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A.-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 monopoly.
Q.-There is always a danger in any monopoly, but if you can't get coolies it be- comes necessary sometimes to resort to such a medium. Are you in favour of it, Mr. Hanson?
A.-I can't say that I am.
Q. Do you think that this question of the scarcity of chair coolies and ricksha coolies affects the Chinese in any way?
The Chairman.-Chinese residents. I mean do they feel the pressure at all?
A.—I have never heard, Sir. I bave had no complaints from Chinese.
Q.--So far as you know, the Chinese seem well able to take care of their servants?
A. Yes.
You know
Mr. Badeley.-What do Chinese employers pay their ricksha coolies? pretty well what we have to pay, what then does one of these wealthy Chinese pay his ricksha coolies?
A.-1 can't tell you offhand. I think one man told me that he pays—
The Chairman. If you can't answer the question you might enquire and answer in a memorandum and we will annex it.
Witness. Yes.
Mr. Badeley. Are ricksha and public chair coolies interchangeable? I mean does a ricksha coolie go back to a chair or a chair coolie to a ricksha, or are they different classes?
A.- When the ricksha coolie gets broken up he goes and carries a chair for a time. The ricksha is the more lucrative.
Q. How many years can a man last at ricksha work ; have you any idoa ? A.-I fancy a man ought to last about three years, but I can't be quite sure.
Q.-What would he do after? Would he take to a chair or go to some other cm- ployment?
A.-I think they rather like the chair. There is some money in it.
Q-Supposing there was a large number of additional public rickshas licensed, where would the new coolies come from? Would they come down from the country, or would all the private chair coolies leave their employment and rush to get them?
A. That would depend on the licensee of the rickshas, Sir,
Mr. Wilcox.-The licensee of the rickshas is the man who gets them?
A.-Yes. He would want a certain sum from each coolic.
Q.-Where do you think he would get them from?
A. If he had friends in private employ, he would get them.
Q. Do you think it would take a good many private coolies away from their em- ploy if the number of public rickshas were increased ?
A.-It might to some extent. It depends on how many of them might be friendly with the licensee of the public rickshas.
Q.-If the profits of public rickshas were suddenly reduced, would public ricksha- inen take on work as private chair coolies or would they go back to their own country- supposing something happened to cause this decrease, such as this tram scheme?
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