7.
175
that term. A system of slavery implies that the law,
written or customary, definitely recognises and enforces
certain rights of ownership in favour of the master as
against the slave. In Hong Kong the law recognises no rights
of ownership whatsoever in favour of the employer as against
the muitsai or as against her parents. The status of the
muitsai is entirely a free status. If a muitsai wishes to
leave her employer, there is no legal obstacle to her doing
so at any moment.
9.
It may be freely admitted that, human nature
being what it is, there are possibilities of abuse in every
system of employment in which the two parties to the
relation are, by reason of the extreme youth or great
poverty or ignorance of one of the parties, not on equal
terms. Such a possibility does exist in the case of the
muitsai; and because of this possibility, which in the vast
majority of cases is, I believe, only a possibility and not
an actual fact, the Government would like to see the muitsai
system gradually converted into something less open to that
possibility.
10.
It has however, been found impracticable to
proceed otherwise than very slowly. The reasons why more
rapid progress is impossible are given above expressly or impliedly, but they are so important that it may be useful
to recaptulate them shortly here. They are as follows:-
(a) The custom is deep rooted in Chinese family and
economic conditions.
(b) Hong Kong with its very large Chinese population
cannot break away too far or too fast from Chinese
customs.
(c)
The great majority of the Chinese live so close to
starvation