109 



in need for a large influx of Chinese, but the Mining Industry 

 no doubt is short of labour; Mr. Choo Kia Peng instancing 

 that whereas formerly naichang gangs consisted of 50-80 men, 

 now their maximum number was 30. 



The Government having decided to make indentured sinkeh 

 labour illegal after July 1st 1914, the question is what would 

 become of the 25,000 sinkehs, that annually arrived in Singa- 

 pore? By far the greatest majority went to the Dutch Indies 

 and that transit traffic will doubtless be deflected from Singa- 

 pore. Of the balance, only very few go to estates in the 

 Peninsula. About a year ago, there was a great and acute 

 demand for Chinese labour, mainly for lalang weeding, but the 

 demand has subsided as svddenly as it started, and latterly 

 there have been great difficulties to place even a few hundred 

 sinkehs then in the depots at Singapore ; and the Hon. C. J. 

 Saunders corroborated that at the present moment he knew 

 practically of no sinkehs in the Singapore depots : all of which 

 goes to show, that there is no urgent demand for this class of 

 labour on the estates. 



To supply the requirements of planters, the latter, if desirous 

 of getting Chinese labour, will now have to get a kangany 

 connection in China, in the same as way they all have already in 

 India. The kangany system of recruiting in small batches is 

 quite feasible, when not in the hands of professional recruiters, 



but of the individual estates. 



'• 



What can be done, if a planter knows how to handle Chinese 

 labour and how to go about the recruiting in the right way, 

 was shown by Mr. Choo Kia Peng, who has recently sent one 

 of his estate kapalas to Amoy, whence he has returned with 15 

 men of a most desirable stamp. The advances given out 

 amounted to $200, which sum represented the total — irrecover- 

 able — expenditure. The coolies were put on day pay at the 

 rate of 58 cents out of which 2 cents goes to the kapala. 

 These coolies have now been on the estate for ten months and 

 show no inclination of absconding. 



Another point, on which there seemed to be a consensus, was 

 that just now in the troubled times China is going through, 

 planters have the best opportunity of making a start with 

 kangang recruiting. People over there finding now neither 

 work nor safety, are apparently only too anxious to emigrate to 

 the Malay Peninsula, and this applies particularly to the better 

 class people and includes families. 



Until there is a Chinese Government to treat with, the 

 Government of this coui try is of course unable to move in the 

 matter anyhow; and unK ss planters are anxious to see consti- 

 tuted a machinery analogous to the Indian Immigration Com- 

 mittee and Fund, there is at present no object in asking for any 

 Government assistance. 



