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system may be "more orderly than is the state of
affairs in London", but that orderliness is
purchased at the price of recognising and maintaining
large vested interests in vice in the persons of
the brothel owners.
Paragraph 4 affords no excuse for brothels
for Europeans anu Japanese and the Governor does
not explain how the abolition of regulated brothels
in Hong Kong would increase "the difficulty of
aealing effectively with the international traffic
in women anu girls." He will have to try and
make out his case on that point to the International
Commission and I shall be surprised if he convinces
them. Paragraph 6 simply shows that the Governor
has failed to understand what is being accomplished
in the Straits Settlements.
As regards paragraph 9, it appears that in
November, 1929, the Government passed regulations
prohibiting the use of vessels for the purpose of
prostitution. Vessels means "all trading junks,
fishing junks, lighters, cargo boats, fishi
drying hulks as well as any other hulks and all
small boats other than pleasure boats." Since
the receipt of our despatch containing Mrs. Neville
Rolfe's strictures, the Government has passed a
second regulation prohibiting the use of launches
or motor boats for such purposes. We may hope
that this will stop that particular abuse, but
if there are any pleasure boats which are not
launches or motor boats, it is obvious they could
still be used to transport prostitutes to ships
without contravening the regulations.
In