98
streets.
(Enclosure.)
Extract from "China Mail" of the 20th December, 1901.
The difficulty in procuring ricksha coolies seems to have been almost met by the recent action of the authorities in placing 500 extra public rickshas on the There are now twelve hundred of these conveyances plying in Hongkong, and the coolies, finding that their earnings are not so profitable as before, are throwing aside the public ricksha and going into private employ. The public ricksha owners grumble that many of their machines are lying idle for want of coolies. The grumble, of course, is justifiable when one takes into consideration the fact that the licensee has to pay $72 a year to the Treasury for the licence for each ricksha.
Minute by His Excellency the Governor on the Report of the Committec appointed to enquire into and report on the Question of Chair and Jinricksha Coolies.
Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY,
I have very carefully read and considered this report and the evidence upon which it is based. The causes of the difficulties complained of are fairly set forth in the answer of the first witness to question 7 of page 1A-(a.) the demand for coolies is greater and the coolies are more or less limited in number; (b.) they are under no control and they can do as they like; (c) the cost of living has increased and wages are still going up. The latter reason given is borne out by 17 of the 32 responses in Appendix E. and is emphasised by Inspector HANSON in his answers to questions 9 and 10, page 11. On the other hand, as suggested in questions 3 and 4, page 14, as private chair coolies are usually housed, the increased cost of lodging outside ought to tend to increase the supply of private chair coolies.
Another reason of the alleged discontent of private chair coolies is that they object to performing the light work outside the mere carrying of chairs that has hitherto been within the scope of their duty.
The proposals put forward by the Members of the Commission to meet this state of discomfort are compulsory registration of all coolies employed as private ricksha or chair coolies, and the reduction of the fares of public ricksha and chair coolies so that their possible earnings would cease to be a temptation to private chair coolies to leave private employment and become licensed public chair coolies. The establishment of a coolie farm was also suggested, question 10, page 15, but Mr. HANSON's answer There is no doubt that if these people are put into the hands of one person, the community will have to pay largely for that man's mono- poly" confirmed by Mr. DYER BALL'S answer, question 6, page 23, is borne out by the demand of NGAN WING CHII who had evidently been approached on the subject of a monopoly, and was prepared to undertake the supply of 2,700 private chair and ricksla coolies in three classes at eleven, ten, and nine dollars respectively.
On the subject of registration, the views of the witnesses are very divergent. Registration has been tried before and proved a failure, because the masters would not be troubled by any restriction of the kind so long as they could get their work done. Mr. May's answer to question 2, page 6, shows how far this disinclination went to accept any trouble even in a case where it was notified to the master by the police that one of his boys was a thief. The answer was: 63
Well, so long as he does not trouble me, I don't mind." The evidence of Mr. DENNYS, late Crown Solicitor, showed that he was strongly opposed to any interference by compulsory registration of private coolies as an interference with freedom of con- tract, questions 6 to 9, page 29; and at question 6, page 31, he gives the reasons for