St 
maintaining however offices and godowns 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 andthe 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. 121-9-9 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. | 
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 
bought, in accordance with the established custom 
of the trade, into nine grades numbered from 1 to 9 
respectively. 
The relative sizes of the nine grades are as 
follows :— 
Grade 1. Shells above 4 inches in diameter. 
» 2. hells between 3¢ and 4 _ inches in diameter, 
Nass Do. 34 and 33 do. 
om Do. 3¢ and 34 do. 
este Do. 3 and 34 do. 
ae OF Do 22) and 3 do. 
Geb g Do. 22, and 23 do. 
oa eS. Do. 22 and 23, do. 
ate Do, 2+ and 22 do, 
