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to go from the Clock Tower to the Club. There is no fare under a quarter of an hour and it is in these short distances that the coolies make the money. Do you consider that the reduction of public chair and ricksha fares would tend to alleviate the present difficulty?
Witness. Do you think that would make people pay less? I think these ricksha men make a great deal of money out of people who don't think of anything less than twenty cents or fifty cents.
The Chairman. These are mostly visitors during the winter time, but do you think the difficulty would be met by tickets or checks such as they issue in Shanghai, or might they not have the fare laid down between certain points? In the case of gharries, I think there is one scale of fares for distance and one for time.
A.-It would be easy to lay down fares for distance in Hongkong for rickshas.
Q.-But do you think that would help to make it less lucrative for public chair and ricksha coolies and thereby probably help the private chair and ricksha coolie difficulty?
A. Yes, I suppose it would.
Q.-On the other hand, there might be this effect of reducing the fares, that there might be a scarcity of public chairs and rickshas?
A. That is true.
The Chairman.-The thing would be to reduce the fares to such an extent as just to make it profitable to continue on the street, and at the same time not leave then so high as to leave an inducement to private coolies to desert their employers.
Mr. Wilcox.-I think that a good many of these excessive earnings are made in just one or two districts and matters might be adjusted by a little regulation as to certain coolies not being allowed to monopolise certain stands, as I believe they do at the present time.
The Chairman (to Mr. Badeley).-Is that so? Do you know if certain coolies always frequent the same stands ?
Mr. Badeley.I expect that they do. It stands to reason that they do so. They are not told off to certain ranks. I don't know what they do at home with cabs. Do they tell them off to certain ranks? I know London cabs are not allowed to crawl about for hire nor are the rickshas here. When they are not employed, they have to go to one or other of the stands laid down.
The Chairman.-Is there anything more you would like to tell us?
Witness. I don't think I have anything else to say.
Mr. Badeley.--Do you know much about the wages earned by street coolies- godown and cargo coolies and so on?
A.---I am told that they make a lot of money in handling cargo. I understand cargo coolies are the best paid.
Q.-That is a more lucrative business than private chair employ?
A.-Oh yes.
Q.-Is it harder work?
A.--Yes, but not continuous work. I am told the men live better too.
Q.-Then it is very doubtful whether reducing public ricksha fares would have much effect in driving the men into private employ if cargo coolies are so well paid?
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