The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-10
PuNJAuB . JEWELERS..
Essir Best Customers Found Among d

Ehsir Best Customers Found Among the
Poorer Glasses.
NO silver and little gold IS produced
IN tne PunJaub The silver Is imported,
prlncipahy from China, In slabs and IN
pars from Europe and Bokhara Gold
IS OBTAINED IN leaves from China and In
ingots from Europe and Australia
Inc imports OF precious metals Tor the
manufacture OF Jeweiry are estimated
at leo iakhs OF rupees per annum.
IN 1881 the total number OF worker
10 goid ara silver IN the Pun1auo was
44,SSa Inc number mas probably not
been materially changed since then.
Inc gold = usually purrfied by MAX
ing u INTO leaves, which are sprinkied
with brick dust and salt and by then
heating the whole IN slow ire The
powder aosorbs the impurities
The common agency for the distrlbu-
ton OF the imported gold and silver
from the main Importing centers, Del
nj, Amritsar, Lahore and Peshawar, IS
the sraf' and for the most part all man
uiactured wares pass through the
hands OF this Individual de also acts
as broker between the sunar and the
customers OF the latter, and IN fact APP
pears to be to the SUGAR what the bun
Nah - to the agriculturist-banker
and pawnbroker The sraf, further,
tests and weighs the ornaments when
they leave the hands OF the sunar, act
ing as arbitrator when disputes be-
tween buyer and seller call for adjndi-
cation. 1t IS clear, therefore, that the
former in his manifold capacities has
great opportunities and that lie Is more
than suspected OF ffeett eonniying
with the sunar to impose upon the pur-
chaser, and 1T is not denied that he is
sometimes Implicated in the melting
down OF stolen goods.
The sunar appears TO act in some re-
spect as jackal to nc sraf, and fate has
been against him In the first pace
there is considerable doubt about his
belonging ID true caste; at all events
his social status Is equivocal. Mr.. lb-
betson in his census report, alluding to
the subject, states that the sunar
''prides himself on bciagGone Of the
twin BORN other castles. however, do
not apparently recognise this; the Jat,
+ r example although he may follow
the same trade looks down on the sunar,
while in certain p aces he is regarded
as little lower than the bnnn ah. Ira
dition affords the exp'anat on in the fol-
lowing account of his origin The god
dess Devi constructed man out of the
dust and sweat of her forehead and
babe him destroy a demon that was
prosecuting her. This was accom-
pli,hed by first polishing the demons
nails, and the by promise to make
all his body shine similarly, inducing
the tiend to sit on a charcoal fire. The
resulting gold mass was presented to
the MAR but, like true sunar, he muir
INJURED at the iuadequacy of the reward,
whereupon Dew in disgust ours ID him,
and TIE ban has laid heavy on his race
ever since.
So the ro query of the sunar, unlike
that of the sraf, is always in vain. He
is nobody's friend and mob )dI trusts
him. Notwithstan ling that the world
deals severely with him. his positi IN is
assured, and he is factor in almost
every village community.
The reason for this is that the poor
est classes have more or less money to
spend on his handiworll. Here, toos as
in other parts of the country, poor
clothing and frugal meals are not i'm
consistent with jswelry bedecked
wife, In the matter of the ornamental
ton of themselves and their women the
Dur hon h &c Cf tod al