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simply do it to help people out of the difficulty. It is not part of the business of the Police. At the same time, if I don't render the assistance people would simply be without coolies and could not get them at all.
Q. Do you think any action should be taken on Police grounds to obtain more control over this class of coolies, that is private chair and ricksha coolies?
A. Well, the licensing of men like that would be certainly a useful thing. Q.-Supposing any legislation was introduced, would you approve of legislation which was directed towards the registration of this class of coolies?
A.--Yes, they ought all to be registered and licensed.
Q.-Would you make registration compulsory and would you make non-registra- tion penal?
A.--Yes.
Q.-Would you approve of photographing such coolies ?
A.--Yes, we would have to photograph them.
Q.
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-Do you consider that a very useful method of controlling Chinese ? A.--Yes. You must do it to enable you to identify them. We have not got anybody here yet trained in the identification by finger marks. Therefore we would have to photograph.
Do
Q.-Do
you approve of the registration being without fees as an encouragement to register? Do you think it would be an advantage if registration were without fees? A.-I don't think so. I think the Chinaman generally values what he pays far more than what he gets for nothing.
Q.-Should employers be liable to a fine for employing unregistered coolies?
A. Yes, certainly..
Q.-You remember the old Ordinance No. 7 of 1866 called the Victoria Registra- tion Ordinance, and you remember that sections 22 to 29 of that dealt with the question of registration of servants?
A. Yes.
Q.-Now, would you approve of legislation on the lines of those repealed sections? Do you think that is the kind of legislation that is wanted with the additions we have suggested about photographing the coolies and making it penal for employers to employ unregistered coolies?
A. Yes, that was what I recommended, that these sections should be re-enacted with the addition of compulsory photographing.
Q.--Have you found compulsory photography in other branches useful?
A.--Yes; all the licensed ricksha coolies and chair coolies are photographed, and there is a black book kept of men who are complained of as obnoxious, and men who persist in breaking the rules of the road and rushing for passengers. If fines have no effect on them, we cancel their licences, and then we have got them in the black book and they can't get licences again. It has a good effect.
Q.-From your experience, would you anticipate any temporary trouble if a registration order were introduced and strictly enforced on the lines just mentioned?
A.--Well, it depends upon how it is done. If you start in and state that all Chinese coolies must be registered and licensed to-morrow, you would be bound to have a strike and trouble.
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