TI I 



Public Works Department and these will be submitted 

 to Government shortly. 



26. Cliank bangle cutting. — This formed the subject 

 of enquiry in previous years and in 191 2 when in England 

 I obtained the aid of a Birminoham firm in cutting" these 

 hard porcellaneous shells. The experiments, as well as 

 other enquiries by Mr. Hornell, proved useless, but in 

 1914 I consulted Dr. Wyndham Dunstan, Director of 

 the Imperial Institute, London, who at once interested 

 himself in the matter. The result is mentioned by Mr. 

 Hornell in the following remarks, and it is now quite 

 possible that success in rapid machine cutting may be 

 obtained, and a local industry developed. 



Enquiries with a view to obtain a satisfactory cheap 

 and effective machine saw to slice chank shells into 

 working section for the shell-bangle worker, were con- 

 tinued during the year and now promise to be successful 

 at last. Both the Director of the Imperial Institute and 

 Mr. Pierce, the Superintendent of the Public Works 

 Workshops have been good enough to give their assist- 

 ance, and the former recently supplied samples of chank 

 sections cut by a machine saw which operates under 

 water. The price of the saw and fittings is quoted at 

 ;^i8 and if the answer to some further queries which have 

 been transmitted to the Director be satisfactory, it will 

 then be desirable to obtain a sample machine and carry 

 out working experiments in Madras or Tuticorin to 

 ascertain what modifications be necessary to fit it for 

 employment by small manufacturers who have not 

 command of steam or electric power. 



Miscellaneous. 



27. Of the items mentioned under this head in para- 

 graph 4 supra those marked (/;), (^), (f), (/ ), [g^, {k), (k) 

 have already been touched on in paragraphs 14, 18, 20, 

 and 20 ; the others will now be briefly mentioned. 



2 8. {a) Master fisherman and mate. — This matter was 

 alluded to in paragraph 20 of last year's report. The 

 necessity for a master-fisherman to take vessels into the 

 deep sea, to use and teach the use of new nets and 

 methods, to keep the seagoing staff up to their work, to 

 conduct experimental fishing intelligently, thoroughly 

 and conscientiously, and to report results accurately, has 



