8t 



maintaining however offices and oodowns in Calcutta 

 where some member of each firm usually resides. 

 Calcutta being a far cry from the Gulf of Mannar, 

 the combine as I may term for brevity, this association 

 of exclusive wholesalers, have seen fit for business 

 reasons to admit to their circle a Labbai trader of 

 Kilakarai in order to have the advantage of special 

 local knowledge in conducting their operations in South 

 India and in maintaining intact their monopoly. He is 

 in fact their local expert and managing agent in South 

 India. It is in his name that the combine usually bid 

 when the Tuticorin shells are offered for tender and it 

 is in his name that the combine rent from the Ramnad 

 zamindari the Chank fishery off the island of Rames- 

 waram and the coast of Ramnad. In 1910 a Dacca 

 speculator entered into competition with the chank com- 

 bine for the Tuticorin shells, with the consequence that 

 to defeat his tactics, they increased their bid Rs. 22 per 

 1,000 beyond that paid for the preceding season's catch 

 (from Rs. 99-9-7 to Rs. 12 1-9-9 per 1,000). 



By having the Ramnad lease and the whole of the 

 Tuticorin catch the members of the combine obtain com- 

 plete control of the market for the quality necessary for 

 ornamental bracelets. They also, I believe, in some 

 degree control the Ceylon trade and are thus able to 

 dictate, within certain limits, their own terms of sale. I 

 believe that each member of the ring pays a fixed 

 proportion of the cost of the working of the combine 

 and receives a corresponding share of or in the shells 

 imported. This combination of merchants sort the shells 

 bouo-ht, in accordance with the established custom 

 of the trade, into nine grades numbered from i to 9 

 respectively. 



The relative sizes of the nine grades are as 



follows : — 



Grade i. Shells above 4 inches in diameter. 



Shells between 3! and 4 inches in diameter. 



Do. 3^ and 3! do. 



Do. 3i and 3^ do. 



Do. 3 and 3^ do. 



Do. 2f and 3 do. 



Do. 2^g and 2I do. 



Do, 2f and 2^^ do. 



Do, 2^ and 2I do. 



