The Gazetteers Department

THERE WERE 52 HAIR-CUTTING SALOONS in the two towns. Most of the saloons at Chiplun were situated in Ward No. VIII and only three were situated in Ward Nos. III, V and VIII. At Ratnagiri, ten were situated in Ward No. IV, five in Ward No. III, four in Ward No. II and two in Ward No. I. The number of persons employed in these establishments was 90 including 28 paid employees. Six samples were selected in the two towns but only three from Ratnagiri and one from Chiplun furnished the necessary information.

Two of them were started in 1932, the third in 1954 and the fourth in 1956. Owners of three establishments had raised the initial capital from their own resources and the remaining one borrowed a part of it. That was found to have been repaid.

Equipment in these shops mainly consisted of a few pieces of furniture, three to four sets of necessary instruments like razors machines, brushes, combs, etc., and other toilet requisites. The total value of equipment each shop had, varied between Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000. They spent annually between Rs. 25 and Rs. 50 on Repairs and replenishment of these instruments.

The total capital investment in each shop varied from Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,300. All establishments in the sample were situated in rented premises. Rent of each varied from Rs. 10 to Rs. 40 per month. They used electricity for lighting the premises and each spent between Rs. 3 and Rs. 10 per month on it. Besides these items, they paid municipal licence fee which was Rs. 2 per year per establishment.

All the shops were managed by owners with the help of paid servants. Three shops had six paid servants each and one shop had one only. They were employed on fixed wages, which varied from Rs. 50 to Rs. 70 per month per employee.

Most of the owners and employees were uneducated. Hair-cutting and shaving was their hereditary occupation which provided them employment throughout the year. Their business was brisk usually on all holidays.

These establishments earned fairly good income which was mostly spent by way of wages to employees. There was paucity of capital which they required often for investment. Scarcity of razors of good quality and cropping machines was the other difficulty felt by these shops.

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