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A.
Yes. You could get good ricksha and chair coolies ten years ago ter six dollars a month and now you have to pay seven and eight dollars.
Q.-Do the Portuguese lodge their coolies?
A.-In some cases.
Q-In those cases where they are not lodged do they pay more ?
A-No, they don't pay more, so far as I know.
Q.--You can't account for coolies not serving so long as they used to?
A. No, I can't.
Q.-In your experience, have you learned if there is any guild of private chair and ricksha coolies ?
A.-No, I don't think so.
Q. Did you ever hear of such a guild ?
A.- No.
Q.--Through the district watchmen ?
A.--No.
Q.--Did
A.-No.
you ever hear of the existence of such a guild through any other source ?
Q.-You don't know from your own knowledge, and you never heard of it? A.-No, I never heard of it.
Q. In the Magistracy, coolies are often convicted under sub-section 3 of Ordinance 14 of 1845? [Quotes.]
A. Yes.
.
Q. And I have known cases in which they have been fined as much as ten dol- lars and these fines have been paid. Now, I think it stands to reason that the coolies themselves don't pay that fine. Who pays it?
A. Their own people. Their own countrymen combine and pay it. The men of their own district, either Hak-kas or Chin-chus or of the other districts subscribe and pay the fine.
Q.-Is that a voluntary combination arising out of each case, or is it an organised combination ?
A.--I can't be sure about it, but I don't think it is an organised combination.
Mr. Wilcox. You think it is more likely to be a sort of clan business?
A.-It is more clan, yes.
The Chairman. Has photography been useful, in your opinion, to facilitate the identification of coolies ?
A. Yes, it has been useful.
Q-Do you know any other means of identifying them?
A.-I could not suggest anything better. The house servants did not get photo- graphed.
Mr. Wilcox.-But would it assist to make registration more valuable if the photo- graphs were attached to the registration tickets?