93 



The Coromandel fisheries as Mr. Hornell rightly 

 names those of the Tanjore-Nellore coast, have been 

 temporarily leased out to contractors pending the con- 

 solidation of work on the southern area. 



2)"]. The net profits from chanks during the year will 

 be something over Rs. 20,000 plus receipts from the 

 Ramnad fishery which however, has only just begun. 

 The arrangement with Messrs. Dutt & Son for the 

 purchase of all the Tinnevelly and Tanjore chanks was 

 renewed for five years at somewhat better rates. A con- 

 tract has also been arranged at satisfactory prices for the 

 purchase of the Ramnad shells. 



38. Oil Chemist. — By G.O. No. 3553, Revenue, 

 dated 3rd December 19 13, Mr. A. K. Menon was 

 appointed temporarily as Oil Chemist. My reasons for 

 supporting this appointment are stated at length in my 

 letter read in the above Government Order. Mr Menon 

 beoan work at the Indian Institute for Technical Research 

 at Bangalore by kind permission of Dr. Morris Travers, 

 F.R.S., but the institute closed for the vacation at the end 

 of March before Mr. Menon was able to do more than 

 begin work. 



39. Miscellaneous. — Under this head comes an im- 

 mense variety of work. Much of it has been done by 

 Mr. V. Govindan, b.a., late Personal Assistant, but now 

 Assistant Director. BeinQ- a Malabar man with a ereat 

 knowledge of the people, their difficulties, wants and 

 objections, commanding their confidence and with a 

 philanthropic bent, he is able to undertake various diffi- 

 cult branches of work in addition to the work done by 

 him as Personal Assistant. The inculcation of co-opera- 

 tion and thrift has been undertaken by him with the 

 beginnings of success, though fisher- folk are very hard 

 to move ; co-operation is very desirable where the men 

 are so ignorant, poor, and bound by custom, and especial- 

 ly where valuable goods, such as oil and guano, are 

 produced in individually small quantities so that the petty 

 manufacturer, always in want of money and seldom able 

 to enter the open market direct with his small parcels of 

 goods, falls a ready prey to the middlemen and broker, 

 who is apt to take the bulk of the profits. A combina- 

 tion of a dozen or score of manufacturers would, of 

 course, enable the men not only to borrow on easy terms 

 but to bulk their produce and thus obtain the true market 

 price. The Assistant Director has also undertaken the 



