly from the fishermen. He fixes the price and pays 

 it to the fishermen after deducting his commission which is said to 

 be about lO per cent and besides this the purchaser of the fish 

 has to pay a commission of 2 annas per rupee on the price originally 

 settled. This being the centre of the tobacco cultivating area, large 

 quantities of sardines are landed here for manuring the fields and all 

 these have to pass through his hands enabling him to make 

 a couple of hundreds of rupees in a single day during the bus^* 

 season. Not only the local fishermen but even those who come here 

 with fish from other parts have to submit to this- The fishermen 

 are in no way dependent on him though he assists them with loans 

 at times which they could as easily secure from other people in the 

 place; they cannot explain why they submit to his control. This 

 right was not exercised in the time of this man's father or grand- 

 father but was created by himself and the fishermen obey it appa- 

 rently for the reason that he is an influential man. Curers are 

 mostly Mappillas some of them belonging to Mahe, Kasaragod, etc., 

 and a few are Moonnillakkars. Permanent coolies on Rs. 7 to 8 

 per mensem are employed by Mappilla curers. The Moonnillakkar 

 curers get their work done by their own females, and in addition 

 they employ temporary coolies on days of heavy catches at piece 

 rates. A few of the Moonnillakkars of this place are well-to-do 

 and own landed property. 



TAIKADAPARA. 



As at Hosdrug fishing is carried on by Moonnillakkars who are 

 the owners of boats and nets and.lmostly of independent means. 

 Several of them are ticket-holders in the yard and cure their own 

 fish with the help of their women. There are also Mappilla ticket- 

 holders but they could get their fish only from fishermen who are 

 not ticket-holders. As the fishermen are somewhat well-to-do and 

 independent the Mappilla ticket-holders who want to monopolise 

 the yard are not on good terms with them. The fishermen have 

 progressive ideas and are trying to better their condition. One of 

 them is worth about Rs. 10,003 and they help each other for their 

 common good. 



Hired labour is employed by Mappilla curers and 4 annas i= the 

 average daily wage of a labourer. 



