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opinion that some arrangement, under which it would
be possible to "alter the status of a mui-tsai",
is eminently desirable; and Dr. Ts'o suggests that
the simplest way would be to change the status of
mui-tsai into that of chu-nin-mui, or domestic
servant, by registration, the master being required
to go to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs with the
mui-tsai, bringing with him the deed of purchase;
that such deed should be handed over to the
Secretary for Chinese Affairs to be kept or destroyed,
as he may think fit; that, if the master does not
want to retain the services of the mui-tsai, he
might nevertheless be made to keep her for a time
until her parents are found, and that, if the
parents cannot be found within a reasonable period,
the girl might then be dealt with as the Secretary
for Chinese Affairs shall direct; but that, if the
master is willing to retain the girl as a chu-nin-mui,
the terms of engagement should be recorded on the
register; that the master should then be responsible for such chu-nin-mui until she is eighteen years of age, according to the English reckoning, unless in
the meantime he desires to dismiss her, in which
case he should bring the girl before the Secretary
for Chinese Affairs and a record of such dismissal should be made in the register; and that a girl, when dismissed by her master, should be placed in the Po Leung Kuk, until such time as arrangements can be made for her future.
6.
Any scheme such as this would necessarily
have to be open to all Chinese in the Colony, because
the