DIEU

ET MON:

38%

A

C

B

C

X

5.

Government House, 3 ong ong.

Office, of which no doubt you have a copy, and from his attacher

letter, that we are entirely of one opinion in this

matter.

As regards other questions, I have just sent a

despatch about Mui Tsai. I think that a great deal has

really been done here, and leading Chinese have been

loyal and helpful. I could not say in the despatch (as

I could not be absolutely sure of the statement) that

the number of 10,000, given some time ago, is probably

far in excess of the actual total. Anyhow, if there

are many unregistered Mui Tsai, which is doubtful, a

prosecution or two will soon bring them to light.

There was a great deal of Press and other

opposition to the revised salaries scheme, but the

main opposition was based on the fact that the dollar

at present is very low. My view, which I expressed in

Council, was that, if we accepted the Commission's report,

which Government did, the payment of the suggested rates

simply became an overdue debt, which must be discharged.

Southorn rather wanted to postpone the resolution until

the dollar improved, but I came to the conclusion that,

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