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business. Hence development in general waits on 

 successful demonstration in the Experimental Station, 

 and this may be accepted as customary, and is in fact 

 the raison detre of the Station. But there are excep- 

 tions ; there are Indian firms and influential persons who 

 will work with the Government in enquiring, in experi- 

 menting, and in pushing likely business, in working and 

 utilizing the advantages of larger boats, in experiment- 

 ing on live-wells and '' cars " (live chests, canoe shaped, 

 towed behind boats), in developing the use of carrier 

 boats, in substituting power for manual labour where 

 speed is essential, and in carrying out methods of preser- 

 vation. 



To mention concrete cases ; it has been tenta- 

 tively arranged that if Government find one or two 

 improved sailing boats for catching, a firm will pro- 

 vide its own crew of expert fishermen as a busi- 

 ness venture and that the live-well or live " car " system 

 shall be tried in various ways. Further, it is admitted 

 that for the fresh fish trade, whether on the Madras 

 market or for iced fish sent up-country ( a business now 

 carried on casually and imperfectly), a carrier bringing 

 all the fish from lo or 15 miles on either side of Madras 

 direct to the Madras harbour with the markets, ice 

 factories and railways on the spot, will give infinitely 

 better results than the present system of collecting fish 

 by jutka or runner from the various kuppams (fishing 

 hamlets) from Pulicat to Covelong to which the catama- 

 rans bring their catches : hence if a carrier be provided 

 it will probably be run by a business firm who would 

 doubtless buy it if successful. Again, small power boats 

 on the canal will bring in fish from Pulicat, etc., faster and 

 in better condition than at present, and enquiries have 

 been made from me as to the feasibility of the practice 

 and the initial and running cost. A very influential 

 Indian gentleman directly connected with the industry 

 has, on my suggestion, been experimenting in delaying 

 taint by gutting and cleaning the fish at sea and packing 

 them with certain precautions as to ventilation with the 

 result that even in this weather he finds the access of 

 taint to be delayed by many hours this result is of the 

 highest practical value and is exactly in accordance with 

 expectations. He is also desirous of falling in with my 

 proposal to v/ork larger boats (like the Bombay boats) 



