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to make sexual intercourse
with
any girl under the age of 12
a felony punishable
in the same manner as
rape,
I have the honour
to state that while I have
no strong objection to such
a law, I
am unable to
regard it as
necessary,
as the inclusion of
wives is concerned.
The Registrar General
informs me that he has
never heard of a case
of sexual intercourse with a wife
under 12 years of age, and that the Chinese
of whom he has made enquiry
on the subject, state that they
have never heard
of such a case either. They declare that their countrymen
do not have connexion with
girls under 12 even when married to them.