56 



have amassed considerable wealth in the short space of ten or 

 fifteen years. It shows that the industry is a profitable one but the 

 people who are now benefited most by it are not the fisherfolk, and 

 so long as this disadvantage continues the fishermen themselves 

 cannot develop their industry. 



This community used to have a strong and well organised 

 caste Panchayet at Tellicherry but with the departure of the pros- 

 perity of the people this has also become weak and its voice is 

 seldom heard and rarely respected. 



KURICHI. 



There are Mukkuva and Mappilla curers ; the former except two 

 or three, are all miserably poor and the majority depend upon 

 Mappilla curers for their maintenance; in short Mukkuva curers 

 are merely coolies of Mappilla curers and merchants who deal 

 in salted fish. Mappilla curers engage coolies on daily wages of 

 four annas. Operations are conducted on a large scale at times 

 and there is no difficulty in getting labourers when required thiring 

 heavy season. 



MADAKARA. 



Both fishermen and curers are poor and not financed by capi- 

 talists ; money required is raised by ordinary loan on interest and 

 endeavours are always made to be out of the money-lenders' 

 clutches. Labourer-fishermen are paid by shares in catches, curing 

 coolies are paid by jobs, and no permanent monthly paid labour 

 is engaged ; Mukkuva curers attend to all their work without coolies ; 

 in a fair season the fishermen earn about 6 to 8 annas a day. 



BADAGAR/^. 



Two Mappilla curers are wealthy and about four Mukkuvas are 

 somewhat well-to-do. All the remaining Mukkuva curers are deeply 

 indebted to one or other Mappilla curers and have mortgaged their 

 boats and nets ; no interest is charged but lenders have a prior claim 

 over mortgaged boats and their catches. Only xMaopilla curers 

 engage hired labour at 5 to 10 annas a man and 2 to 4 annas a boy ; 

 no job rate is fixed; no men on permanent monthly wages are 

 engaged. This yard was situated at some distance away from the 

 fishing village and for a long time the fisherfolk were not able to 

 resort to it and carry on curing operations as their women could not 

 walk several miles a day. Thus the curing industry was for many 

 years practical'y in the hand? of Mappilla ticket-holders who 

 carried on the business with hired labour, and since they got the 

 fresh fish very cheap as the fishermen had no one else to buy their 

 catches, they derived enormous profits. Later on when the yard 

 was removed to the fishing village the fisherfolk also resorted to it 

 for curing their catches. 



QUILANDY. 



Fishermen, except a few Mappillas, are Mukkuvas. The latter 

 are fairly intelligent in their calling but very backward in education 

 and cleanliness. Most of the fishermen and curers are poor. They 

 depend on fishing for their livelihood and when fish is scarce their 



