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A.-I will give you an instance.
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A Chinaman engaged my ricksha from Wanchai to Taihang. When I got there he gave me five cents. I said "Give me a little more and he gave me a little more.
Q. What is the proper fare?
A. Ten cents.
Mr. Badeley. How did you manage to get your licence, did you have to pay any- thing to anybody for it?
A.-I paid a man thirty dollars as tea money to get the licence for me. He has gone home to the country.
Mr. Wilcox. Do all ricksha coolies have to pay this tea money when they take up a ricksha?
A. Yes.
Q.-As much as that, or sometimes more?
A. Perhaps some more, and perhaps some less.
Q. Do you send money home to your relatives?
A. Yes. I send every now and then some money to support my family, but I save very little.
Q.-You have a family at home?
A. Yes.
—
Q. Why don't you bring your family here?
A.-I can't afford it because house rent is very dear and I just make enough to support myself.
Q. And your family on the mainland ?
A. Yes. House rent is very dear. You have to pay from twenty to thirty dollars a floor.
The Chairman.—Why did you come to Hongkong?
A. On account of poverty. There was nothing for me to do at home, so I came down here to pull a ricksha and earn my living.
Q. Are there lots of people in your parts who have nothing to do?
A. Yes, there are some very poor people.
LI KWAI re-called:-
The Chairman. Do short distance journeys pay you better than long distance runs ? A.—It depends upon the ricksha hirer. If he thinks I am a hardworking man,
then he pays more usually, As a fact short runs make more money.
runs.
for?
Q. Do the major portion of your earnings come out of your short runs ?
A. Yes. Sometimes we have to go a long distance, but the majority are short
Q.-Do Chinese bargain with you to carry them?
A.--Some of them do.
Q.-If it would ordinarily be a five-cent fare, what would they bargain with you
A. Some of them say, for instance, when the fare is five cents, they bargain with you for three or four cents, but when you demand the full fare, they pay.
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