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Q. Do you know of any lodging-house which is frequented by private coolies who pay to the proprietor or the landlord a fixed sum a month for the privilege of going there whenever they like?
A.-Well, I know nothing about other people's business.
Mr. Wilcox. Do they pay a subscription every month for religious ceremonies?
That is in the seventh moon. They do
A. They only subscribe once a year. not subscribe monthly.
Q.-That is only to his kun?
siders.
A.-Oh, it is only the coolies who live in my house. They subscribe to no out-
Q.-Well, chair coolies who have been with you for some time and then get pid- gin to do and then come back again, pay all the time, don't they, a small sum every month?
A.-There is no compulsion on my part or the head coolie of the house. If he likes, after he has got a billet, he may pay something towards the rent of the house..
Mr. Wilcox. You mean to say that, if they do pay, it is voluntary?
A.--Well, I think his conscience prompts him to do so, but it is a voluntary sub- scription.
P
Q. Do you know any lodging kun where the coolies who frequent it do pay regular subscriptions?
A. Of course I have no personal knowledge about it, but, from what I heard, a man once got employment and continued to subscribe towards the rent for fear that he would be kicked out by his master and would have no place to live in.
now.
Q. Do the coolies living on your floor belong to a coolie guild?
A.-No.
Q.-Quite sure of that?
A.-No.
Q.--Do any of them belong to the Triad Society?
A.-No.
Q.-Quite sure of that?
A.-No.
Q. Where do your coolies come from?
A. From Chu-chau and Swatow.
Q-Is there a Chu-chau coolie guild in the Colony ?
A. I don't know.
The Interpreter.-He wishes to tell the Commission why they pay so much rent
The Chairman.—All right,
Witness-In former days we paid only eight or nine dollars a month and now the rents are increasing month after month to twenty dollars and so on. A great number of people were allowed to live in that house before, but now it is a limited number.
Q. What rent do you pay for that ground floor?
A.-I used to pay $9.50 a month, but I have got notice that I would have to pay $20 a month beginning next month.
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