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landed property, houses, boats, and nets. There is only one 

 Moonniliakka ticket-holder and the rest are all Pudu Islams who 

 wish to monopolise the curing industry and are against the 

 introduction of Moonniliakka curers into the yard but the solitary 

 Moonniliakka curer being somewhat rich and influential is able to 

 resist them. These Pudu Islam ticket-holders call themselves 

 merchants and look down upon the other Pudu Islams who are still 

 carrying on fishing. Here also, owing to combination among the 

 curers and to absence of other buyers the fishermen do not get 

 proper prices for their catches. 



Neither fishermen nor curers are financed by capitalists or 

 middlemen but there is a system of advancing money to fishermen 

 by curers under which big fish can only be sold to the creditor and 

 this practice obliges the fishermen to sell such catches at reduced 

 rates ; there is, however, no restriction as regards the sale of small 

 fish. No permanent coolies are engaged and temporary coolies are 

 paid by the job. 



BLANGAD. 



Fishermen and curers (Moonnillakkars and Pudu Islams) are very 

 poor, and live from hand-to-mouth. They have no capital to 

 introduce better systems of curing. Mappilla merchant curers 

 advance money and the fish should be sold to them. Other 

 conditions are similar to those at Edakazhiyur. The temporary 

 coolies who are engaged on curing big fish are paid four to six 

 annas per diem. 



CHAVAKKAD. 



Fishermen are very poor and lead a hand-to-mouth life. They 

 get advances from curers on condition that catches of big fish are 

 sold to curers. The curers are generally fish merchants dealing 

 either direct or through brokers who come there to purchase fish. 

 Hired labour is generally employed at job rates. 



VADANAPALLI. 



Fishermen and curers are very poor, but a few own boats, nets, 

 cocoanut topes, lands and houses worth between Rs. i,000 and 

 Rs. 2,000. Men engaged for fishing under advances are paid wages 

 at the rate of 10 pies per rupee worth of catches ; and those not 

 under advances at double the rates. Curers (Mukkuvas and Pudu 

 Islams) are law-abiding and quiet. Besides fishing and fish curing, 

 cocoanut growing is carried on by some of the well-to-do curers 

 who never go out for fishing but attend to curing only, leaving the 

 fishing work to servants and relations. There are no capitalists 

 among fishermen curers, hence they are unable to introduce better 

 system of fishing. Most of these are dependent on Mappilla 

 merchant curers who advance money to them without any interest. 

 Fish is also brought from the fishing hamlets at a little distance 

 but when such a consignment of fish comes the curers of the yard 

 jointly fix a price and take the fish ; the fish is then auctioned 

 among themselves and is purchased by the one who offers the 

 highest bid which is much higher than what was paid to the 

 fishermen. The profit on the sale is divided equally among the 

 curers. Hence the fishermen who bring their catches here are at 



