Stories from Deli

Of the Chinese emigrants who move abroad from southern China, only a small number come to Deli, and recently the desire to come here appears to be on the wane, with the result that the desired Chinese labor force became scarce and expensive. I think I can provide an easy and free means by which it can be achieved that the emigration flow to Deli becomes more powerful. The measure that I have in mind also has the great advantage that, if applied, direct emigration to Deli will be able to remain free from the evil of recruiting.

The Chinese emigrant leaves his native country not only for the purpose of seeking a livelihood elsewhere for himself, but also to save money so that he can return to China after some time in possession of cash and, above all, to be able to make money during his absence. to pass it on to his relatives left behind. Those relatives also count on this and find themselves disappointed in their expectation, so they will find the country to which their relatives have gone a bad country. If at any time those emigrants return to their village with empty purses, they will not recognize that they have forfeited and squandered the wages they deserved, instead of sending part of it to China; they will claim that they have not had the opportunity to save anything, and they will also deliver s to the land where they have been employed. workers for Deli come and it is obvious that if the wages of the coolies are spent in Deli itself and very little of it ends up in China, the name of Deli as a field of work in China will decline and the emigration to Deli will proceed. In the villages that have to fuel this emigration, the desire to try one’s luck in Deli will gradually fade because it is not supported by the only effective means, by the overmakina of hardening coin.
In order to make and sustain the flow of emigrants it is not enough that the wages of the Chinese working people are decent, a much more urgent requirement is that part of that wages be received in China. It is true that even now small sums are set aside here and there for remises to China, and occasionally even a not insignificant sum is transferred, but on the whole the remittances are of little significance in relation to the wages paid. Moreover, the amount which a coolie sends to his kinsmen usually depends on the generosity or insight of the main tooth, instead of the employer himself striving to allocate a portion of the wages to the purpose of promoting the emigration will lead, How good this remedy is, can be seen on Billiton De Billiton Me is prepared to annually return a large number of her workmen to China, to encourage saving Qn Bot nvptmakpri van ffeld to China
and just about to promote from geiu to uuiua Well, the replenishment of workers there goes without saying, the need for fresh coolies is met there easily and cheaply. Besides, in Deli too, the example of an enterprise where the measure is implemented with the most favorable effect Soon all employers in this region will have the opportunity to systematically follow the Biiliton method and to achieve in a simple way that the wages of their coolies partly end up in China.

In Medan, an office for money transfers to China has been established under the name of Tong Sim Kiok (which name indicates that the aim is “to achieve something good through cooperation”). The directors of this institution are the Major and the Captain of the Chinese, who have secured the support and cooperation of the other chiefs and of a great number of chieftains and merchants of various tribes.

The office proposes to fulfill its purpose in the following way: In addition to the head office in Medan, branches are opened in the various ports of China, located in the regions from which the coolies working here originate. On arrival at an enterprise, the novice gives his name to the chieftain, indicating the region and village in China where he belongs and to whom he wishes to send money. This is recorded in a register. The arrival of the newcomer is given, by means of the principal, with a few dollars being sent, whereby correspondence and inquiries are made possible..

During the year the coolies send money to China several times. This is done through the intervention of the administrator who sends a check for the whole amount to the head office at Medan with the letters written by or for the coolies. Every coolie who sends money issues a receipt to the head office, in Chinese and Malay, which is presented to the coolie. The amount to be transferred shall be sent without delay to the designated place in China and, through the intermediary of the branch, delivered to the addressee’s home. Evidence that such delivery has taken place shall be provided in the form of a notice from the addressee which shall be handed over to the coolie within six months.

The head office guarantees that all amounts transferred through its intervention will be paid promptly to the specified address. In the foreground it is stated that the remittance office does not wish to make a profit. To make up for the costs of the transfer to China and the delivery to the villages, therefore, with remittances of $ 1— $ 100.— no more than 10 pCt and in the case of mere amounts only 8 pCt of the sent sum have to be paid.

The notifications of receipt written in China by the addressees are delivered to the coolies. free. What the office proposes to do is by no means something new and is entirely in Chinese style. If these activities are to bear the fruits which may be reasonably expected, the administrators must, however, cooperate urging their coolies to make good use of the safe and cheap opportunity to send money to China and to enable them to do so. Then the Deli employers will get satisfied coolies and the desire to go to Deli in China will be stimulated. If the indicated measure is applied diligently and maintained, the beneficial effects will not linger; It is of course not to be expected that the effect would be immediately noticeable. “Prestige is a memorial” and therefore regular reports will be published from the office stating the amounts sent by the coolies of each company through the office. Undersigned. B. Hoetink.

Deli courant 16-06-1905