15 



Tuticorin being given the duty of organizing the work 

 on the new Hnes as he was already ex-officio the Superin- 

 tendent of Pearl Banks, a designation which eventually 

 was amended to that of Superintendent of Pearl and 

 Chank Fisheries. To Captain Phipps, who by the way 

 was probably the most capable and most conscientious 

 Superintendent the Government have ever had, fell the 

 duty of organizing the new arrangement, and one 

 perforce feels sympathy with his troubles, when we read 

 in his report to Government in 1878 the following 

 plaint : — " Government will believe me when I say that 

 the successful management of a large number of ignorant 

 divers, ivho are nearly always partly intoxicated, requires 

 the exercise of unvarying good temper and patience." 

 The same sentence might well find place in every annual 

 report at the present day ! 



The rates paid for shells and the general arrange- 

 ments of the fishery remained the same till 1883-84 when 

 the divers by threat of abstention forced a concession of 

 an extra Rs. 5 on the rate for shells which was thus 

 raised to Rs. 25 per 1,000. During the next season no 

 fishery was held, the result being to bring the divers to 

 a more reasonable frame of mind ; the former rate of 

 Rs. 20 per 1,000 was accordingly reverted to and this 

 continued to rule till 1900-01 when the divers struck 

 work for a substantial increase in pay. As it was not 

 immediately granted the majority of the men went to 

 Travancore to try their luck in the chank fishery there. 

 Consideration of the notable increase in the local price 

 of food-stuffs and of the increasmg unpopularity of 

 chank-diving, led the Government to agree to a very con- 

 siderable increase, the rate being raised from Rs. 20 to 

 Rs. 31-4-0 per 1,000 or half an anna per shell. The men 

 were fully satisfied and not only did all those on strike 

 come back but in addition numbers of other men capable 

 of diving joined the fishery and from an average of seven 

 canoes taking part in the fishery for several years prior 

 to 1901, 10 joined in this year while the next season the 

 number registered rose to 12 carrying in all about 80 

 divers. 



In 1909 the management of the fishery was trans- 

 ferred to the Fisheries Department, the Marine As- 

 sistant to the Honorary Director being appointed as 



