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fibre, which industry can be considerably improved under proper 

 guidance. Some of their men also emigrate to Rangoon where 

 they engage in fishing or as lascars and boatmen. They earn 

 enough to maintain themselves by these various means but 

 intemperance and illiteracy have hitherto prevented them from 

 learning thrifty habits with the result that most of them are always 

 in a poverty-stricken state. There is a Municipal elementary 

 school just in front of this village but not more than half a dozen 

 fisher boys attend it. They have a caste panchayat under a 

 nominated headman called Kappu who settles all disputes. The 

 boats and catamarans are built by the Jalari carpenters who have 

 made it a special profession. Besides Jalaris and Vadas there is a 

 caste called Voddas who do not fish in the sea but only trade in 

 fisii. They live near the backwaters adjoining Dolphin's Bay and 

 are more cleanly and better off than the Jalaris and Vadas. The 

 curing operations are carried on by females, and no hired labour is 

 employed. 



GANGAVARAM. 



Fishermen and curers are generally poor and depend solely on 

 their profession for livelihood. There are no capitalists or middle- 

 men to finance them. The ticket-holders are Jalaris and 

 Vada Balajees. Hired labour is not employed. 



JALLARIPETA. 



The fishermen and curers are Jalaris and Vadas and they live 

 near the sea-shore. There are about 300 houses in all with a 

 population of nearly 1,500. They are generally poor and are not 

 financed by capitalists or middlemen but they work independently. 

 No hired labour is employed but the females do the curing work 

 and the males go out for fishing. 



PUDIMADAKA. 



The ticket-holders and fishermen belong to the fisher castes. 

 They are men of moderate circumstances, they are not financed by 

 any capitalists or middlemen. Some of the ticket-holders have 

 their own boats and nets. Hired labour is not employed. The 

 boats are built by the fishermen themselves. 



POLAVARAM. 



The fishermen are generally poor and there are about 400 houses 

 in this neighbourhood. They borrow money from the capitalists 

 and middlemen at very high rates of interest. The fishermen are 

 Jalaris and Vadas by caste. Hired labour is not generally 

 employed. But the owner of a Peddavala engages from 10 to 20 

 men who are considered as permanent coolies to work his boat and 

 net. Fish caught is divided equally among themselves. If any of 

 the permanent coolies is prevented from going out to fish through 

 illness, etc., he is not deprived of his share. The boats are built by 

 the fishermen themselves under the supervision of a man who is 

 acquainted with boat-building and who is given one rupee and free 

 meals for the days during which the boats ar6 being built. 



