§ Major POLEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now received from the Governor a report in regard to the complaints that, since the introduction of the standard wage on estates in Malaya, a system of payment to the rubber tappers by the number of pounds of dry rubber contained in the latex brought out by each tapper has been introduced, and in regard to the extent to which this system obtains?
§ Dr. SHIELSThe following report has now been received from the Governor and High Commissioner: 1957W
The system of payment of wages to tappers according to the amount of latex brought in is not a new system, nor has it been universally adopted. This method of remunerating tappers has little (if any) connection with the prescription of standard rates of wages. It has always been the rule on the majority of Asiatic-owned small estates as well as on European-owned estates employing Chinese labourers.Straits Settlements.
(a) The only area in the Straits Settlements for which standard rates of wages have been prescribed is Province Wellesley. In December, 1929, out of 25 estates employing more than 100 labourers, the system of payment by results was in force on eight only, and the percentage of the total number of labourers who were paid by results is 11.5.
(b) In Malacca, on three estates only out of 36 was the system in force at the end of 1929.
(c) In Singapore, the system was in force on four out of six estates on each of which 100 or more labourers were employed.
Federated Malay States.
The extent of the system in the Federated Malay States may be gauged from the following figures:
State. No. of large estates inspected in 1929. No. on which "results" system in force. Perak 313 65 Selangor 347 31 Ncgri Sembilan 185 11 Pahang 35 1 The adoption of the 'results' system has, both in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States, resulted in financial advantage to the labourers affected by it. They can, and do, in practically all cases, earn more under this system than if they were paid daily wages at the standard rates prescribed in Province Wellesley, viz., 50 cents for a man, and 40 cents for a woman."