883
It was pointed out that at the time, the minimum ricksha fare was five cents for a quarter of an hour; however, the coolie was paid ten cents.
In most cases, there was five cents for a quarter of an hour! However, the coolie was paid ten cents.
The Commission advocated ricksha rates of two, three, and five cents for five, ten, and fifteen minutes respectively, and also suggested that a scale for distant fares should be introduced.
The Commission surmised that private chair and ricksha coolies occasionally eluded the vigilance of the police and succeeded in acting as substitutes for public coolies, or themselves employed what looked like private rickshas in soliciting fares. It was therefore recommended that the police, while on ordinary duty, should more frequently require chair and ricksha coolies to produce their licenses, and should arrest and charge all who did not produce licenses bearing their own photographs.
It was further recommended that one or more members of the Police Force, who might be called Inspectors of Public Vehicles, should be detached to supervise all licensed public vehicles and coolies.
The Commission's report stated that it appeared from the evidence that the Chinese generally did not wish that any steps should be taken to register or otherwise control coolies in their employ. No recommendation was therefore made on this point.
Finally, the Commission emphatically urged that the proposals contained in its report should be given a trial during the coming winter months and that no threats of opposition or rumors of a strike be allowed to thwart an attempt to remedy the prevailing difficulties and inconvenience. The community, added the report, might have to face a brief dislocation of the private ricksha service, but should be amply repaid for any temporary discomfort by the benefits expected to accrue.
The Commission trusted that all ranks and divisions of the non-Chinese community would be prepared to cooperate in order to make the legislation and measures which it had proposed effective and workable. It hoped that the wealthier members of the non-Chinese community would sink all considerations of personal inconvenience, dignity, trouble, and loss of time, and would combine with the less favored members of the community in lending their support to provide a remedy for the admitted evils which had given rise to the Commission.