18
Government should refuse to register any new
prostitutes. Now, the Secretary of State
insisted on the cessation of any registration
system for brothels or prostitutes in the
years 1893/97 (see paragraphs 11 and 12 of No.17)
and the present registration system in Hong Kong
rests on no legal basis. I have not ascertained
when it was introduced, but a full description
of it is given on 40259/23, Hong Kong. In effect
the Government warns the brothel owners not to
admit any prostitute who has not received a
Government card. That warning, though without
legal authority, is effective because the police
can take action to close any house used as a brothel
(see section 13 of Ordinance No. 4 of 1897). Hence,
the simple expedient of giving a card to prosti-
tutes has sufficed to re-introduce registered
prostitutes and recognised brothels. It is a
further confirmation of the truth of the statement
in paragraph 18 of Command 2501, that " as
experience of other countries has shown, the only
safe and logical alternative to registrationę is
to declare brothels illegal and to take steps to
close them whenever they come to the notice of
the authorities
sies!
The position in Hong Kong is hard to
defend and I fear the International Commission will
prostitutes
make strong comments. There are 222 "known"
Chinese and Japanese brothels with 2 24573 and 6 known foreign brothels with 17 foreign
inmates, (see No. 9), but as "the situation
as regards known brothels is still the same
generally