Page:Gandhi - The Wheel of fortune.djvu/119

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SPINNING AS FAMINE RELIEF
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cotton. After it was thus cleaned, it was ginned with a hand-gin which gave work to some women who ginned, at the rate of one anna per 10 lbs. One woman could thus earn 2 as. and 6 pies each day. This ginned cotton was then cleaned by a pinjari who charged at the rate of one anna per pound and earned about 8 as. per day. It would have been better and easier too, if cotton had been purchased from the mills, but as his cleaning process of the local cotton provided work for a few workers, it was thought the more desirable in these days. A major portion of these cleaning charges is however made up by the sale of cotton seed secured after ginning. The following statement will show the expenses incurred for this and the price of raw cotton for every 60 lbs.

  RS. A. P.
Price of 60 lbs. of raw cotton @ 20 Rs. a patia (240 lbs.) ...  5—0—0
Removal of dirt, waste and dry leaves @ 1 pice per pound ...  0—15—0
Ginning of 52 lbs. of raw clean cotton @ 1 an. per 10 lbs. ...  0—5—3