BUNGALOWS, COOLIE-LINES AND FACTORIES 291 



which is always much needed to the great benefit of the 

 general health of the labour force. Many managers may grudge 

 the trouble of seeing that this is regularly done, but it is really 

 well worth while. 



The cost of coolie-lines necessarily varies according to the 

 manner in which the work is done, the materials employed, 

 and the number of rooms in the lines, and whether the lines are 

 double or single ones. It is not wise to have more than twenty 

 or at most thirty sets of rooms in one line, as fires are by no 

 means infrequent occurrences, and lines are better set well apart. 

 Four to five coolies usually live in one room 12 feet long by 10 

 feet wide, so that it is a simple matter to count the number of 

 rooms required for any labour force, bearing in mind that 

 Klings, Javanese and Chinese need separate lines or the ladies 

 will raise trouble. 



Double coolie-lines cost less per head than single lines. All- 

 wood lines cost less than lines erected of iron and timber, and 

 all-steel lines are most expensive, but may last for about 100 

 years. For good permanent double lines of not less than twenty 

 rooms the cost per coolie, five to the room, works out in Ceylon 

 at about 2 to 2, los. per coolie. In Sumatra the cost would be 

 3, los. per head, and in the Federated Malay States and Straits 

 Settlements 4 per head, although on occasion up to 5 per head 

 has been spent for specially well-finished lines. If single lines 

 are erected the cost per head would be increased by about los. 

 in each case. The cheaper class of lines put up in Java work 

 out at i to i, 155. per head. All coolie-lines ought to have a 

 ventilator on the ridge of the roof over each pair of rooms. 

 There should be a fairly broad verandah in front of the rooms, 

 say, 10 feet wide, to permit of the coolies doing their cooking 

 with comfort, or otherwise cooking sheds should be provided. 

 The eaves should come well down over the verandah to give 

 shelter from the weather. 



When the coolie-lines are built up on posts 6 feet from the 

 ground, then the coolies do their cooking underneath the lines. 

 In such cases the soil ought to have a flooring of cement, other- 

 wise, owing to the uncleanly habits of the coolies, it will soon 

 become foul and a cause of disease. A line of this sort, con- 

 sisting of from 12 to 16 rooms, built up on timber posts set on 

 stone or cement pillars with plank weather-boarding and attap 



