t
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352
state. The Chinese Community are much disturbed by the increase
of these crimes of violence and I am informed by the Chinese
Members of Council that they are very strongly in favour of
the legislation I propose.
Enclosure 44.
5.
I attach a statement shewing the
number of offences of this class during the last two years,
and the number of arrests.
6.
The crime of kidnapping has also be-
-come scandalously prevalent and I received a day or two ago
a despatch from the Viceroy of the Two Kwang Provinces com-
-plaining that the scoundrels who engage in this trade make
their head-quarters in Yaumati in this Colony and urging more
effective means of dealing with them. In some cases this
crime is identical with slave-dealing for which under section
71865
44 of Ordinance 2 of 1845 a maximum sentence of 14 years
penal servitude may be inflicted, but sale or intention to
sell is difficult to prove, and in most cases the maximum is
7 years as provided by section 45. The draft bill provides
that kidnapping shall be punishable by the ordinary whipping
on the breech. I am however informed by the Superintendent
of the Gaol that such birching is taken no notice of by
Chinese criminals.
7.
I propose to address you further in
a separate despatch on the subject of minor forms of crime,
but