OCCASIONAL NOTE
The judge from the report of the Department of Fisheries two of the oldest Dacca industries are in difficulties. The buttonmakers, who utilise the shells of mussels, which at any time occur only sparingly in tanks and in rivers, are in trouble owing to shortage of raw material – the result, apparently, of the failing fish supply, for fish supply is the raw material to which the mussel larvae attach themselves.
An effort is being made to put the button-makers in touch with agents who supply marine shell and Mr. Southwell still hopes to see Bengal self-supporting so far as pearl buttons are concerned. The other ancient industry which is in difficulty is the chank bangle manufacture. The shells are fished in the seas round Ceylon and the Madras Presidency but the industry of cutting bangles from them is practically limited to Dacca.
Unfortunately the price of shells has risen enormously. In Madras – where the fishery is a State monopoly – the Government is realising Rs 300 per 1,009 shell fished, as compared with Rs 99 realised in 1908, while the price to the Dacca bangle cutters now stands at from Rs 400 to Rs 700 per 1,000 shells.
The only avenue of improvement is a co-operative society for purchasing direct from the Madras Government, but this project has not yet taken practical form.
MURDER OF LADY DOCTOR
The trial of Abdur Rahim who is charged with the murder of Miss Graham, a lady doctor, commenced today in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge.
The Crown was represented by Babu Gokul Chand Rai, Government pleader, Lucknow division, and the defence by Mr. Mahomed Husain Karwani. Several important witnesses were examined, including E.B. Castellari, Police Inspector, and Guard Fanthome, who, after examination by the Government pleader, was asked several questions by the Sessions Judge. Guard Fanthome’s statement to the Judge was as follows: ‘There are ten stations from Munderwa to Gonda.
Accused was near the door and I could see that he was in the compartment when I passed by. He spoke to me at Gorakhpur platform, where there are electric lights, and it was only beginning to get dark. It was between 6-30 and 7 P.M. when he spoke to me.
I never spoke to him after Gorakhpur platform. I saw accused get into the carriage at Munderwa after the ice man had shouted for him. After Munderwa I saw on two or three occasions when passing by that there was a man in the carriage. I did not notice if he was standing up or sitting down.’
INDIAN LADIES AND HOME RULE
At a meeting of the Ladies’ Branch of Home Rule for India League, held at Ahmedabad, the following resolutions were passed:- ‘This meeting firmly believes that all the rights that have been granted to men in the new scheme of reforms should be granted to the women also and that the time has arrived when the women should be granted the rights of having seats on all representative bodies such as municipalities, local boards, the provincial and Imperial Legislative Council, etc.
This meeting therefore requests the President of the Indian National Congress and the members of the All-India Congress committee to suggest changes on the above lines when submitting their suggestions on the Montagu- Chelmsford report.
The ladies’ branch of the Home Rule League at Ahmedabad was started a year ago and has forty members on the roll. Mrs. Ambalal Sarabhai, the wife of a leading mill-owner of Ahmedabad, is the president of the branch. Mrs. Krishnalal Desai and Srimati Anusuya Sarabhai are the secretaries. A library and free reading room is maintained by this branch.
BURMA EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR BUREAU
A Government of Burma Political War Department resolution states that the Lieutenant-Governor has decided to constitute at Rangoon an Employment and Labour Bureau for Burma, to be administered by a committee composed of representatives of the Burma Chamber of Commerce, the Rangoon Trades Association, the Tavoy Chamber of Mines, the Young Men’s Christian Association and the Anglo-Indian Empire League, with the Controller of Munitions as chairman.
The committee will invite persons who desire to obtain employment in connection with the war or otherwise to register their names and qualifications, will invite employers who require assistance to register their requirements, and will assist in bringing together employers and applicants for employment.
The committee will also deal with labour problems such as that in the Tavoy district where large bodies of labour are needed for work connected with war materials or munitions.