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2415. Out of a hundred of the Chinese in the Straits Settlements,
how many would vote for the prohibition of opium smoking ?-70 per cent
or 80 per cent, excluding those with vested interests.
2416. Will that 70 per cent or 80 per cent support the Government
strongly if the Government prohibits opium smoking ?-Not all, only a
portion; those who realise therinjuriousness of the habit would back up the
Government.
2417. What are you willing to do for the Government ?-I myself
w'Juld surely back up the Government.
2418. Are you willing to inform the Government about every unlicensed
smoker who comes to your notice ?-Yes.
2419. Dr. Galloway.-How far away is your estate in Johore?--9 miles
away from Johore Bharu.
2420. Have you much fever amongst your coolies up there ?-No,
not much; I have my own doctor on the estate.
2421. Which are the better men for work on your estate, the nonsmokers
or the smokers ?-The non-smokers.
2422. Which of them stand out against sickness best?-I do not know.
2423. What are really your objections to opium smoking ?-The opium
smoker, when he has the craving, is a useless man; he earns bis money only
to smoke.
2424. But you have just told us that the best coolies in your factories
are the opium smokers ?-2O per cent of my coolies are smokers. When
they get sick they have to take advances to buy opium.
2425. They always pay those advances back; don't they ?-No; some
die and some leave in my debt.
2426. The reason why you employ opium-smoking coolies is that you
must have them to carryon your work; you would be short without them ?-'
I do not like smokers; but some of them learn to smoke after I have taken
them on .
.. 2427. Can you get sufficient non-apium-smoking coolies to fill the whole
of your requirements in your pineapple factories aRd on your rubber plantation
?-No, I cannot.
2428. You must employ opium-smoking coolies?-Yes.
2429. You stated, in answer to the Chairman, that if Government
brings in restriction then you would get sufficient non-smoking coolies.
How would you manage that ?-The smokers will throw off the habit in two
or three years.
2430. Do you not think that restricting opium will prevent many coolies
coming here from China ?-I do not think so.
2431. Don't you think that a large number of the smokers, if restriction
came in, would go back to China where opium is cheap ?-It was because
they did not have work in China that they came to the ,Straits What would
they do if they went back to China; they would not get work there?
2432. If they cannot get opium here they will naturally go to a place
where they can get opium, won't they?-If chandu is prohibited all over
the world where will they go?
2433. Then you think that we should prohibit it if the rest of the
world prohibits it ?-I£ that can be done it would be the best way. '
2434. Mr. Lim Nee Soon.-If your opium-smoking coolies earned more
money, would they spend more on opium ?-Yes; generally opium smokers
spend all their spare money on opium.