:
CONFIDENTIAL.
373
R
RESO
6314
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONGKONG. 21st December, 1920.
indose of
43493
My Lord,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of Your Lordship's confidential despatch of the 28th Septem- ber, 1920, on the subject of the alleged child slavery in Hongkong.
2.
In paragraph 4 of this despatch Your Lordship suggests that a number of prominent Chinese should be persuaded to form a society for the protection and improve- ment in the condition of the girl domestics, who are known as "mui tsai". Your Lordship's attention cannot, I think, have been drawn to the Institution known as the Po Leung Kuk which has existed here for many years and was incorporated by Ordinance No.6 of 1893. In this connection I would invite reference to the Annual Reports of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, and particularly to Annexe A of the 1919 Report, which summarises one side of the activities of the Institu- tion for a fairly typical year.
3.
The Committee of the Institution (which stands
in the position of an Advisory Board in daily touch with the Secretary for Chinese Affairs in all matters concerning women and girls and children) consists of 12 members, annual- ly elected from the older, best known and most respected members of the Community and bears the highest reputation for arduous work conscientiously done. Meetings are held
RIGHT HONOURABLE
VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B.,
ac..
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