Copy.
Enclosure No. 4.
187
Report on the working of the Female Domestic Servants
Ordinance, 1923.
The objects of this Ordinance were mainly two -
the first to make it quite clear that the payment of money to the parent or guardian or employer of a female child confers no rights in the child and to strengthen the existing powers
given to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs under Ordinance 4
of 1897; and the second to reinforce the law dealing with
cruelty to children. So far there is nothing in the
Ordinance which was not provided for in existing legislation.
What is new is the prohibition under Section 4 of the taking
into employment of muitsai as defined in the Ordinance.
2. It may be said at once that the payment of money is not and never has been recognised as conferring any rights
on the person making the payment; and that from the beginning
the officers of the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs have in
every case which has been brought to their notice dealt with
the matter solely from the point of view of the interests
of the child. It is believed that by now this principle is
well understood: certainly no one attempts to dispute it and
the claim to the services of a female domestic servant is
always based on the argument that the girl is happy and does
not wish to leave her employment.
3. One prosecution was brought under Section 6 of the
Ordinance in 1928. There were none in previous years. Even
if prosecutions for ill-treatment of children brought under
the Offences against the Person Ordinance of 1865 are includ-
ed the total is insignificant. As a rule Chinese are
particularly kind to children and the disgrace of being
haled