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Hon. Secretary for Chinese Affairs,
I attach a comparative table. It is not quite
complete but is I think sufficient for the purpose.
It would be extremely difficult to get exact
particulars of brothels opened or closed during any one
year.
In considering the figures for the various years
it should be remembered that brothel consists of a house or part of a house (or in some cases eran two houses) managed by the same mistress. It is therefore quite possible for the same house to be entered as one brothel one year and
three the next or vice versa. Miner variations in the
figures can be accounted for in this way. Frequently also
in the past houses have been closed for various reasons and
reopened under another name,
In 1920 a number of new houses were built in
Spring Garden Lane and opened as brothels. This accounts
for an increase of 8 Chinese brothels for Europeans between
1919 and 1921. This increase is set off by a corresponding
decrease since that date in the number of Japanese prostitu-
tem. About the same time some eighty brothels in Yi Yick
Lane Kennedy Town and Woosung Street were closed down and
about half that number opened in Water Street and elsewhere.
On account of the growth of Kowloon twenty new houses were opened in Yaumati in 1915. In other districts although the number of registered houses increased there was in fact a decrease in the number of inmates. The growth of the population and particularly in recent years the state of affairs in Canton is sufficient to account for the
increase in numbers since that date.
With regard to the second question I do not know
of any requests from householders that any registered
brothel should be closed.
(8d.) R. A. C. North,
30th August, 1924.