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3. Since the last of the prosecutions mentioned in
paragraph 3 of the same despatch there have been 22 prosecu-
tions under the Ordinance (No. 1 of 1923). Of these,
14 have been for keeping an unregistered maitsai, 13
convictions being rogistered, and sight have been for
bringing an unregistered mitssi into the Colony, convic-
tions being obtained in all cases.
4. In three of the thirteen convictions for keeping
unregistered muitsai mentioned in paragraph 3 (above)
the defendants were fined respectively $150, 2100, and
2150 or sentenced to the equivalent terms of imprisonment.
in the remaining ten cases fines were of varying amounts,
usually about 750, according to the gravity of the
circumstances.
In the eight cases of bringing unregistered
muitsai into the Colony, the circumstances were nearly
all of an inoffensive character, and the offences
were committed in genuine ignorance of the Hong Kong
muitsal legislation.
from 5 to $25. A feature of several cases was that the
defendants themselves went to the Secretariat for Chinese
Affairs to try and register their muitsai, and thus
brought the fact of their non-registration to the notice
of the authorities.
Fines therefore ranged generally
A detailed return of convictions secured
under the ordinance is attached.
5. No new registration was permitted, but in
a few cases where muitasi had been brought into the
Colony by their employers, were obviously happy with
them, and had no other relatives or friends, both
employers and muitsal were seen out of the Colony, on the
conclusion