20 



His duties consist iu accompanying the Inspector on his periodical visits to the 

 hanks — a duty formerly performed directly by the headmen themselves, — in furnishing 

 guards to the banks to he fished, in supplying Government with information of any 

 accidental finds of oysters by fishermen and in acting as intermediary between the 

 Government and his caste with a view, by the exercise of his influence, to ensure the 

 attendance at a fishery of an adequate supply of boats and divers. 



In 1S89 the Madras Government recorded its appreciation of the assistance 

 rendered by the Jati Talaivan and " directed that his privilege of being allowed the 

 take of two boats be continued ".* Each boat is understood to carry ] divers. 



Subsequently, in 1891, the Madras Government while confirming the general 

 principle of privilege remuneration to the headman named, adopted the more satis- 

 factory regulation of placing the extent of the remuneration upon the basis of a slid- 

 ing scale, allowing him but one boat when the Government boats numbered 30 or 

 less, two for 31 to 60 boats, three for 61 to 90 boats employed and so on in this 

 ratio. 



The value of the Jati Talaivan's two privilege boats in the 1890 fishery was 

 Es. 1,424, in that of 1900 only Es. 872. 



During the 100 years ending 1900 there appear to have been the following 

 twelve fisheries. 



* Proceedings of "the Board of Revenue, Madras, ' L No. 702, 1889. The .amount which this privilege realized to this 

 headman at the 1889 fishery waeRs. 7,620. 



