A representative meeting of pearls merchants held on Monday evening [on April 29 in Bombay] with Mr. Gulabchand Devehand in the chair strongly protested against the order of the Government of India prohibiting export of pearls. It was contended that pearl merchants who were holding large stocks were hit by the sudden prohibition and that the entire export of pearls from British India amounted to less than one per cent of the total value of exports from India and was not therefore calculated to increase any difficulty in the exchange situation. A resolution was passed drawing the attention of the Government to their memorial and urging the withdrawal of prohibition at an early date. The speakers at the meeting laid particular stress on the fact that the markets of the world were still open to diamond trade. Even England was still importing diamonds. An instance was quoted of the Russian Rouble Notes which were being exported in large quantities outside British India and it was forcibly urged the Government should have put an embargo on export of Rouble Notes than on export of pearls.
