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Mr. Badeley.—I don't think they rob much.
Mr. Wilcox. In connection with the registration, you are aware that it fell into disuse partly because it could not be rendered effective owing to coolies and other ser- vants personating one another?
Witness. Yes, I remember that. It was because the registration ticket was not retained by the employer; but latterly the employer used to retain it.
The Chairman.-Under the law it was the duty of masters to retain it, was it not? A.--Yes, but some people were careless. I had the experience myself. Suppos- ing the coolie is not a good character man, he brings a ticket from a good character man and then after a week or a fortnight the good character man wants the ticket back. It is most essential that the employer should retain the ticket.
Mr. Wilcox.-Do you think it would be advisable to attach photographs to the registration tickets?
A. Yes, I was going to say that that would be a very good means of identifying the right men.
Q.-Would you make it penal that employers should register their servants-that is, compel them to register their servants?
A. That is the only remedy.
The Chairman.--Do you think, Mr. Byramjee, that the Parsee community as a community would raise any objection to their being punishable if any of them employ- ed servants who were unregistered?
A.-Most of them are commercial people who employ compradores, and the com- pradore employs his own reliable assistants and the master has not much control over the servants.
The Chairman. These are not coolies. What I am referring to is private chair and ricksla coolies.
Witness-That will not affect the Parsee community in any way.
Q.-Would the Parsee community object to a law that if any non-Chinese engaged an unregistered servant he would be punishable ?
A.-No; they would co-operate.
Mr. Wilcox.-I think they would. Pa rsees have always been law-abiding citizens. The Chairman. Don't you think that matters might be improved a good deal with respect to coolies ?
A.-It is the fault of some of our citizens. Some are too good-hearted. The laws are too good and our gaols are like paradises to them.
Mr. Wilcox. Have you heard any complaints as to the conduct of chair coolies in their behaviour on the streets and their rudeness to ladies ?
A.--Yes. I know of good many instances. There is great difficulty in obtaining coolies for private chairs. Mrs. Seth and Mrs. Hance and many others could tell. They have not had coolies for two or three months.
The Chairman.-Do you know instances of private chair or ricksha coolies using foul language?
A. They do everything. When you employ them they give you a certain natne. As for me, they used to call me tiger because they say I was ferocious. They give you every kind of naine. If you ask them to sweep your rooms, you usually have to force them to do it; they abuse you at the same time and make use of most obscene language. Some coolies refuse to work on Sundays such as to wash floors and clean glass windows.
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