CO129-187 - Governor Hennessy - 1880 [1-4] — Page 221

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was dour in 1857. The present system of that Department, to

a contractor

blain such Coolies, Scarrugers, Watchmen, ste, as are daily required, through appears tobe botte Expensive and ineffective.

The Royal Engincer contract for an ordinary coolie is 135 (about) cents per diem. The Commissariat Contract for the same is 25 cents, whilst the Ordnance Store Dr. partment pay 20 cruts, the Current Hong Kong rate. The latter departement Employs

belwera

70 and so Chinese on their permanent Establishment, and have no Contractor, and the Committer will, Ifeel sure, Endorse my opinion how physic- ally superior they are bothose obtained through the Commissariat Contractor, as exemplified in the recent work in mounting and dismounting the fures in the Batteries.

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The advantages in having permanent Establishment of Coolies seem to be, that it costo less, that a better class of men are obtained, that they are more under control and can be utilized as required,

that

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that they would becour dis. ciplined and learn to work together, that the Head men or Overseers would be better up to their duters, and lastly that the nucleus of a Corps of Carriers would be formed, capable of Expansion as required in War

The present system is for the Contractor toperform the farrison Coolie work without "Commissariat Enquiry as to

men he employs, and this gives little dată upon which to calculate the strengths

how

many

of a Permanent Corps.

4.S. Stflain Captain

Brigade major.

Brigade Office.

Hong kong,

23 December 1879.

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