s 146 



their full earnings daily and their ambition is to see the end of the 

 old indebtedness and thus to obtain their freedom in the Ceylon 

 fishery as they have now attained it in the Indian one. This result 

 is one for congratulation as "Well from the narrow view of Government 

 revenue as from the broader one which takes account of the economic 

 advancement of the fishing community. 



Out of some 600 divers belonging to Kilakarai, some 350 

 attended this year's fishery ; next year I believe the number will be 

 further increased, provided the men be not deterred by unfair means. 

 With such increase in the labour force the produce of the fishery will 

 advance concurrently. 



7. During the fishery season now ending a considerable amount 

 of prospecting for new beds was carried out, and I was fortunate in 

 being able to locate some rich chank ground north of Adam's Bridge, 

 i.e., between Danushkodi and Talaimannar. This new bed I hope 

 to exploit next season ; in addition, I have arranged with a number 

 of the more energetic Kilakarai divers to attempt the opening up 

 of the beds which, we believe, lie outside of the islands off the 

 Kilakarai coast and which have never been fished within living 

 memory. The prospects for a largely increased production of chanks 

 in the coming season are very good and I have every hope that we 

 may then harvest from the Ramnad beds over half a million chanks 

 as against the 3I lakhs obtained this year. What will further help 

 the great financial success I expect next season is the circumstance 

 that the sale price of this quality of shell has appieciated fully 25 per 

 cent during the current year and that next season we shall benefit to 

 this extent from this rise. 



8. The success already attained is particularly gratifying to me 

 personally as it amply justifies the arguments I set before Government 

 when I recommended the acquisition of the Ramnad chank fishery. 

 The difficulties experienced and small profits obtained during the 

 first two years of working caused, I fear, some doubt to arise in the 

 mind of Government as to the wisdom of my advice, but the great 

 advance in the present year's gains demonstrate that my recommen- 

 dations were sound, and that the undertaking is and should continue 

 to be eminently profitable to Government. 



9. The Tinnevelly chank fishery showed equal progress. It will 

 yield not less than Rs. 24,901 of net profit this year, which compares 

 notably with Rs. 10,305 of the preceding year. This good result 

 has been attained principally through the success that has attended 

 my efforts to recruit additional labour from other districts. Owing to 

 the feeling among the Tuticorin divers that the pay given is too low 

 to be remunerative, the diving force has suffered steady diminution 

 year by year for several years past, and the salvation of this fishery 

 appears to have been found in the willingness of a section of the 

 Kilakarai men to join the fisherv now that their distrust of Govern- 

 ment service has been allayed. Till the present season Kilakarai 

 men never fished at Tuticorin and the fact that I was able to induce 

 25 Kilakarai men and 5 Arabs to join the fishery has been the means 

 of making good, in great part, t'he defection of the Tuticorin men ; it 

 marks, I believe, the beginning of an era of increased prosperity, 



