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Q.-In the answers which you were good enough to give us the other day, you say you have had difficulty in procuring private coolies?
A. Yes.
Q. And you also told us you had difficulty in retaining your chair coolies ?
A. Yes.
Q-May we ask you how you procure your private coolies-through your Compradore, or boy, or how?
A.—Well, I generally had one old coolie come back and he would get other men ; sometimes the same men as I had before would come back. They change off and on.
Q.-But you don't get them through your Compradore?
A.—No, I have on occasions told the boy when we got to a dead-lock, to find out coolies from among his friends.
Q.-Hare you
often been at a dead-lock?
A.-Never more than a day or so.
Q-Have your coolies often left you without giving notice or resigning?
A. Yes.
Q.-They gave no reason?
A.--No reason.
Q.-Do you find your gang of coolies changing much?
A. Yes, continually changing.
Q.-What we want you here this evening for is to get your opinion on two points. The first point is this: Are you in favour, or are you not in favour, of compulsory registration of private coolies? and the second point is: Are you in favour, or are you not in favour, of making it penal for masters to employ unregistered private chair and ricksha coolies? Now then, dealing with the first point-registration or no registration- will you tell us whether you are in favour of compulsory registration or whether you are not in favour of it?
A.--Well, I should be in favour of it under certain conditions. broad question to ask. There is registration and registration.
It is a very
Q.--Supposing I give you an outline--all private chair and ricksha coolies must be registered; they must all be photographed; they must all have a certificate of registration—take these three broad points. Under these conditions, are you in favour of registration?
A.--If the registration costs a nominal fee.
Q.--It would be gratis. That is our idea; what then?
A.--I should certainly say that I should be in favour then.
Q. Your answer on that point being favourable, it will save us putting a lot of questions to you. In your answer to the question: "Are you in favour of making persons who engage unregistered coolies liable to a fine at the Police Court?" you say: "No, I am not in favour of employers being fined. The coolies are the persons to be punished if registration is introduced. It is impossible for employers to keep the run of their servants as substitutes are often there without the employer's knowledge or consent." We agree on the point that coolies should be punished but, at the same time, is the coolie who offers his services to be punished and not the master who accepts the services?
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