Price of 60 lbs. of raw cotton @
20 Rs. a patia (240 lbs.). 5--0--0
Removal of dirt, waste and dry
leaves @ 1 pice per pound 0-15--0
Ginning of 52 lbs. of raw clean
cotton @ 1 an. per 10 lbs. 0--5--3
Cleaning the Lint (17 lbs.) by a
pinjari @ 1 Anna per lb. 1--1--0
--------
Total 7--4--3
Deduct price of cotton seed 35 lbs.
@ 20 lbs. per Re. 1-12--0
--------
Net charges for 17 lbs. of clean
cotton 5--9--3
Thus the cost of one pound of cotton comes to 5 as. and 3 pies only. The
proportion of waste viz. 8 lbs. in 60 lbs. of raw cotton is too high and
could be avoided by securing better and cleaner cotton.
There are at present 29 wheels going and there is still a great demand
for wheels. But the funds being limited, more wheels could not be
prepared and provided. Spinning is done by those who absolutely knew
nothing about it previously. Consequently the yarn is still of an
inferior sort. It is improving day by day but if a competent teacher
could be secured, it would improve rapidly. Amongst the spinners, some
are full-time workers and others are leisure-time workers.
About two lbs. of yarn are now prepared every day and the quantity will
increase as the spinners get used to the work. The rate for spinning is
fixed at 6 as. a lb., though many workers complain that it is not
enough. As the yarn sent for sale realised a price of As. 12 a pound,
the spinning charges could not be increased without a loss. Every lb. of
yarn requires Annas 11 pies 3 for expenses, as 0-5-3 for cotton and
0-6-0 for spinning. Thus every lb. leaves a profit of 9 pies only. The
establishment and other charges are not calculated. With the present
rate of spinning at 6 as. a lb., one spinner earns 3 as. per day by
spinning 20 to 24 tolas, more earn 2 as. a day by spinning 15 tolas and
the rest 1-1/2 as. a day for 10 tolas, the beginners excluded. The more
the spinner is used to the work, the more he will earn.
An attempt was made to prepare cloth out of the yarn and three and a
half lbs. of yarn were given to a weaver for weaving. He however charged
an exorbitant rate for weaving. He prepared nine and a half yards of
cloth and charged Rs. 3-9 for it, practically 1 rupee a lb. The cloth
cost Rs. 6-0-6 and was sold at Rs. 6-3-0, with a profit of as. 2 and
pies 6 only. To obviate the difficulty about weaving, a separate loom
with one teacher to teach weaving to local persons is urgently required.
Many local people wish to learn this art. A separate loom will reduce
the cost of the cloth prepared on it below the prevailing market rate.
About 6 lbs. of yarn are given to different weavers to ascertain the
exact charges, but all this difficulty can only be removed by having a
special loom.
When there was a shortage of cotton and the workers had no work, wool
was introduced for spinning till cotton was ready. This work was
willingly taken up by the Dhangar. They were however required to spin
finer thread of wool than they usually prepared. They took some time to
pick up the work, and now there are 10 wool spinners working fine
thread. They are also paid at 6 as. a lb. for spinning. Wool worth
Rs. 31 @ 2 lbs. a rupee was purchased, and though the cotton was ready, the
wool spinning was continued by starting a separate department, as the
Dhangars readily took up the work. The whole process of cleaning the
wool is also done by the Dhangar women, who get an extra anna per lb.
for it. The sorting of wool is carefully looked to. The majority of wool
spinners use their own spinning wheels but a few are now asking for the
improved wheel for preparing finer threads.
Dhangar weavers being locally available blankets after the Pandharpur
and Dawangiri pattern are being prepared from this finer thread and
different designs have been suggested to them. The Dhangars being a
stubborn race do not readily adopt the new improvement. But this work
has set them to work up new designs of blankets which will permanently
help them in their own profession. They now require a broader and
improved loom and instruction in colouring wool. Efforts are made to
secure a clever full time weaver who will introduce a better method of
weaving. Two blankets were prepared and sold at cost price, one for
Rs. 5-13-6 and the other for Rs. 6-6-0. Orders are being received for
blankets now, but to continue the work would require some funds.
To keep so many persons working is not only an ideal form of famine
relief, but a means to promote village industries, and remove the
demoralising effects of successive famines. Thus stands the work of
about one month. It now requires an improved handloom, a good teacher, a
special loom for wool, more spinning wheels (which the neighbouring
villagers are also demanding) and many other things. The work is going
on vigorously and it is hoped will not be allowed to suffer for want of
funds.
_Y. I.--11th May 1921._