The Gazetteers Department

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE TWO TOWNS was 104, of which Ratnagiri had 50 and Chiplun 54. At Chiplun, 42 establishments were situated in ward No. VII; and four each in ward Nos. III, V, and VIII. At Ratnagiri, 14 and 10, were situated in ward Nos. IV and II; eight and seven in ward Nos. VIII and VI, six and five in ward Nos. I and V. The total employment in these establishments at both the places was 612 persons of whom 404 including 40 children and two women were paid employees and 208 including 21 children were owners and their family members.

Eighteen samples at Chiplun and Ratnagiri were chosen. Of these only six establishments from Ratnagiri had furnished the necessary information. All establishments were started between 1941 and 1957. Hotel keeping was the principal occupation of the owners of these establishments which provided them employment throughout the year. Five owners raised initial capital from their own resources and the remaining one, partly borrowed and partly raised it from his own resources.

Tools and equipment in these shops consisted of tables, chairs, crockery and utensils required for preparing hot drinks and snacks. An establishment of a big size in the sample had equipment worth Rs. 8,000; of a medium size, worth Rs. 2,500 and of a small unit worth Rs. 800. Capital investment in a big establishment was about Rs. 10,000; and in an establishment of medium size about Rs. 4,000 and in a small establishment, about Rs. 2,200.

All establishments except two, were situated in rented premises, rent of which varied from Rs. 20 to Rs. 200 per month. The biggest establishment in the sample paid Rs. 200 per month as rent. Besides rent, these establishments paid charges on water and electricity. Their total bill on these two items varied from Rs. 60 to Rs. 175 per month. The other two establishments did not pay any water charges. Three of them spent Rs. 30, Rs. 50 and Rs, 7 respectively per month on advertising.

These establishments spent between Rs. 150 and Rs. 500 per month on raw materials like tea powder, sugar, milk, edible oil, gram flour, vegetables, etc., which were mostly purchased from the local market. The total employment in these shops was 70 including 56 paid employees. These employees were paid between Rs. 15 and Rs. 50 per month. A cook was paid between Rs. 30 and Rs. 50. In addition to wages, all of them were given two meals a day. They had a working day of eight to nine hours.

Main dishes served were batata-wadas, bhajis, shev and chivada, idali, dosa or amboli, misal, etc. and hot drinks like tea, coffee and cold drinks like soda, lemonade, piyush or butter milk. A dish of batata wada, bhajis, or shev and chivada or dosa was sold at two annas and a dish of idali at three annas. A cup of tea of 4 ounces was sold at one anna and a special cup of tea at annas two. The net income of these establishments was between Rs. 60 and Rs. 350 per month. Their business was slack during the rainy season and was brisk during festivals. It was reported that they experienced shortage of capital. They also felt that the rate charged per unit of electricity was very high.

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