93 



progresses. On an average it takes 4I minutes to saw 

 once through a shell. The number of working sections 

 given by a single shell is determined according to the 

 shape and size of the shell and the thickness of the 

 sections desired. For the narrow churi bangles as many 

 as ten sections may be obtained from a good sized shell, 

 but for the broad bala bangle three are a good average. 

 If 5 sections are cut from a shell the shell has to be 

 sawn through six times, so we must count five minutes 

 as the minimum time required to cut off a working section. 

 To this must be added the time occupied in re-sharpen- 

 ing the saw, a frequent requirement, owing to the great 

 hardness of the shell, Fortunately the method employed 

 is an expeditious one. It consists merely in going over 

 the whole length of the cutting edge in a series of taps 

 with a light chisel set hammerwise in a wooden handle 

 (PI. VII, fig. i). The taps are quite lightly given, the 

 serrations very numerous and very shallow. 



In Dacca, a skilled cutter is paid at the rate of 

 Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 per 100 shells sawn up, but for this 

 remuneration he has to prepare the shells for cutting, a 

 slow and tedious operation, and has to provide his own 

 tools. One hundred working sections per day is the 

 limit of production per man working upon shells 

 previously prepared ready for sawing. In practice it is 

 usually considerably less owing to various delays normal 

 as well as unforeseen — the repeated sharpening required 

 by the saw, a badly prepared shell, a cut heel due to a 

 slip of the saw, and often enough, a touch of fever. 

 Shell slicing calls for the possession of a highly trained 

 eye, perfect steadiness of hand and arm, and an ironlike 

 capacity to sit for long periods in a position of great 

 discomfort. Unless in a perfect condition of bodily 

 fitness such work is an impossibility. During apprentice- 

 ship few men caii endure the strain sufficiently long to 

 accustom their body to the habit of the strained position, 

 the constant and monotonous attention required by 

 the saw and the extreme fatigue of the occupation. As 

 a consequence the sawing of working sections is limited 

 to a few centres and a good cutter is a valuable asset to 

 his employer. To retain a hold upon these men, 

 employers willingly give large advances in cash to them, 

 sometimes amounting, I was told, to as much as Rs. 200 



