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extensively at Dacca and I was informed by Dinajpur 

 shell cutters that their particular supplies come from 

 workshops at or near Murshedabad and Nadia. There 

 may be others. From these centres the rings are for- 

 warded through agents to a large number of outlying 

 villages and towns scattered through Bengal and Assam. 



Transactions between wholesale dealers as well as 

 the sale of shells and ring-sections are almost always for 

 credit, usually for periods of 2 to 3 months. Losses occur 

 but seldom for the " combine " would at once refuse to 

 deal with defaulters, and workers who cannot or will not 

 pay or who give trouble find the sources of supply of the 

 raw material required in their trade cut off; they must 

 make their peace with the middlemen or quit business — a 

 drastic alternative which ensures the due performance of 

 promise made to sellers. 



The trade at the present time enjoys marked pros- 

 perity and the individual worker earns high wages 

 according to Indian standards. It is a poor workman 

 who cannot earn one rupee per day ; remuneration is by 

 piece work and as the workers are trained to this trade 

 from the earliest age they can rub a shell-circle upon a 

 grindstone, few are not expert workmen by the age of 20. 

 Even boys of 7 and 8 years old are able to earn 4 annas 

 a day at rough filing. Skilled hands earn from Re. i to 

 Rs. 1-8-0 per day and those capable of carving elaborate 

 patterns command considerably higher rates. The 

 appearance and conduct of the men generally, give the 

 impression of superior intelligence ; I found them quick 

 to catch my meaning when engaged in cross-examining 

 them upon the details of their trade and they showed the 

 utmost courtesy and patience in their efforts to render 

 matters plain to me. 



(a) The trade varieties of shells employed. 



Chanks from different localities have distinofuishino- 

 characteristics well known to the Calcutta and Dacca 

 dealers ; they constitute in fact a considerable number of 

 local races differing little in appearance to the casual 

 eye, but readily distinguishable by these shell experts who 

 are able to say at a glance whence any particular shell 

 has come. As a consequence of these local varieties 

 having differing physical characters, their price varies and 



