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 suddenly 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. ]. 
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 cour try is of course unable to move in the 
matter anyhow; and unltss 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. 
