INDUSTRIES, LARGE AND SMALL-SCALE.

I-LARGE INDUSTRIES.

Electricity Generation.

Number Capital, Employment.

Electricity Generation.—With the exception of one power generating station at Sawantwadi, started by the ex-ruler of the Sawantwadi State, in 1933, there was no power generating station in the district till 1948. After 1947, four more power-houses were started one each at Chiplun, Malvan, Vengurla and Ratnagiri. Those at chiplun and Malvan were put into commission in 1950-51:and those at Vengurla and Ratnagiri in November 1949-50. The total installed capacity of the five stations was 650 k.w. in 1954. The fixed capital invested in these five establishments was Rs. 19.37 lakhs and the total employment in them was 73 in 1954. The total wage bill in the same year was Rs. 77,724 and Rs. 30,408 were paid as salaries to those who were supervisors, technicians and clerks. In 1957-58, the total employment in the establishments excluding the one at Sawantwadi was 82.

Machinery.

The power in the Chiplun Power House generates electric energy with two diesel engine sets of 150 kw. installed capacity. One set comprised 80 B.H.P. engine coupled to alternator of 400/400 volts. The second set is of 160 B.H.P. engine coupled to alternator of 125 k.w. The power plants in this power house generate alternating current of power at 400 volts, 3 phases, 50 cycles, 0.8 power factor. The power station at Malvan comprised two sets of 100 k.w. and 50 k.w. The alternator in the power house is coupled to diesel engines. Power is generated at 440 volts, 50 cycles, 0.8 power factor. In the Vengurla power house, there are three diesel engine sets, one of 200 k.w., the other of 100 k.w., and the third of 50 k.w. All these engines are coupled to alternators generating power of 350 k.w. The power is generated at 400/440 volts, 3 phases, 50 cycles. The power plant at Chiplun power house generates alternating current at 400 volts, that at Malvan alternating current at 440 volts, 50 cycles, 0.8 power factor. The Ratnagiri power house which also generates alternating current was started with an installed capacity of 150 k.w. in 1949-50. It was stepped up to 11 k.w., for transmission of power to three sub-stations situated at Ratnagiri-Mirya Road, Gadital and Rajawada in Ratnagiri town. In 1955, due to increase in demand for power in Ratnagiri town, a third diesel engine set of 200 k.w. was installed in the power house.

Production.

These power houses supply power to the respective towns where they are located. They generated, 9,98,267 units of electricity in 1954-55. In 1957-58, four out of five houses generated about 90,000 units, per month. The number of consumers served at the end of March 1958 by the Chiplun power house was 683, by Vengurla 442, and by Ratnagiri 120.

Charges.

Charges per unit levied by the power houses at Chiplun and Malvan in 1957-58, were as follows:—

Charges per unit levied by the Vengurla and Ratnagiri power houses were as under: —

Cashew-nut. Decorticating.

Cashew-nut decorticating.— Among the existing industries in the district, cashew-nut decorticating is one of the most important one, engaging about 1,700 workers. The district, particularly its southern part composed of Sawantwadi, Vengurla and Malvan talukas where kaju trees are grown in abundance, produces about 80,000 Bengali maunds of cashew-nuts annually. Malvan and Vengurla are the two important centres at which cashew-nuts are decorticated on a large scale. The raw nuts mature by March. Formerly, local supply of cashew-nuts was insufficient and large supplies were imported from Africa and Portugal. Now local supply is sufficient to meet the requirements of decorticating factories.

Prior to 1929, the industry was organised as a cottage industry. The first factory was started at Malvan on a small scale and two other large factories were started at Vengurla in 1930. In 1954, there were four factories in the district out of which one was closed thereafter. In 1958, there were three factories registered under the Factories Act.

Capital and Employment.

The total capital invested in the four factories in 1954 was Rs. 8.15 lakhs, including Rs. 2.15 lakhs as fixed capital. The indus- try is seasonal affording seasonal employment only. The season of decorticating cashew-nuts starts in July and closes in December. The total employment in these four factories in 1954 was 948 workers, of whom 891 were women. The two factories at Vengurla employed about 500 workers, out of whom 460 were women and 40 men in 1957-58. Male workers were employed in roasting, shelling and baking and female workers in shelling and grading. Women employed in shelling cashew-nuts were paid on piece-work system and earned about 13 annas per day and those employed in the grading were paid 8 to 12 annas per day. Men were paid Rs. 1-8-0 to Rs. 2 per day in 1954. The wages were more or less the same in 1958. The number of persons other than workers employed in these factories was 20 and thev were paid Rs. 23,520 as salaries in 1954.

Raw Materials.

In 1939-40, two factories, one at Malvan and the other at Vengurla purchased Rs. 7 lakhs worth of raw cashew-nuts for decortication, out of which nearly 2/3rd were imported from Africa. The price of African cashew-nuts varied then from Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 per ton. In 1954, four factories processed 4,475 tons of raw cashew-nuts valued at Rs. 24 lakhs. About half of the supply was available locally and the remaining half was imported from Africa. In 1958, the existing three factories did not import any raw cashew-nuts from Africa, but consumed locally produced cashew-nuts priced at Rs. 20 to Rs. 22 per Bengalimaund. About 26,000 cases of cashew-nuts each containing 50 lbs. Valued at Rs. 26.5 lakhs were marketed in 1954.

Process of Decorticating.

The process of removing shells from the nuts and packing of kernels into tins is carried out by hand. Raw cashew-nuts are first roasted in roasting drums which are rotated on fire by male workers by hand. Roasted nuts are then distributed among workers for decortication. About 120 maunds of raw cashew-nuts can be roasted in such drums in a day. In this process, cashew-nut oil in the shells is wasted and burnt. After decorticating, kernels are slightly baked to remove the skin and are graded according to size. The best quality is known as fine whole. One pound contains about 210 kernels of best quality. The factories adopt the technically described method of drastic roasting to obtain whole kernels. The following table shows the number of kernels according to quality and size, contained in a pound:—

One factory uses oil-bath process for roasting. Nuts are roasted on oil-bath plant and cashew-nut oil is separated simultaneously from shells during the process of roasting. Kernels are finally packed in tins in which partial vacuum is created by suction.

Market.

About 75% of the total produce of the industry is exported to U.S.A. and Britain and the rest is distributed in Bombay and other places. The selling price of the products varied from Rs. 150 to Rs. 260 per cwt. in 1954, according to grades. The fluctuations in price depend upon the demand for the product in foreign markets.

With the utilisation of better methods of roasting which would avoid wastage of oil and with better organisation, the industry is sure to prosper in the district.

Saw Milling.

Saw Milling.—The total forest area of the district is 46,958 acres, of which a large part lies in Kudal and Sawantwadi talukas. The main forest product is wood of different kinds like teak, sesame, khair, ain, kinjal, nana and jamba. Hard wood of this forest is largely demanded in Kolhapur and Belgaum districts. Soft wood is being used for manufacturing packing cases used for exporting tins of cashew-kernels, cocum, mangoes and bidis. The availability of wood and the aforementioned demand for packing cases for mangoes have encouraged the establishment and development of saw mills at Sawantwadi and Vengurla.

The first saw mill was started at Kolgaon, a village in Sawantwadi taluka, in 1904. Two others, one each at Kolgaon and Sawantwadi were established in 1932. Besides these there were 16 small establishments engaged in saw milling which did not come under the purview of the Factories Act, 1948. The employment in them was 49 in 1958. Almost all saw mills in the district were grinding grains and dehusking paddy along with saw milling, as they did not get sufficient wood for sawing. They worked for eight to nine months in a year.

Capital, Employment.

The capital invested in the three factories registered under the Factories Act, was Rs. 2,37,500, including working capital of Rs. 41,500, in 1954. Machinery installed in these mills was composed of circular saw and band saw machines, chakkis, bullers and oil engines. One saw mill had, in addition to the above machines, a lathe and a welding machine. Each mill on an average sawed about 40 cubic feet per day. Of the three mills, two establishments which were of a small size employed four and eight workers respectively. The other one employed 19 workers. These workers were paid about Rs. 11,000 as wages in 1954. Two persons employed as supervisors were paid Rs. 1,120 as salary during that year.

With a long coastal line and endowed with abundant supplies of wood this district seems to be favourably placed for starting country-craft building industry.

Chemicals.

Chemicals.—In 1954, there was one chemical factory situated at Math near Vengurla. It was established in 1945. The factory was manufacturing silicate of soda and laundry soap. It was accorded mining concessions by the former State of Sawantwadi to dig silica sand which is available in the areas adjacent to the factory.

Capital.

The total productive capital invested in the factory in 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1954 is shown in the table below:—

Employment.

The factory employed 26 workers in 1950, 27 in 1951, 41 in 1952 and 37 in 1954. The total employment in the factory other than workers was two in 1950 and 1951 and six in 1952 and 1954. The total wage bill of workers was Rs. 24,700 in 1950, Rs. 29,133 in 1951, Rs. 36,074 in 1952 and Rs. 23,912 in 1954. The salary bill of persons other than workers was Rs. 3,900 in 1950, Rs. 5,606 in 1951, Rs. 11,049 in 1952 and Rs. 13,045 in 1954.

Machinery.

The factory which had two generators of 5 K.W.H. each for generating electricity, consumed fuels and electricity worth Rs. 21,758 in 1950, Rs. 30,411 in 1951, Rs. 37,046 in 1952, and Rs. 32,661 in 1954.

Raw Materials.

The raw materials consumed by the factory were soda ash, silica, bleaching powder, caustic soda and vegetable oil. The consumption of these materials and value of materials consumed during 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1954, were as follows:—

Production.

The factory produced sodium silicate and laundry soap. The production of these two articles in 1950-1952 and 1954 was as follows:—

The factory worked to only half of its installed capacity. The products were exported to Bombay city and Mysore State. Of recently the factory produces soap only and has stopped the produc tion of other goods.

Market.

There were four other small factories producing chemicals and drugs employing about four persons in 1958. They did not come under the purview of the Factories Act.

Fruit Canning.

Fruit Canning.—The area under mango crop in the district was 8,156 acres in 1955-56. Alphonso mangoes in Ratnagiri and the surrounding areas are famous for their quality and taste and are much in demand even in western countries like U.K. and U.S.A. Availability of mangoes and cheap labour were the two factors responsible for the establishment of a fruit canning factory at Ratnagiri in 1948. It cans mango slices and pulp and works for about a month or two in the season. It had Rs. 24,500 as investment capital, of which Rs. 7,072 was working capital in 1954. About 90 workers were employed in it. They were paid Rs. 2,464 as wages in the season of 1954.

Machinery.

The factory had steam jacketed pan, pulping, exhausting and steaming machines and one high speed oil engine of 10 BHP.

Raw Materials and Production.

During the 1954 season, 1,050 cwt. of mangoes worth Rs. 21,500, and 110 maunds of sugar valued at Rs. 3,740 were used by the factory in the canning process of mango slices and pulp. Packing tins of an estimated value of Rs. 15,000 were used for the export of these products. The factory produced 30 tons of mango slices in syrups and 1,650 cases of mango pulp, both together valued at Rs. 75,000. The manufactured products were sent to Bombay, U.K., Persian Gulf and Middle Eastern countries.

There is very good scope for the development of this industry due to abundant supply of quality mangoes in this district.

Besides this factory, there was a small factory of fruit canning employing three workers. It was not registered under the Factories Act.

Printing and Book-binding.

Printing and Bookbinding.— There were 17 printing presses in the district. Out of these only one was registered under the Factories Act.

The number of persons employed in unregistered factories was 65 in 1958.

Capital.

The total productive capital invested in the establishment regis- tered under Factories Act, was Rs. 36,000 of which Rs. 16,000 represented working capital. The machinery installed in it was a cylinder machine, stitching machine, two treadles, ruling machine, cutting machine, two electric motors of 75 and 50 horse power each.

Employment.

Twenty workers were employed in the establishment in 1954 and 18 in May 1958. The total wage bill of 20 workers in 1954 was Rs. 11,340. In 1958, a skilled worker was paid Rs. 50 per month. A compositor was employed on daily wages and. was paid Rs. 2 per day. A printer working on a cylinder machine was paid Rs. 50 per month. An unskilled worker working on a treadle machine was paid Rs. 38 per month. The source of labour supply was nearby villages.

Raw Materials.

The printing press used paper of different qualities, printing ink, types, etc., as raw materials which were imported from Poona and Bombay. It consumed paper worth Rs. 15,000 and one cwt. of ink valued at Rs. 1,000 in 1954.

It printed a weekly and executed local orders. It did business worth Rs. 27,000 in 1954. Other presses also served local orders like printing of books and invitation cards. It was reported that there was not enough work for the presses to keep them fully employed.

Automobile Repairing.

Automobile Repairing.— There was one automobile repairing workshop at Ratnagiri. It was established in 1940 and was registered under the Factories Act, with a capital investment of about Rs. 1,50,000. The factory had a small workshop containing a drilling machine, a battery charger, a cutting machine, air compressor and a motor of 23½ horse power. It consumed 430 K.W. of electric energy in 1954 and employed nine persons, including one supervisor. Their total wage bill was Rs. 7,200 in 1954, inclusive of Rs. 900 paid to the supervisor.

State Transport Workshop.

Besides this factory, there were four State Transport workshops, including one divisional workshop at Ratnagiri and three, one each at Ratnagiri, Chiplun and Sawantwadi engaged in repairing vehicles owned by the State Road Transport Corporation. The capital invested in these workshops was Rs. 4,62,272 in 1955-56. About 220 workers were employed in them. Besides these workers, 16 persons were employed as supervisors and clerks. The total wage bill of these workers in 1955-56 was Rs. 17,786. Supervisors and clerks were paid about Rs. 4,000 in the same year. These establishments consumed 44,864 units of electric energv, and raw materials worth Rs. 12,15,597 in 1955-56.

There were 13 other small motor repairing establishments employing 22 persons. They did not come under the purview of the Factories Act.

Edible Oil.

Edible Oil.—In 1954, there was one oil factory situated at Chiplun. It was established in 1895. The total productive capital invested in it was Rs. 1,50,000 including Rs. 50,000 as working capital. The factory employed eight workers who were paid Rs. 1,440 as wages annually. It worked for 90 days in 1954. One person was employed as a supervisor and was paid Rs. 375 as salary. Only groundnuts were crushed in it. About 90,006 maunds of groundnut valued at Rs. 1.8 lakhs and imported from Kolhapur and Karad were crushed in the factory in 1954. Wood was mainly used as a fuel. The factory consumed about 28 Bengali maunds of wood per day. It produced about 2,880 Bengali maunds of groundnut oil and 5,400 maunds of cake valued at Rs. 1.29 lakhs and Rs. 48,600, respectively in 1954.

Besides this unit, there were four other small units which were not registered under the Factories Act. They employed eight persons.

Cement Concrete Producets.

Cement Concrete Products.—A factory manufacturing re-inforced cement concrete poles was started at Ratnagiri in 1953 with a capital investment of about Rs. 95,000, out of which Rs. 50,000 was working capital. In 1954, it had two oil engines of 30 BHP and 5 HP, one crusher, two moulding and re-inforcing machines, one drilling machine and two testing machines and 49 moulds. In the same year the factory employed 35 workers and paid total wages amounting to Rs. 16,000, including Rs. 6,000 as salaries to persons other than workers.

The factory required cement, steel wire, and metal (broken stone) as raw materials. It obtained cement and steel wire from Bombay. It consumed 500 tons of cement, 150 tons of steel wire and 500 tons of metal together valued at Rs. 1,60,000 in 1954, and produced reinforced cement concrete pipes of different sizes worth Rs. 5 lakhs. The pipes or poles were supplied to the public as well to Municipalities, District Local Board and Public Works Department.

Bidi Making.

Bidi Making.—It is one of the common industries which is found in almost all towns and large villages. There were two factories registered under the Factories Act, one each at Deorukh in Sang-meshwar taluka and Hodawade in Vengurla taluka. The factory at Deorukh was started in 1920 and was registered under the Factories Act in 1950. There were many other small establishments making bidis mainly situated at Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri, Chiplun and other places. Out of the two factories, registered under the Factories Act, information about the one at Deorukh is available. It had Rs. 30,800 as productive capital. It employed 49 workers who were paid Rs. 19,467 as wages in 1954.

Raw Materials.

Raw materials consumed by the factory were tobacco and tembri leaves. Tobacco was imported from Nipani in Belgaum district and Jaisingpur in Kolhapur district. Tembri leaves were imported from Madhya Pradesh. The price of tobacco used in bidis varied from Rs. 55 to Rs. 60 for 28 lbs. in 1954 and from Rs. 45 to Rs. 50 in 1958. About 7½ tons of tobacco valued at Rs. 36,000 and 220 lakhs of tembri leaves valued at Rs. 18,000, were consumed by the factory in the same year. Usually tobacco of medium quality and kuda leaves were used by small factories for making bidis. Kuda leaves were locally available. Making of 1,000 bidis requires about 30 tolas of tobacco. A bundle of kuda leaves containing about 750 leaves was sold for four annas. One small factory produced about five lakhs of bidis per month.

Production.

The total production of the factory at Deorukh was 200 lakhs bidis valued at Rs. 96,000 in 1954.

Bidis were manufactured by hand only. No machinery was required in this process. About 80 per cent, of the produce was exported to Bombay and the rest was consumed locally.

Button Manufacturing.

Button Manufacturing.—Aluminium buttons were manufactured by two concerns with the aid of machinery at Vijayadurg. There were small karkhandars also who manufactured similar buttons without the aid of machinery. The capital invested in these two factories was Rs. 71,882 in 1946. They used aluminium sheets and castings as raw materials which were imported from Bombay. In 1946, these two factories consumed 12 tons of aluminium sheets worth Rs. 20,521. In 1951, one factory consumed 63 cwt. of raw materials valued at Rs. 12,392.

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