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3248. What about the leader of the Anti-oplum Society to whom 10U
referred: did he take to it on account of sickness ?-Yes, he took to it to·
prolong his life.
3249. You say most of the woodcutters .moke opium 1-Y H, about
70 per cent.
3250. Are there any Malay woodcutters ?-I was talking of Chinese;
Malays are accustomed to this country. Opium is a good remedy for
indigestion.
3251. Mr. Chan.-You have 400 non-smoking coolies; do you olTer them
opium ?-To non-smokers, no.
3252. But if opium is such a good thing and saves their lives, why don't
you offer them ?-Tliat has nothing to do with me. The coolies work with
me a short time and then go away. I know that opium smoking is a vice,
but a man who is sick and wants to prolong his life may take it of his own
accord. .
3253. You say that opium is a medicine for certain illnesses; are your
opium-smoking coolies always ill ?-I cannot say that.
3254. If they are not always ill, why do they always take thi.
medicine ?-Because it acts. as a preventive.
3255. Would you suggest that everybody should take opium in order
to prevent themselves getting ill ?-I was talking of the coolies in the jungle.
3256. Have the town coolies any excuse for smoking opium? The
climate is not so bad here ?-The 'rikisha pullers require to smoke to enable
them to work hard. Pulling 'rikishas during the day, they inhale dust and
sweat a lot; they regale themselves with opium in the evening and are
fit to do the same work the following day. .
3257. What do your coolies earn a day ?-70 to 80 cents.
3258. How much would a smoker spend on opium ?-Sometimes they
take a 3-hoon packet, 40 cents worth; sometimes two men go kongsi in one
packet.
3259. The opium-smoking coolie would not have much chance of saving
any money?-If he chooses to he can save 20 or 30 cents a day. If he does
not spend it on opium he is likely to spend it on something worse. Coolies
never save money.
3260. Mr. Lim Nee Soon.-You said, in Canton the Government Officials
are selling opium; by whose order ?-That I cannot say. If you want
to suppress opium you should commence suppression when there is no
opium grown in China.
This concluded Mr. LAM LOOKING'S evidence.