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my memorandum (se page 31 of the report), I supported the
views of Sir Cecil Clementi, and am glad to see that the Committee is in general agreement. To prevent any possible
misunderstanding, I wish to make it quite clear that the fact that normally mui-tsai do not become prostitutes
does not mean that Chinese children are not sold in Hong Kong in order to be trained for prestitution; it only
means that one type of girl becomes a mui-tsai, and that
another type becomes a prostitute. Sir Cecil Clementi's
despatch, from which I quoted, (see page 21 of the report)
leaves no doubt on this point.
In a later paragraph, I shall suggest that an
enquiry be held into the recruitment of female domestic
servants of the mui-tsai elass. If this is done, the
light thrown upon the methods of the professional and
semi-professional traffickers in mui-tsai may afford a side light upon the organization of the women (aptly
known as "pocket-mothers"),who buy girls to be trained
by them as singing-girls, cabaret-girls, restaurant-girls
or,without disguise, as brothel-prostitutes. It will be
well perhaps to keep the mui-tsai problem quite apart
from the other problem.
Here we finish with the eight questions
in my memorandum. The report answers them frankly, so
far as its information takes it. The Committee then
discusses the system of inspection, and makes its
recommendations on the whole subject of the mui-tsai.
At this stage, it will be convenient to quote the definition
of a mui-tsai.
Section 3 of the Female Domestic Service
Ordinance1923, is as follows:-
"In this Ordinance:-
(a) "Mui-tsai" includes-
W(i) every female domestic servant whose employer for
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