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APPENDIX G.
Minute by the Honourable the Captain Superintendent of Police, in C.S.O. 2804/1900.
Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY,
The difficulties that European residents are finding with their Chinese servants, especially chair and ricksha coolies, have become more accentuated than ever during the last five months.
I have had appeals for help in getting chair and ricksha coolies from a number of residents during that period including the following:-Mr. J. Hastings, Mr. J. F. Reece, Mr. J. S. Harston, Mr. Gumpert, Commodore Powell, His Excellency Major- General Gascoigne, the Colonial Secretary, Mrs. Hance and various others whose names I cannot call to mind. I have also assisted by engaging coolies for Government House.
I have been making some enquiries into the causes of the difficulty, and I find that they are as follows :-
(a.) Want of control. I can get coolies for people, because I have means of getting at a headman of licensed coolies who has influence with, and knows where to look for, coolies. A private individual's house boy or No. 1 chair coolie, either will not or cannot find inen in a market where labour is undoubtedly scarce.
(b.) Want of house accommodation for coolies out of and waiting for employ.
This limits the supply.
(c) The dearness of rent and of living generally.--This also limits the supply, for coolies can't afford to come down from the country seeking employ- ment, unless they are assured beforehand that they have some house to go to live in and are possessed of what is, to them, not inconsi- derable sum of ready money.
Thus in 1898 it cost a chair coolie $3.75 a month to live in a coolie house for chair coolies. They all live in these houses while looking for and when out of work, and, even when employed, frequent these houses to see their countrymen, and in many cases to sleep at night.
This sum was made up as follows, and I have set against the items the cost for the same accommodation and food at the present time :—
1898.
1901.
Rent
Rice
.$0.25
$1.00
1.20
1.60
Provisions
1.50
1.50
Firewood and Oil' .............. 0.60
0.90
Shaving
0.20
0.20
$3.75
$5.20
I find that the large local employers of labour have had to raise the rate of wages of their Chinese employees during the last few months, and that the rise is not altogether attributable to Plague.
I am not at liberty to state the figures, which were supplied to me confidentially. To remedy this unsatisfactory state of things I have to recommend as follows:-
(a.) that Government build a number of houses on Mr. Chathain's model-
dwellings model in Taipingshan or other convenient locality;