45-
THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1929.
D. REGISTRATION MUI TSAIS.
OF
EL'S
RAL
(Continued from Page 4.)
We concentrate our attention on the problem of all problems, name- ly Mui-tsai and social evil. It is our heartfelt desire to fulfil our duty as citizens, to relieve poor in- of nocent girls of their misery and to gret warn their oppressors against law that breaking. We cannot but hope that ian, they will awaken to their duty to of humanity and cease from doing evil, tian, As long as the Mui-tsai system oyal exists, it will be a blot on future local generations. It only remains for
me to urge you to help uphold a life, good cause, and apare no pains to Girl support great principles, to win alar over more members to the Society, one- and if possible, to report every pos- isit sible case of cruelty so that the ter enforcement of registration of Mui- Fastsai may soon be an accomplished
88- fact."
me
ts,
be
e.
SECRETARY'S SPEECH.
Mr. J. D. Bush said the Chair- man had touched on many valuable dpoints in his speech, and no better figure could illustrate his undying
devotion to the cause than that of the true knight of old, who was on his oath and honour to rescue and save his oppressed lady. He feels that it is as much his duty to de- fend the weak and redress the in-
jured, as it is of the savage and the brutal to usurp and use others." Mr. Bush continued :—
Tribute to the S.C.A. "In passing, it may be also men- tioned that more gratifying results have been achieved than hitherto in representations made to the Secre- tariat for Chinese Affairs concern- ing aruelty or ill-treatment of Mui- tsai or bond girls. During the past six months, most cases have been taken up and examined with the quickest despatch.
Mrs. Haslewood on Registration.
The Chairman has dealt at length
with the question of registration. It only remains for me to quode these words of Mrs. Haslewood,
relating to the same issue, during a conference held at the British Commonwealth League.' urged registration. They said that looked like countenancing dt. said that it was the only way to
find out how many there wore, where they were, and how they were. They may be doing it now, but we have not heard so. At the docks, when the Chinese flow in from Canton, they should be made to register at once and not allowed to land unless they make a complete and true registration.' Then Mrs. Haslewood was asked the question, Is it true that there is a British officer whose job it is at the ports to ask certain girls who are being sold for definite purposes, whether they are satisfied with their con- ditions?' Mrs. Haslewood's reply was:-'Absolutely true. They have been taught what to answer for weeks beforehand under the most Chinese Christian woman there to dire penalties. There should be a
talk to these children, and assure them that they have nothing to fear if they tell the truth. Another question was: Are there homes ready to receive the children to which Mrs. Haslewood replied:- There is a refuge (Po Leung Kok). It a most soul-less official place, which no timid child would drean of going to. I begged years ago for a nice refuge, run by English children. It is badly needed." people, who would try to help the
"I have no doubt many of you at this meeting can readily visual- "The time has arrived for some- ise in your mind's eye the moun.
thing to be done to register all tains of difficulty surmounted and adopted daughters, for that is the the stern trials met by the Chair-
greatest source of the Mui-tsai evil. man during the past eight years.
Simultaneously, a good and efficient In return for his efforts in this refuge should be organised to take Steyphian taek, he has reaped only
care of neglected bond girls, some- invective and hatred and been
thing along the line of a Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Child- branded, perhaps, as a fomenter of trouble. I make mention of this ren. It is high time, indeed, that fact by way of telling you how un-trated on this problem of problems, more attention should be concen-
Drift or mastery?"
deserved I am of the tribute that the Chairman has paid me. The credit rests entirely on him for de- voting all his time and energy to this great task of emancipating the Mui-tsais of the Colony.
The March of Progress.
The
At this stage, it seems to me that the issue of abolishing the Mui- tsai system still hinges on the an- cient struggle between 'may and 'must,' the conservative and pro- gressive. Those who insist on con- servatism aim at holding fast or advancing at a snail's pace. Irogressive reformer goes for the better, for the ideal. In short, one is inclined to lay stress on keeping still and the other on advancing. But advance we must, for that is the law of life. We must change for the better in every way, day by day. As the great American philosopher says, Over and above all the mists of poverty and ap- petite is the instinct of man to rise, and the instinct to love and
CANTON'S CO-OPERATION,
was
It was pointed out at the meet- ing that one of the arguments against registration
that it was difficult to enforce. If, for instance, a Chinese family came from Canton to Hong Kong, it
to would be difficult differentiate
between the daughter of the family and the Mui-tsai, and that would mean that every one would have to be stopped and questioned on the pier or landing place.
was
The answer to this objection, it Kong there are laws against smug- pointed out that in Hong gling and in order to prevent it an elaborate search system has been installed and heavy penalties inflicted when delinquents were caught. The same could be done with wilful evaders of registration. It was also pointed out that the authorities in Canton are working towards the amelioration of the position of the Mui-tsai and a social Welfare Bureau had been recently established. The local body boped to get in touch with both the Canton Government and the Ruzea11
help his brother." The same philo sopher also tell us, 'If slavery is good, then is lying, theft, arson, bomicide each and all good, to be maintained by union societies.' Ás practical idealists we are bound to range on the side of humanity and Justice and burn JUL buck upon The Chinese secretary in review. abuse, oppression and chaos. We ing the year's work pointed out think with the Persian prophet, that a number of people have Beware of hurting the orphan. shown their willingness to support ht When the orphan sets acrying, the the Society and some have written d throne of the Almighty is rocked in offering their advice, amongst d from side to side.'
them being Mr. Yau Lit, who is now living in the New Territories, and who had once been a colleague of Dr. Sun Yat Sen.
R.
te,
or
nd
rd,
d.
No Better Solution Than Registration.
It is a question, then, whether the nd Mui-teai shall be gradually eman- cipated, by finding the best solution possible, or let them go on being regarded as chattels or as pieces. of money. We have time and again invited the best-thinking citizens of the Colony to offer a better solution than registration, but up to this moment none has ever come forward with a more effective remedy for the nd festering evil. Instead, some few nd carping critics have stood by the and roadside croaking at us with this F. cynicism: Virtue, I have followed thee through life, and I find thee but a shadow." As virile idealists we cannot allow the Mui-tsai systern to be upheld for the convenience ut few, As the Chairman has
J.
h-
s. intimated, we must not grow weary of well-doing. We should push on with the good work.
rt
a, Since the last annual meeting
I. of October 22, 1928, the Society has
1.
Ma Luk had made a generous dona It was also announced that Dr. tion to the Society and that the inserting advertisements, free of Chinese Press are co-operating by
charge.
BRITISH AVIATION
TRIUMPH.
REMARKABLE ENGINE IN SEAPLANE FOR HONG KONG.
The Manager of the Far Eastern Aviation Company, Mr. Vaughan Fowler, has received information that the Cirrus Aero Engine Com- pany, London, one of whose engines
is fitted in the Avian Hermes sea-
plane, due to arrive here next
week, won a remarkable triumph
been able to establish close co- at the Newcastle Air Pageant on operation with The Anti-Slavery October 5.
and Aborigines Protection Society Cirrus engines won the following in London, and the British Common-air races:-
2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Society of British Aircraft Con- structors' Challenge Cup: 1st and 3rd.
wealth League, the primary object Grosvenor Challenge Cup: 1st, of which is "To secure Equality of Liberties, Status and Opportunities between
Hen and women in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Thanks to the kind efforts of Mrs. C. B. L. Haselwood and Com mander C. B. L. Haselwood, R.N. t(Retired), we are able to get in g the closest touch with the above organizations and allied Societies
1-
A-
n which take a serious view of all issues relating to equal citizenship.
Air League of the British Empire Challenge Cup: 1st and 3rd.
The fastest time of the day was obtained by a Cirrus-Hermes Wid geon. It will be remembered that the Hermes is the latest develop- ment of the Cirrus and gives 105/ 113 h.p.