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With respect to the first, after consultation with Mr. LOCKHART I had drafted Section 1 as follows:-
1. Whenever the Registrar General shall have good cause to believe that any female child between the age of six and sixteen years inclusive who
(a.) has been purchased by or is in the custody or under the control of
any registered brothel keeper, or
(b.) is in the service or custody or has been purchased by any woman whose character, calling, or occupation the said Registrar General shall have good cause to believe is immoral, or
(c.) is in the custody or service or has been purchased by any one who
has been convicted of keeping an unregistered brothel, or
(d.) is found in any brothel,
is being trained as, or is intended to be a prostitute,
and whenever any parent shall complain that the other parent who has the custody of their female child between the ages aforesaid wishes to dispose of it for the purposes of prostitution,
and whenever any female child between the ages aforesaid being a servant, shall complain of being maltreated by her master or mistress, it shall be lawful for the said Registrar General by notice in writing to call upon the purchaser, custodian, employer, or parent above mentioned to appear before him on a day to be fixed by the said notice, and to produce before him the said child,
but on further consideration I have in the proposed Bill given the Registrar General power or complaint made that any female child is being trained as a prostitute to summon the custodian of the child before him. It will be altogether in the discretion of the Registrar General to receive or to act on the complaint, and there is no ground to believe that he would take any steps unless reasonably satisfied that his intervention was necessary in the interest of the child.
With respect to the second objection I propose that the Registrar General have all power to associate with himself two members of the PO LEUNG Kuk or two Chinese Justices of the Peace and that the Governor should have power to make regulations respecting admission of the public to these inquiries.
The third objection is that the Ordinance did not state what was to be done
with the child.
Section 2 of the proposed Ordinance enacts that the Registrar General shall have power to make an order for the proper custody of the child, or he may leave it with the custodian on security being given for the fulfilment of certain conditions. I am informed that no difficulty will arise on this point as in almost all the cases the child will be left with the custodian on due security being given for the proper care and maintenance of the child.
It is true that this Ordinance does permit a great interference with certain domestic affairs of the Chinese, but the evils attendant on this custom or facility of purchasing female children are great, it is admitted that they should not be tole- rated and in order to put them down stringent measures are required.
The Secretary of State has taken into consideration Mr. O'MALLEY's fourth and fifth objections.
The Bill which I now submit meets these objections as far as it is possible or advisable so to do, and it carries out the wishes and directions of the Secretary of State as conveyed by the above mentioned despatch.
It is very doubtful whether any of the Bonds which have been given to the Registrar General for the custody of the children are valid I have endeavoured by Section 9 as far as it is possible to cure any defect in them.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
EDW. J. ACKROYD, Acting Attorney General.
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The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.,
Acitng Colonial Secretary.