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pattamais; any outside employment such as agricultural labour, 

 etc. ; the employment of the women and children of the fishermen, 

 whether in the fishing or allied industries, e.g., curing, or in separate 

 industries. 



Any special mortality whether by accidents at sea or whether by 

 any special diseases ; general condition of hygiene and health ; 

 average age, as per census, compared with the general population. 



Their general economic condition, whether well-to-do or poor ; 

 whether they suffer in time of general famine and, if so, how ; 

 indebtedness, possession of property, whether lands or houses, or 

 boats and nets, etc. ^^'hat proportion own boats including catamarans, 

 canoes and dhonies ; how they obtained these boats, e.g., whether by 

 saving and purchase, or whether by advances ; if by advances, on 

 what terms ; how they work when they do not possess boats of their 

 own ; what are their modes of hiring or leasing boats includmg 

 systems of sharing the catches ; what are the usual shares {a) to 

 boat or net-owners or master-fishermen, (/-) to the individuals of the 

 crew ; where fishermen do not own cr hire the boats, under what 

 condition do they fish, e.g., as paid labourers ; if so, how are they paid, 

 whether by shares or by money payment and if so, at what rates. 



Who are the usual persons who lend the boats or advance 

 money to the fishermen ; are they master fishermen such as 

 "Jati Thalavans ", " VJarakayars," etc., or are they fish-curers 

 and fish merchants and traders, or are they ordinary money lenders ; 

 what are the position and influence over the fishermen, of such 

 persons ; what is the rate of interest paid on money lent to fishermen ; 

 how are the accounts settled between the lenders and the fishermen , 

 are advances given for other purposes than boats, nets and maintenance 

 during non-fishing seasons and if so, for what ; are the fishermen 

 generally in debt and if so, under the greater or less control of the 

 above class of creditors. [JV.B. — The questions as to "Boats ' should 

 include boats, nets and all fishing gear.] 



How many fishing boats are there in the locality ; how many 

 large, how many small ; how many are owned by or under the control 

 of the ticket-holders of the fish curing yard and regularly, bring fish 

 to such ticket-holders ? Have the number increased in the last ten 

 years; is boat-building going on; [N.B. — The words "large" and 

 "small " have different meanings in different localities ; in one place 

 " large " will mean dhonies and "small" will be canoes or cata- 

 marans ; in other places where only canoes are used, " large " 

 will mean large canoes costing Rs. 200 and upwards, and " small " 

 will be those costing less ; hence persons answering the question 

 should state the local meaning.] State for each ticket-holder the 

 number of (a) large {l>) small boats owned by him or under his control. 

 (One object of this last question is to ascertain who locally controls 

 the fishing, e.g., in one large yard it was found that two Moplah 

 ticket-holders owned or directly controlled under the advance system 

 46 and 52 boats respectively, which was more than all the other 

 Moplahs and Mukkavans together.) 



The possibility of Government loans to fishermen, for the purchase 

 of boats, etc.; whether it would be acceptable to the fishermen, 

 whether it would meet with opposition from those who usually 

 advance money ; whether there would be risks of Government losing 



