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estate. If you go by yourself on arrival at the port 
in Malaya you can go to work wherever you like. 
No labourer is compelled to work more than 9 
hours a day. On estates, in fact, weeders never work 
more than 8 hours and tappers never more than 6 hours 
a day. Work begins at 6 or 6-30 a.m. 
No labourer is bound to work on more than 6 days 
in one week. 
Wages vary according to locality. At present they 
range from 30-45 cents a day, i.e. t 9-12 annas for men, 
and 25-35 cents a day, le. y annas 7-10 for women. 
Wages must be paid at least once a month. Cash 
advances are usually made to labourers working on 
estates. Rice is also sold at cost price. If the labourer 
has no cash to pay for rice purchased, credit is allowed. 
At the end of the month when wages are paid the 
advance is deducted and also any money due on account 
of rice bought on credit. Only cost price of rice is 
recovered. No other deductions from salary are 
allowed. 
On most estates even children over 10 years of age 
can get light work at 10-20 cents (2%-5l/2 annas) a 
day. A labourer is paid only for days or parts of days 
on which he works. If he does half a day’s work he 
is entitled to half the daily wage for that day. No 
fine is imposed for absence from work. 
All estate coolies and most coolies employed on 
Government works are provided free of cost with 
houses built according to Government plan. 
When sick, emigrants are either treated free in 
estate hospitals or else sent at their employer’s expense 
to Government hospitals. Even if there is no hospital 
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