15 
Tuticorin being given the duty of organizing the work 
on the new lines as he was already e-officzo 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, who 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 increasing 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, Io joined in this year while the next season the 
number registered rose to 12 carrying in all about 8o 
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 
