6. Clause 6 deals with the treatment of mui taai. It requires the employer to provide sufficient food and clothing, and in case of illness, such medical attendance as the employer might reasonably have been expected to provide for his own daughter. The clanss also provides that no employer of a mui tsai slsl! overwork or illtreat such mui 18ai or subject her to any punishment to which he might not reasonably subject his own daughter.
7. Part III of the bill will not come into operation until such date as may be fixed by proclamation of the Governor in Council. This is provided in clause 16.
8. Clause 7 gives a wide power of making regulations.
9. Cianao 8 deals with the question of registration, but it may be well to explain bere that the general scheme of the bill is to allow employers to keep the mui tsai whom they have in their employment at present, but to prohibit the employment of any new mui tani la tha s Colony. The right to retain existing aui tsai is of course subject to the right of the parents to reclaim their child, and to the right of the All this is put very child to leave her employment of her own accord. broadly, and the limitations to the above statements will appear in the consideration of the particular clauses of the bill.
10. Sub-clause (1) of clanse 8 provides that every person who has a mui Isai in bisemployment in the Colony ut the date of the coming into operation of Part III must register such mai tesi within six months After that date.
11. Sub-clause (2) of clause 8 provides that every person who at any time bus in his employment & mui tsai brought into the Colony after the date of the coming into operation of Part III must register such mui teal within a week after her arrival in the Colony.
12. Sub-clause (3) of clause 8 will enable the Secretary for Chinese Affairs to make it impossible for an undesirable employer to continue to employ any particular mui tsai as a mui tani.
13. Clause 9 provides that no person is to have in his employment An unregistered mai tsai. This of course is subject to the period allowed for registration. It is also subject to the provisions of section 11. referred to below in paragraph 15,
14. Clause 10 provides that no one is to have in bis employment any female domestic servant under the age of 10 years unless such servant is a registered mui tsui. This is intended to prevent evasion, as in the case of clause 5.
15. Part of the policy of the bill is to prevent transfers of mui tami from one employer to another, It is, however, obviously necessary to provide for the case of the death of an employer, and, in that event, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs will puder clause 11 huve power to pake suy order which he may think it regarding the trausfer of L mui tsui to, e g., the widow of the farmer employer.
16. Sub-clause (2) of clause 11 requires every person who becomes the actual employer of a mui tsai, by reason of the death of the former employer or for any other reason, to report such fact within one week,
17. Classe 12 declares that every mui tsai of or over the nge of IS years may leave her employment at any time, without any notice and without any payment whatsoever.
18. It would obviously be undesirable to encourage mui tani under the age of 18 to exercise their legal right to leaving their employment at any moment and without any reference to their parents or guardians or to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs. Accordingly, clause 13 pro- vides that every mui tsai amor the age of 18 who wishes to he restored to her parents, and every mui tsui under the age of 18 whose parents wishes snelt mui teni to be restored to his or her eustody, skuli be so restorei unless the Secretary for Chinese Affairs sees sume grave objection in the interest of the mui tsai to such restoration, For instance, he might refuse permission to restore a girl to the clls- tody of a mother who was living an immoral life.
19. Clause 14 provides that evory nui ti of or over the age of 12 years and under the age of 18 years shall, as hitherto, have the right to apply to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, sud that upon any such application the Secretary for Chinese Affairs may make any order which he may think fit regarding the custody, control, employment and conditions of employment of the tui taai.
20. Chuise 15 provides that every mui tsai of or over the age of [O years shall be entitled to such wages as shall be proscribed. Regula- lion 7 of the draft regulations published with the bill provides that every mui tani over the age of 10 years anul under tie age of 15 ress shall be entitled to wages at the rate of at least $1 a month and that every mui tui of or over the nge of 15 years shall be entitled to the wages at the rate of at least $1,50 a month. These wages may seem low by English standards, but they must be judged by loost conditions. and it must aot be forgotten that the girls are treated as members of the family, though not of course always as daughters would be troutel. In any cases therefore the so-called wages might porbings he batter described as pocket money.
21. Clause 17 is the usual penalty clause.
22. Clause 18 provides that no prosecution under the Ordinance is to be commenced without the consent of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs.
23. Clanac 19 saves the rights and powers conferred on the Secre- tary for Chinese Affairs by the protection of the Wonten and tijela' Ordinance, 1897,
15th December, 1925.
J. H. Kear,
Attorney Grant,
292