6
perform many duties which in a richer family would
be undertaken by servants or Mui Tsai, and in such
a family it might be difficult to distinguish by
the duties performed a Yeung Nui from a Nui Tsai.
It is stated in the memorandum of the Watch
Committee that, by Chinese custom, many of the
major events in a person's life are accompanied
by the passing of some financial or other material
consideration (betrothal presents, for example,
which are sometimes given in cash), and that the
giving of "ginger and vinegar money" to the parents
of a girl who is being adopted does not approximate
to buying and selling her.
The Governor has confidence in the Watch
Committee, which would deprecate strongly any action which might reflect on the system of adoption of
daughters as generally accepted.
It has been urged upon the Governor that:
(1) adoptive parents and adopted daughters prefer
to foster the belief that the daughters are natural and not adopted. Registration would militate
against this.
(2) Machinery exists for dealing with abuses in the
Ordinances dealing with Mui Tsai, wherein the onus
of proving that a girl is not a lui Tsai is placed
upon the employer.
The Governor considers that with additional
Inspectors it will be difficult for the law to be
avoided by the keeping of Mui Tsai in the guise of
adopted daughters. He prefers to leave matters as
they stand with regard to Yeung Nui unless abuses
are found to occur, as he is not convinced of the
necessity for further legislation, which would be
regarded locally as vexatious.
With regard to the last paragraph of the
Governor's