MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

TINSMITHY.

THERE WERE 26 ESTABLISHMENTS OF TINSMITHS in the city at the time of the survey, 13 of which were located in C ward and 13 In A, B and D wards. The total employment in all the establishments was 37 out of whom 24 were members of employers' families. Three establishments were surveyed in the sample in which tinsmithy was the principal occupation providing employment throughout the year. Of these, two were started in 1924 and 1925 respectively and the third one in 1945. Capital resources required for starting establishments came from owners' own resources. Equipment of these establishments was scissors for cutting thin iron sheets, bellows, hammer and soldering iron rods. The cost of equipment possessed by each establishment varied from Rs. 30 to Rs. 50. The yearly repairing charges of equipment of each establishment varied from Rs. 5 to Rs. 20. The circulating capital employed in each of these shops varied from Rs. 100 to Rs. 125.

All the three establishments were situated in rented premises, the rent of which varied from Rs. 10-8-0 to Rs. 12 per month. Besides rent, other item of expenditure on maintenance of establishments was electric charges. The electric bill of each establishment was Rs. 2 per month.

Raw materials required were tin, lead, sulphuric acid, other alloys like zinc, nickel and coal. One of the establishments was consuming 15 ounces sulphuric acid, one lb. nickel and one lb. lead and one maund coal per month. The cost of raw materials it consumed was about Rs. 35 per month. The other two establishments were consuming raw materials worth Rs. 27 and Rs. 22 per month.

These establishments were managed by members of owners' families and no paid employees were engaged in them. The daily working hours observed in these shops were eight.

Main work done in these shops was manufacture of minor items like small lanterns funnels, and petty repair work like repairing of buckets, trunks and other articles. These shops received orders for repair work from local market. The net income of each shop varied from Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 per month. Articles made in the shops were sold in local market. Business was brisk during October and June. The margin of profit in all the three shops was very low.

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