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there is absolutely none?-We do not recognise a right in any licence in the
Federated Malay States. .
3477. Mr. lelf.-But does it not stay in the family?-It does. Unless
something turns up, we simply leave it with them.
3478. Chairman.-Supposing you decide, we will say, to change the
Sultan Street shop to a Government shop, and you decide to do that on the
1st July next; you would not require to pay any compensation to the present
licensee ?-They would probably petition for it, but I do not t.hink they would
get it. It would be a matter of ex gratia.
3479. As Secretary for Chinese Affairs, would you support an appeal
like that? It would obviously come through you, I should think ?-I suppose
I should have to send it on and see what Government are going to decide.
3480. But would you discriminate between cases in dealing with a
matter like t4is? Would you say that one case was more hard than another
?-No, there is no discrimination.
3481. You do not recognise the principle of compensation to those
licensees whose licences are withdrawn ?-No, not as a legal right;
3482. Mr. Ic/f.-Can you conceive of cases in which you would recommend
compensation ?-I£ you paid it to one, you would have to pay it to all.
3483. Chainnan.-Supposing you had to reduce by degrees, what
system of reduction-that is, of choice between existing licensees-would you
recommend the Government to adopt? You want to get rid of 30, we will
say, and you get rid of IS at the end of one 6 months and IS at the end of
the next 6 months after. How would you recommend the Government to
choose the IS'that carryon for the, longer time ?-In town, the first thing
to do is to put your own shops up alongside them and reduce their profits.
3484. That is what you ,would call "freezing them out" ?-Exactly.
348S. Do you think it would be feasible, when you are going to licence
a reduced number of shops, to allow ballotting among the existing Iicenceholders
?-I do not see why you should do that. I do not think it would be
right, because a whole lot of shops drawn in the ballot might be in one
street or in one small area. If you are going to reduce them gradually, the
reduction ought to be spread over the whole area.
3486. What is the real weakness of the ballotting system ?-Any suggestion
of that nature could only become possible if the shops were all on
Government property.
3487. The next reference to us is the: question of rationing by means
of settling on X tahils per head of the Chinese adult male population. Have
you any observations to offer ?-That will lead to corners, probably. Government
tried rationing by r:educing the amount which was allowed to opiuni
shops in 1920 and there was a great deal of trouble up here. The system had
not been going a fortnight before there were complaints coming in that
people went to the chandu shops and were told that all stocks were sold out.
3488. But " if X were great enough, that would not necessarily imply
this reduction, would it ?-I£ X were great enough, there would be a greater
supply than we have now, probably. There is another thing, too; your
population varies.
3489. Besides the population, are there any other variations?-There
is migration continually going on; for instance, tin is good and people come
up to Kinta, and so on.
3490. I would suggest to you that there is considerable tribal
variation ?-Over a pedod.
3491. What we have in evidence is that amongst the tribes. of one tribe
more smoke and smoke more ?-Oh yes, the Hokkiens are heavier smokers
than Cantonese.