Modular Infotech Pvt. Ltd. - DSpace

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2583. Did they ask you for any compensation ?-None whatever; they
are all told when they get. the licences that they are not worth anything
to them.
2584. Did you get many petitions about the hardship inflicted on these
people by their livelihood being taken away from them ?-No, we had no
trouble at all. I generally' give them 3 months' notice. When a Government
shop is opened their shops have to close and they get their licences
for that period only.
2585. Would there be any difficulty in supplying from the main depot
the retail Government shops in the outlying districts ?-No.
2586. Any risk ?-No; I propose that they should be always under a
police escort. My scheme is to call them sub-retail shops in the small
districts, and they will draw their supplies from the head retail shop, and
whenever they go to get their supplies they will be accompanied by a
policeman. They will be given an original supply of chandu from the head
officf.; when· they have sold that chandu they will then cease to deal with the
head office and will proceed to the head retail shop and, with the money that
they realise by the sale of their original supply, they will replace their stock.
They can never exceed a certain amount.
2587. Mr. J elf.-Don't you anticipate you would require a large
escort ?-No, because their stocks would be very small, about $800 worth,
and would be replaced every week from the head retail shop.
2588. Chairman.-With Government shops only, would you require
a very reliable man to be in cllarge of each shop ?-AII our clerks are
guaranteed by an Insurance Company to an amount exceeding the value of
their stock.
2589. Is there much p .. rchasing in bulk by miners and estate owners
for distribution to their coolies on mines and estates far from any retail
shop ?-I cannot think of any particular instance; but I think it undoubtedly
goes on.
2590. I suggest it is a matter of common knowledge ?-Common
gossip; not within my knowledge.
2591. Do you think it is objectionable ?-I do not think it is any more
objectionable than the miner buying all the supplies for his coolies, which
he undoubtedly does.
2592. 1£ you reduce the number of retail shops under the Government
shop system, would you encourage open acknowledgment of the purchase
on behalf of coolies on far distant mines and estates ?-No, if the sales were
sufficient I should open a Government shop.
2593. As to smoking rooms, are you in favour of their continuance
or· not ?-At present, yes.
2594. Do you think you would have any difficulty in finding an adequate
number of suitable officers to take cI1arge of an adequate number of Government
smoking shops ?-At the present moment I do not think it is a suitable
time to attempt it. My idea is that having taken over the whole of the retail
sales in the first place, it would then be time to start to deal with "on"
licensees; and my idea of dealing with the "on" licensees takes the form
of taking .away their entire profit on the 3-hoon packets, or any chandu at
an, and increasing the price of their dross. At present they get a profit
of $1 a tahil on the chandu they purcl1ase from us. If the "on" licensee
returns to us 50 per cent of dross he has got to purchase 2 tahils of chandu
to get one tahil of dross, and for that we increase his price from $4.50 to
$6.50; so that, .the $2 that we give him on the dross is equivalent to the
profit that he was previously getting on his chandu. Therefore, the profit
on his "on" licence would entirely depend on the amount of dross he
returned to Government.