INDUSTRIES

II COTTAGE INDUSTRIES

Charcoal Making.

Charcoal making is an old industry of the district in which particularly Adivasis and Katkaris have been engaged for years.

The district has a considerable area under forest. The main forest product is firewood from which charcoal is produced every year. The Government auctions coupes containing dried and fully grown trees to contractors who sell them to the Katkaris. The present policy of Government is to auction these coupes to forest labourers co-operative societies. The industry is located around Kolad, Panvel, Pen, Roha and Nagothana and employed about 1,100 workers in 1951.

These workers fell and cut the trees from the auctioned coupes and arrange the logs in a demishaped pile with a curvature reaching the centre of pile so as to facilitate the required action of the fire. The whole pile is then plastered with mud. The kiln is then ignited through the centre door passage. The size of such a kiln varies from place to place. Big kilns are more than 10 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide. A kiln of 400 cubic feet yields about a ton of charcoal.

The process of charcoal making does not require many tools except an axe to fell and cut the trees. The industry is seasonal lasting only in the fair season. The Katkari workers are paid on a piece basis at the rate of Rs. 2 per bag of charcoal. Necessary capital is advanced to them by merchant contractors.

In 1959-60, there were 25 forest labourers co-operative societies which had 1,362 members and Rs. 1,31,627 as share capital. Of these, 21 societies functioned as charcoal producing units.

Wool Weaving.

During the last century wool weaving was carried on at Mangaon, Malgaon, Alibag and Roha. About 100 families were engaged in it. Raw wool was obtained by artisans from their own flocks while a few others brought it from Lonand in Satara district and other places.

The demand for local woollen articles was definitely higher than the supply. As a consequence these products were imported from other places. In the years following 1920, the economic condition of these artisans, however, deteriorated considerably with the result that many wool weavers except those at Roha had to close their industry. The employment in it also fell from 173 in 1911 to 53 in 1951. The number of working looms also decreased.

There are now only ten looms working at Roha. Raw wool is supplied to them by Dhangars, who lead a nomadic life with flocks and supply wool during November and December, the months in which wool is sheared. Some weavers bring it from Lonand. The local wool has a short staple. The length of its fibre is hardly 2½ inches. An artisan requires about two pounds of wool for about two days. Wool obtained by a weaver is first sorted out, carded and spun.

Pit fly-shuttle looms which are locally manufactured are used by these artisans. The size of such loom is 42" x 60".

Tools such as Vahi, Phani, shuttle, etc., which are required in wool weaving are also locally manufactured. A complete set of such tools costs about Rs. 50 including the cost of a loom which is about Rs. 25.

Blankets varying in sizes from 100" x 40" to 108" x 40" are the main product. In this process an artisan weaves the blanket and his wife and children do preliminary processes like carding and spinning. The cost of producing a kambli or a blanket of 100" x 40" 'size is about Rs. 6 including cost of wool and labour charges. It is sold at about Rs. 8. The market for the product is generally local. The poverty of these artisans often forces them to sell their products at the prices which are sometimes below the cost of production.

The necessary capital in the industry is often raised through borrowing. Due to shortage of finance a wool weaver cannot stock wool in the season when prices are low. He often obtains it at market price which is usually higher. He takes to farm labour when his business is dull in the rainy season.

There was one wool weavers cooperative society at Roha which had 23 members and Rs. 300 as share capital in 1959. The society was, however, defunct at the time of the survey.

Leather Working

The leather working industry is prevalent all over the district. A few shoemakers are found in every village. In Goregaon there are more than 70 families of Chambhars who are known for making a special type of attractive chappals. Shoemaking is a hereditary occupation of the Chambhars who make shoes, sandals and chappals of various designs. Now-a-days persons other than Chambhars are also found to be taking to this industry. They make and sell a variety of leather articles. The employment in the industry fell from 717 in 1911 to 470 in 1921 but rose from 483 in 1931 to 536 in 1951.

The raw materials required in leather works constitute tanned leather for soles, chrome leather for uppers, nails and polishing materials. Tanned leather, chrome leather and all other materials are imported from Bombay, as no such material is produced in the district.

Ari, rapi, anvil, wooden blocks, etc., are the main tools used in the production of leather goods. These tools are purchased from Bombay. A set of such tools costs between Rs. 80 and Rs. 100.

Footwears, like chappals, shoes and sandles are the main products of the industry. Some artisans make suit-cases, money-bags and brief-cases. At Goregaon chappals of a special type are produced which are considered more durable. A good artisan with the help of an assistant makes a pair of shoes in a day. The cost of producing a pair of shoes is Rs. 14 including wages and cost of raw materials. Most of the products are sold locally. In urban areas there are establishments which employ two or three artisans. In rural areas artisans do not possess separate establishments nor do they employ outside labour. They work in their own houses and produce leather articles which are required locally.

An ordinary artisan requires. Rs. 100 as an investment in the industry. Further expansion of the establishment depends upon the capital available. In urban areas sometimes more than Rs. 5,000 are invested in an establishment producing leather goods. In urban areas many artisans are employed on piece wages. They get Rs. 1.50 for making a pair of chappals and Rs. 4 for a pair of shoes.

These artisans are very poor. In the rainy season when their business is dull, they take to agriculture. There were five leather workers co-operative societies in 1959-60 in the district, having 179 members and Rs. 4,660 as share capital. They supplied raw materials to their members.

Blacksmithy

Blacksmithy which is an old industry of the district is to be found in almost all fairsized villages and towns. Each such village or town contains at least two or more Lohar families. A few Lohars maintain small permanent establishments and a few. others lead a nomadic life and shift their establishments from place to place in search of work. The artisans in the industry specialise in the making of flat pans, frying pans and agricultural implements like field tools, spades and sickles. The impact of industrial change has not affected its technique of production. The industry today continues to produce the same articles as were produced in the past. The tools and equipments used and the methods adopted are also the same. The employment in it varied during the last 50 years. It was 452 in 1911, 331 in 1931 and 376 in 1951. There were 37 blacksmiths establishments employing 74 persons in the district in 1951.

Iron sheets, iron bars, wood and charcoal are mainly required as raw materials. Wood is locally available and other articles are brought from Bombay. In most cases iron metal is supplied to them by the customers. The tools used are anvil, hammer, bellows, cutters, prongs, etc. The whole set costs about Rs. 75.

A Lohar makes two bullock-cart wheels in a month at the cost of Rs. 100 including the cost of wood, iron, charcoal and wages of a carpenter. He works throughout the day. His family members, who render him assistance such as blowing the bellows at the time of making iron articles. In the rainy season when the. business is slack he takes to agriculture as a subsidiary means of livelihood.

Investment of Rs. 300 is sufficient to start the occupation. The required amount is usually borrowed by the artisan at high rate of interest from local money-lenders. These artisans are illiterate and do not favour any improvement in the technique of production. And even if they desire they do not possess the necessary financial ability to introduce the changes required in the technique.

Bamboo Working.

Buruds are found all over the district, livery place with a sizeable population contains a few families engaged in their hereditary occupation of making winnowing fans, baskets and other articles from bamboos. Bamboo working is their hereditary occupation. In the beginning of this century the number of persons engaged in the industry was about 841. In 1921, the employment in it fell from 841 to 757 and further to 552 and 488 in 1931 and 1951, respectively. It is difficult to assess the precise cause for the fall in employment in the industry during the last fifty years. It is possible that the gradual revolution in the social relationship brought about by the introduction of socio-economic reforms might have helped many a Burud to take to new occupations. Today, Goregaon, Indapur, Karjat, Mahad, Mangaon, Pezri and Man are a few centres where a large number of Burud families are found.

These Buruds make winnowing fans, supa, baskets, kanagi of 18" x 12" x 4", tatta, craddle, hara, etc. In a day two adult members of a family make five or six winnowing fans from one bamboo or a kanagi from two bamboos. Men usually take out bamboo strips and the womenfolk make these articles. The cost of producing six winnowing fans is about Rs. 1.87 including cost of raw materials and wages of labour. These winnowing fans are sold at about 37 nP. each.

Bamboos are locally available. Artisans with good means purchase a cart-load of bamboos. Others purchase them as and when required. A few artisans who follow the occupation as a permanent one stock the bamboo in advance for the rainy season. The business is dull during the rainy season.

Knives, chisels and cutters are the main tools required by an artisan in this occupation. The whole set costs about Rs. 15. Knives are used to take out strips from bamboos, which is a skilled job in the process of basket making. Cutters are used for cutting bamboos.

These artisans make about 200 winnowing fans or baskets per month in fair-weather. In the rainy season the production slackens when an average worker makes twenty to thirty baskets per month. Their average earning comes to about Rs. 60 or Rs. 70 each per month. Their output is sold locally sometimes in the nearby villages.

This occupation does not require much investment. An artisan who invests Rs. 200 in the industry can keep a stock of bamboos for future use. But the amount so invested is usually borrowed from merchant financiers at a considerably higher rate which he cannot afford.

There has not been any change in the technique of their production during the last fifty years. They use the same tools they used fifty years ago. They are also backward and comparatively illiterate. They live in the same huts as they were living before. Nor do they possess any landed property. If an artisan intends to expand his occupation he has to resort to the money-lender who grants him necessary capital at exorbitant rate. The industry does not yield him income sufficient to make his both ends meet.

There were two bamboo workers' co-operative societies, one at Panvel and the other at Chowk. They had 25 members.

Brass and Copper Working.

During the last century brass and copper works thrived in all market towns like Pen, Nagothana, Alibag, Roha, Ashtami, Thal and Nizampur. The industry which engaged about 200 Kasars was organised as a home industry. The main products were brass and copper utensils which were mostly demanded in the local market. The industry gradually deteriorated in the last sixty years, because of the competition it had to face from machine made wares. This deprived the artisans of their independent occupation. The employment in the industry fell from 269 in 1911 to 245 in 1951.

The industry is now located at Ashtami, Mahad, Roha, Nizampur and Revdanda. At Roha and Mahad about 80 Kasar families are still engaged in it. They make brass and copper utensils of different sizes and weights. Kalashis produced at Ashtami are well known throughout Maharashtra for their dainty appearance and fine workmanship. Copper and brass sheets are supplied to the artisans by merchants or by co-operative societies.

The other materials like charcoal, tamarind and borax are procured by artisans from the local market.

Different kinds of tools are used at different stages in the production of copper and brass wares. A blower (pankha) costing about Rs. 400 is used for fanning the fire in the furnace. Kharvais of three different sizes are used for making the upper part and middle or central part of a handa or Kalashi. The cost of this implement varies from Rs. 25 to Rs. 100.

The whole set of such tools including a compass, a cutter, a furnace, iron stands, etc., costs more than Rs. 1,000.

Orders for utensils are placed with these artisans by merchants who supply them the necessary copper and brass sheets. They are paid fixed wages which vary from Rs. 12 to Rs. 17 for producing utensils weighing 28 lbs.

The cost of producing a handa of copper weighing about 6 lbs is calculated in the following way:―

The total weight of the handa will be a little less than 6 lbs., as copper metal weighing about ¼th of a pound is lost in this process.

Most of the artisans are wage earners and the necessary capital is supplied to them by merchant financiers. An investment of about Rs. 5,000 is necessary to set afoot this smithy.

The utensils are marketed to Bombay and other places. In 1959-60, there was one co-operative society at Roha of these artisans. It had 43 members, Rs. 2,849 as share capital and Rs. 8,783 as reserve fund. The society supplied copper sheets to its members.

Carpentry.

This industry is found to be prevalent all over the district. Every big village is having a number of carpenters who make and repair agricultural implements and bullock-carts. In urban area they are engaged in furniture-making and construction of houses. Prior to 1930, there were 50 families of carpenters at Panvel specialising in making bullock cart wheels. But with the expansion of the tire borne traffic the bullock-cart has lost its importance as a means of communication and this has indirectly affected the carpentry industry. In spite of this situation the employment in the industry has remained more or less constant throughout the last forty years. The industry has survived because the district is having agriculture as its main occupation. Khopoli, Pen, Mahad, Panvel, Roha, Nagothana, Alibag and Karjat are the main centres of this industry. The total number of persons employed in the industry was 1,519 in 1911, 1,507 in 1931 and 1,533 in 1951.

Teak wood and wood of local varieties, nails, screws and polishing materials constitute the main raw materials. Wood is locally available and other materials are brought from Bombay.

Generally each carpenter possesses a set of tools like plane, chisel, saw, hatchet, etc., costing about Rs. 150.

An artisan, with the assistance of an apprentice makes an armed chair in two days which costs him in terms of raw materials and his wages about Rs. 18.50. In rural areas a few artisans are balutedars who are paid in kind for the required work to be done. Petty furniture shopkeepers and contractors in towns engage carpenters on daily wages which vary from Rs. 3 to Rs. 5 per head. In rural areas he gets about Rs. 3 per day as wages. In rural areas they work throughout the day with a break for lunch. In urban areas their hours of working are fixed under the Shops and Establishments Act.

Almost all these artisans are wage earners who live from hand to mouth. In villages they do not get adequate remuneration. As a result they are attracted towards towns, where there is a keen competition for employment in their own industry.

No co-operative society of these artisans was found to exist till the year 1959.

Pottery and Brick Making.

Pottery and brickmaking is an hereditary industry of Kumbhars. During the last century about 500 Kumbhar families were dependent on it. These artisans produced different kinds of earthen wares, toys and bricks as required by local populace. All these articles were produced by hand process and the demand for them was brisk during the summer. The employment in the industry which was 1,538 in 1911 and 1,046 in 1931 fell down to 757 in 1951. Increase in use of brass and copper utensils and the entry of persons other than Kumbhars in brickmaking have reduced the employment in it. Now-a-days earthen wares and toys are not much used by the people as they were used before the introduction of copper and brass wares. They are mostly used by poor people who cannot afford to have brass and copper utensils.

Each village has one or two Kumbhar families who produce earthen wares and toys during festival days. Brickmaking is also found in important towns and villages such as Alibag. Goregaon, Karjat, Mahad, Panvel and Pen.

Clay, half burnt charcoal, charcoal dust and paddy husk constitute the raw materials. Clay, paddy husk and charcoal dust are locally available. Half burnt charcoal is brought from Bombay and other places. Various wooden moulds for making bricks, kilns of different sizes for baking bricks and earthen vessels, potters wheel for making and shaping vessels and minor tools such as kudal and phawada are used as implements in the industry. These artisans obtain clay from nearby ponds or from agricultural land on contract fixed between the owner of the plot and the potter. Paddy husk is purchased locally at about Rs. 3 per cart-load, and ashes at Rs. 2 or Rs. 3 per cart-load. Brick-kilns are varying in sizes. A small sized kiln bakes 1,000 bricks at a time and the biggest about a lakh at a time. The construction of potters wheel is as follows:-

A flat piece of wood is first cut into a circular form of about eight inches in diameter and a small flat circular stone having a hollow in the middle is fixed in the centre of the piece of wood. Six thin sticks are inserted as spokes in the piece of wood which serves as the nave. Three hopps are then tied to the ends of the spokes with a thin rope and the circumference of the wheel is loaded with a mixture of clay and goat hair to make it heavy. A stout wooden peg about nine inches long is buried in the ground. A pit is filled with water, and the wheel is placed on the peg, which rests in the hollow of the stone fixed in the nave.

Clay, paddy dust and ashes are used in brickmaking. Usually the proportion of mixing ashes and paddy husk in clay is as follows:―

Five cart-loads of clay is mixed with one cart-load of ashes and one cart-load of paddy husk. The proportion of mixing horse dung with clay in pottery is not fixed and changes from place to place.

The main products of the industry are different earthen utensils, bricks of 9" x 4½" x 3" size and tiles. Six persons make about 1,000 bricks in a day. They usually work from morning till evening. Potters do not usually engage outside labour, but those who follow brickmaking engage outside labour who are paid Rs. 1.36 each per day as wages. It is a seasonal industry which works only in fair weather.

The investment in the industry depends upon the size of the business. A brickmaking establishment requires a minimum amount of Rs. 10,000 as an investment and an ordinary potter who makes earthen vessels Rs. 700 to start the occupation. He borrows the necessary capital from a local money-lender.

The market for the products is generally local. Bricks are sometimes sent outside the district. There were two potters co-operative societies, one at Panvel and the other at Pali.

The process of making earthen vessels is as follows:-

Process of making earthen pots.

Red earth is mixed with horse dung and soaked for a definite time with water for the preparation of earthen pots. The mixture is then kneaded properly and trodden on twice. It is then placed in the required quantities on the wooden nave of the potter's wheel which is turned with a stick fixed in a hole made for the purpose in the rim to get sufficient motion. The operator then gives the clay the required form with the help of a piece of wet cloth in his fingers. The pot is both enlarged and strengthened by continual handling, turning and applying fresh mud and a required shape is given to it. The pots are then dried and a solution of red and black earth is applied to them externally. They are then polished by rubbing with strings of smooth kanjka and sometimes with kate bhorra seeds, besmeared with oil. The pots are finally baked in a kiln in the following way. At the bottom of a kiln some paddy husk and cow dung are spread and the pots are kept in regular rows among the husk and cakes which are plentifully heaped over the pottery. The kiln is set fire to in the evening. The pots are taken out after the whole husk and cow dung cakes are burnt, by about the next morning.

Handloom Weaving.

The district had never been famous for cotton weaving. During the. last century a few handloom establishments producing rough cloth were situated at Mahad and Mangaon. In 1911. the industry provided employment to 677 persons. The number of persons employed in it fell from 655 in 1921 to 603 in 1951. The number of looms also decreased in the post-depression period due to the rise in import of mill-made cloth. There are very few looms in the district, and are situated at places like Goregaon, Kharvil, Murud and Shriwardhan. The main handloom products are rough saris and khanalis.

Raw materials such as cotton yarn of different counts and dyeing materials are imported from Bombay. Cotton yarn is supplied by co-operative societies to those who are their members. Others obtain it from local market. Fly-shuttle looms which are locally produced are commonly used by these artisans. The cost of such a loom with a dobby is about Rs. 80. Other implements such as dobby, reed and vahi are also locally manufactured.

Coarse saris of eight yards and khans are mostly produced. Usually cotton yarn of 20s or 40s is used in these products. The cost of producing two coarse saris of eight yards is about Rs. 14 including wages, cost of yarn and cost of dyeing. It is a practice in the district to keep 16 yards wharfs and 42" weft in the process of sari weaving. These products are sold locally. A weaver produces about 20 such saris in a month.

These artisans weave the cloth and members of their family help them in preliminary operations. The working hours in the industry are from morning till evening and holiday is observed on the Amavasya, the last day of the dark half. A weaver requires on an average about Rs. 250 per loom as an investment which is usually obtained from local money-lenders.

There were three handloom weavers co-operative societies in 1959. They had 120 members and Rs. 4,870 as share capital. They employed some artisans who were paid Rs. 3,425 as wages.

Miscellaneous Industries.

There are other minor industries like making brooms and mats. wooden toys, clay works images and collection of medicinal herbs. Of these, toy making and clay works are important. Abundant supply of kuda, haid and kalamb wood from which toys can be produced has attracted a few persons to start toy manufacturing concerns at Pen and Wadkhal, a village near Dharamtar where chess pieces. different wooden toys, rolling pins, etc., are produced. These goods are marketed to Bombay and other places. Raw materials exceptwood are brought from Bombay.

There are clay works at some places, but most of them work seasonally. Only those that are situated at Pen work all the year round. These concerns make idols of God Ganapati. It is reported that about a lakh of rupees are invested in the industry. There are about 70 establishments employing about 200 persons which make these idols at Pen. Two concerns work throughout the year and others about six to eight months in a year. Clay required for making the idols is brought from Bhavangar in Gujarat State. Most of these idols are sent to Bombay and other places.

There are four concerns at Pen which produce decorative images which could be hung on the walls and tiny busts and statues out of Kaolin and plaster of paris. Kaolin is available near Pen and plaster of paris is procured from Bombay.

As the district has a considerable area under forests, collection of medicinal herbs is done on an extensive scale. Katkaris, Thakurs and others who are acquainted with different kinds of herbs in the forests are engaged in their collection. These herbs are supplied to ayurvedic pharmacies in Bombay and elsewhere.

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