MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

LAUNDRIES.

MAJOR GRAHAM RECORDED 175 WASHERMEN [Op. cit., p. 116.] in Kolhapur town. Dr. Balkrishna in his survey [Op. cit., pages 4, 28, 34 and 43.] in 1926 recorded 25 establishments of dhobis or washermen. A total of 31 employees was employed in them, The average working hours in these establishments were 12½ per day. Round about 1947, there were 128 laundries [N.V. Sovani, Op. cit, p. 205.] in the city and a total of 269 persons were engaged in them. Of these, 52 were in C ward, 24 in D ward, 21 in B ward, 19 in E ward, and 12 in A ward

There were 228 laundries or washing companies at the time of our survey. These establishments were managed by employers and paid servants. All these concerns together employed 217 members of employers' families and 196 paid employees. Our sample contained six concerns of different sizes. The establishments in the sample were family concerns in which proprietors with the help of their family members carried on the business. No paid employees were employed in them. Washing of clothes was the principal occupation of all these concerns, which gave employment throughout the year. They were situated in rented premises, rent of which varied from Rs. 12 to Rs. 18 per month.

Equipment of these concerns consisted of show-cases, cupboards, chairs, tables for ironing and ironing machines. Two establishments had one ironing machine each, two had two each and the remaining two had three and four each. Two laundries had one bullock and a bullock cart each. The cost of equipment of the five units excluding the smallest unit varied from Rs. 350 to Rs. 600. The cost of a smallest unit without a bullock and a bullock-cart was Rs. 26.

The working capital required for the purchase of raw materials varied from Rs. 17 to Rs. 100 including capital required for maintenance of bullocks. Raw materials included charcoal, wood, bleaching powder, washing soda, soap, petrol and indigo. The cost of raw materials of the smallest unit in the sample was Rs. 17 and of a medium unit Rs. 52 and of the biggest Rs. 100.

The rent of these establishments varied from Rs. 12 to Rs. 20 depending upon the size of the establishment. The cost of production including rent of premises, electric charges, municipal licence fee, cart tax, advertisement etc. varied from Rs. 12 to Rs. 35 per month. The smallest unit in the sample spent Rs. 12 and the biggest Rs. 35 per month on all these items.

In four out of six establishments, the necessary initial capital was raised by the proprietors from their own resources and the remaining two, borrowed it.

Process of washing and ironing of clothes in these shops was as follows: -

Clothes were first collected from customers and marked with their abbreviated names with marking ink. They were then piled in a large shallow iron or copper vessel filled with a solution of water and carbonate of sodium (washing soda). The more soiled parts of clothes piled in the vessel were then soaped, and put in a large cylindrical vessel known as bhatti, filled with boiling water. A light floating frame was kept over the bhatti so as to allow the steam to pass through the clothes for a couple of hours. Next day, they were sent for washing to a tank or a well where they were blued with indigo after being washed and soaked in diluted rice gruel and starched. Finally they were ironed and pressed at the shop and delivered to customers.

Of the six establishments surveyed three had a net income of Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 per month and two Rs. 100 to Rs. 120. The washing rate prevalent was two annas for every single piece of cotton cloth.

None of the concerns in the sample was found to be using modern methods of washing. Their business though brisk for eight months in a year did not yield a large, margin of profit as it hardly went beyond Rs. 120 per month. One establishment was reported to be running at a loss.

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