(41)
A.-No, there was nothing in the Ordinance against it. The excuse they gave was that they thought the old registration ticket was of no more use. When they were found out, that was the excuse. They said they thought they had to get a new ticket
because they had a new employer.
The Chairman.--They went and sold the other one probably?
A.—I have heard of a good many cases of passing on their tickets and selling them to other people.
Mr. Badeley. As regards the renewing of the photographs, would it be sufficient if they were renewed at each change of employment? It is suggested that they be changed every year.
A.-One man might change his employer after one or two months only. The same photograph would do for a couple of years. It might be left to the discretion of the employer or the Registrar to order another photograph. They could look at the man and see if there was any change in him as compared with his last photo. and, if so, get a new photo.
Q Did you, when in the Registrar's Office, ever engage coolies for people?
A.--At one time, people would come to the Office and ask me whether I could get coolies for them. In two or three cases, I did get coolies for them, but it was just a sort of friendly business.
[This concluded Mr. Osmund's evidence.]
17th September, 1901.
BOMANJEE BYRAMJEE declared:
The Chairman.-How long have you been in Hongkong?
Witness. I have been here since 1864, Sir.
Q. Did you make use of the Victoria Registration Ordinance No. 7 of 1866, to register your servants?
A. Yes, I registered my servants all the time the Ordinance was in force.
Q. Did you find the Ordinance of any use?
A.-Oh yes, it was a great benefit.
Q.-Did you think the Ordinance on the whole a failure or success ?
A.-Well, soine people did not care much for registering their servants. They were rather careless and did not like to bother themselves, but to me it was not a bother because when a coolie came without his registration ticket, I used to send in my chitbook with twenty-five or fifty cents and get him registered.
Q.-After a bit it fell into disuse.
Why did the people not take trouble over it? Can you give us any reason for that ?
A.-I think the coolies themselves did not like to have this registration, because the employers would set a mark on the ticket for his bad conduct-absent from duty or something of that kind. They did not like that.
Q.-Taking you, Mr. Byramjee, as representing the Parsee community, can you tell us whether the Parsee community to-day have any difficulty in obtaining servants, and when they have obtained them, in retaining them?
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