The question as to whether the increases, granted to rickshaw owners for the daily rental of their vehicles, and the permission io pullers to charge a minimum of 10 cents instead of the former eight, are satisfactory or not, can only be ascertained after a close examination of the prevailing conditions, and a full realization of their effect upon the daily lives of a very important section of the community, namely, the public, which travels by public rickshaw. The Municipal Council appears to have been considerably impressed by the owners' claim. that increased cost of materials makes their rickshaws more expensive. There is something to be said for their contention, but there is a grave possibility that too much weight has been given "to it. With a rickshaw costing $100 and let out at a daily rental of 77 cents as hitherto, it is a matter of simple arithmetic to arrive at the conclusion that a rickshaw pays for itself in the short period of approximately 180 days. Costing $145, and being hired out at 83 cents per diem, the same vehicle pays for itself in 174 days, after which except for maintenance, the cost of which judging from the condition of Shanghai's public rickshaws cannot possibly be great, the vehicle is a source of daily profit for a by no means inconsiderable number of years. The value of the rickshaw owner's investment may more readily be realized when it is understood that; under the old rates of charging, 177 per cent, per annum profit is made during the first year on the original investment of $100 and, on the charges which have now been improved, approximately 107 per cent. For the second and succeeding years the profits are 277 and 207 per cent. respectively. The owners, it must be remembered, have already received the cost of their original investment back. From these figures it is apparent that the hiring of rickshaws to the pullers is a highly lucrative business, and that there is not as yet much reason for shedding tears over the increased costs of which the rickshaw owners appear to have made so convincing a case before the Municipal Council.
These increased costs can comfortably be borne by the owners without any very great sacrifice when the total life of the rickshaw is taken into consideration, and there is, from this point of view, very little reason why the increase to them should have been granted. On the face of it the permission to the pullers to charge a minimum fee increased by twenty-five per cent. would seem satisfactory, but it may be doubted whether this does in fact cover the increased cost of living for them, and, what is even more important, when ther it does in fact lead to any real increase in income to them. It may be safely said that if indeed this alteration does mean remuneration for his labours it does not entirely meet the puller's needs, but there is a very grave danger that this increase may involve a diminution of his daily income, because of would-be fares' reluctance to pay, higher charges. It may readily be admitted that so far as foreigners are concerned the increase makes no difference one way or the other because most of them already pay more than the minimum charges. That, however, is not true of the Chinese fares, who form by far the greater proportion of the pullers' clients. That extra two cents will make all the difference between whether many Chinese avail themselves of the pullers' services, or not, for substantial numbers will prefer to walk rather than lay out the additional sum. There is every reason to believe then that the increase of the minimum charge will not only not benefit the rickshaw puller, but work very considerably to his disadvantage, or, obliging him still to dicker with his fares, leave him precisely where he was before. Added to all this is the lamentable condition of the small currency question, by reason of which many people who would normally be riding in rickshaws do not do so because of the shortage of means wherewith to pay the fares. It may be safely said that the connection between the small currency question and the use of various types of public conveyance is so close and important that no real solution of such questions as these increases can possibly be reached. without some form of currency reform.
It is not difficult to see why this is so. Small currency being only obtainable at a premium it follows that in fact the fare paying a.ten cent note as the puller's minimum charge does in fact pay more, and ihe familiar old law of diminishing returns coming into operation the condition of the rickshaw puller can only be expected to become worse. Obviously the present profiteering on small currency notes will have to be stopped if any real benefit is to accrue to the rickshaw puller. That is only one case in point. It must surely be realized that these premia constitute a grievous tax on all the tremendous amount of small trade which is inevitable in: a land where the standard of living is so low. For this reason it is suggested that in the changes which the Municipal Council have sanctioned no real attempt has been made to solve the very of the small currency system is to be found a solution of many of the evils which beset the under-privileged classes, and that a bold, statesmanlike handling of the situation is the only manner in which adequate relief can be obtained: There can be no sympathy with the rickshaw owner. The figures quoted above clearly indicate that he is being still too generously dealt with, and that he is being permitted to batten on the industriousness of a very inarticulate and deserving class of man. It would have been preferable if the Council had commenced to tackle this question from its more obvious aspects. A scheme has been put forward in this column whereby the present unfortunate state of the small currency matter could be easily adjusted with enormous benefit to those people who must inevitably suffer increasingly if no reform is made. Not one convincing argument has been put forward as to why it should not be done, and it may reasonably be argued that the sooner it is put into operation the better will it be all round. The peace and good order of the Settlement may in the long run completely depend upon it, and that raises the question of the Council's responsibility which cannot lightly be disregarded.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.