122 ball: geology of aurunga and hutar coal fields. 



the hearth is then broken down, and the ball, or giri, consisting of semi- 



_, . molten iron, slag and charcoal, is taken out and 



Blowing out. 



immediately hammered, by which a considerable 



proportion of the included slag which is still in a state of fusion is 



squeezed out. 



In some cases the Agnriahs continue the further process, until after 



various reheatings in open furnaces and hammer- 

 Eefining, 



ing, they produce clean iron fit for market ; or even 



at times they work it up themselves into suitable utensils. Not un- 



frequently, however, the Aguriahs' work ceases with the production 



of the giri, which passes into the hands of the Lobars. Four annas is a 



common price paid for an ordinary sized giri^ and 

 Price of crude iron. 



as but two of these can be made in a- very hard 

 day^s work of 15 hours' duration, and a considerable time has also to be 

 spent on the preparation of ore and charcoal, the profits are small. The 

 fact is, that although the actual price which the iron fetches in the 

 market is high, the profits made by the mahajans, and the immense dis- 

 proportion between the time and labour expended and the outturn, both 

 combine to leave the unfortunate Aguriah in a miserable state of 

 poverty. 



The price varies with the quality of the finished iron. But the 



average prices at which the merchants of Seraidih 

 Prices of refined iron. -, r-^^ ■ • i 



and Chempur respectively purchase are 5 and 6 



pasiri (36 cutcha seers), say 50 lbs., per rupee. 



In the Karanpura field I was told that the price was Ks. 9 a 

 tangi = 4 cutcha maunds, that would be about E,s. 3 per pucka maund, 

 a much higher figure.'^ 



» At Nowatand, in the Karanpura field, the prices of giris by weight were — 



Es. 

 3 cutcha maunds f or . . . . . . 1 in advance. 



2 to 2| „ „ „ 1 on delivery. 



* Owing to conflicting, and often deliberately untruthful statements, and the varying 

 values of weights and measures, it is difficult to obtain perfectly reliable statistics on these 

 points. 



( 122 ) 



