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This despatch contains an appeal by the
Governor to the Secretary of State, for permission
to depart from the policy represented in the last
Mui-tsai measures imposed in the Colony.
The Attorney-General of Hong Kong has given
his view that the term of Mui- tsai connotes
a relation depending on the existence of two facts,
viz:-
(1) That money has been paid to secure the
services of a girl as a domestic servant.
(2) That the girl in question is still being
employed as a domestic servant by the person who
paid the money, or by his successor. In the
Attorney-General's view, nothing could alter Fact
No. 1 and only the cessation of the employment of
the girl as a domestic servant by the employer
could alter Fact No. 2.
In other words, under the Hong Kong Law, it
is impossible for the owner of a Mui-tsai to change
the status of such Mui-tsai, while she remains in
employment; and if the status of a Mui-tsai is to be
changed in the Colony, it can only be done by
transferring the Mui-tsai from her owner to some
other person.
The Governor refers to the case of a most
respected local Chinese merchant who had a Mui-tsai
in his household; in view of the present agitation
he had for some time wished to give his Mui-tsai
back to her parents unconditionally. The parents however, refused to take the girl back and she
herself was most reluctant to leave the family.
What could he do.
"Was there no means by which
he