PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TITLUC.O. 882
Guilulilu
6
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO |
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16. Suggestions for future action, with reasons.—In common with, I believe, every medical man who has any experience in the East, I am strongly in favour of regis- tration of brothels and prostitutes, with regular compulsory examination and treatment of sick in Lock Hospitals. This is the only complete and thorough way in which the question can be met.
17. Failing this, I would suggest that the Regulation of 1893 be again brought into force; the good work being done under it was undoubted, and it deals with almost every need except compulsory examination and treatment.
18. The idea that registration appears to be tantamount to an encouragement of prostitution by Government exists only in the imagination. In Kula Lumpor, at any rate, the exact opposite is the case.
If Government were anxious to check or stop the consumption of opium by the Chinese, would it be policy to remove the tax upon it and upon the shops in which it is consumed? Or would not this prove the best means of encouraging it?
So it is with prostitution and the brothels: the greater freedom from all registration and supervision, the more thriving and disreputable the trade. This is the way in which the Chinese in Kuala Lumpor regard the subject.
19. The relation of the sexes in the population of the Native States is entirely different from that of India, and certainly from that of any European country.
In the first place the customs and training of the people are entirely against a life of celibacy. The only safeguard they possess against immorality and disease is marriage, and to by far the greater number of them this is impossible, the results of the last census showing a population of 67,051 men and only 14,541 women.
20. The only way in which they can satisfy their sexual appetite, which, after all, is a part of their nature (the possession of which may be inconvenient, but is due to no fault of theirs) is by prostitution, or by unnatural and abominable vices, which are far worse. It is a matter of actual fact that in many cases intelligent Chinamen descend to forms of unnatural vice sooner than visit the brothels, which they look upon as centres of loathsome disease.
21. The prostitutes in Kuala Lumpor are almost entirely of Chinese nationality. In December, 1894, there were 705 Chinese and 53 Japanese, none of any other nationality.
22. In considering the question of contagious disease, the Malays may be practi- cally left out of the question; the sexes are more equally divided, and the marriage laws are such that nearly all adult men and women are married once, and often several times. The relation of the sexes at the last census was, males 14,107, females, 9,643.
23. The relative number among the Chinese was, males 47,610, females, 3,234; and the Tamils, males 2,558, females 524.
E. A. O. TRAVERS.
May, 1897.
27261.
CEYLON.
No. 26.
GOVERNOR SIR J. WEST RIDGEWAY to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received December 5, 1898.)
(No. 372.) SIR,
Queen's House, Colombo, Ceylon, November 12, 1898.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 179, of the 17th June last,* transmitting for my consideration and report copies of correspondence with the War Office relating to the question of taking special measures for checking the spread of venereal disease in the Colony.
2. In reply, I have the honour to inform you that the despatch was considered in Executive Council, and it was decided that an Ordinance should be drafted embodying the Indian Regulations, with certain modifications which would make them suitable to a town like Colombo. The Attorney-General accordingly drafted the Ordinance a copy of which is herewith enclosed, together with a memorandum drawn up by him explain- ing the provisions of the Ordinance.
• No. 23.
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3. As it seemed to me very desirable to avoid legislation, I suggested to the Attorney-General that some of the proposed regulations might be made under Ordin- ance No. 3 of 1897, and I herewith enclose copy of his reply, together with a copy of the Regulations therewith received. I wished to have Clause 5 of the Draft Ordinance also included in the Regulations, but the Attorney-General reported that the clause in question could not be embodied because section 6 of the Ordinance No. 3 of 1897 creates disobedience of a regulation an offence, and section 7 of the same Ordinance provides the penalty for such offence.
4. I would therefore enquire whether you would object to an Ordinance being introduced on the lines proposed by the Attorney-General, and whether Clause 4 of the draft should be a regulation under Ordinance No. 3 of 1897, or embodied in the Bill. your despatch under 5. I may mention with reference to the third paragraph of reply that a reference to the General Officer Commanding the Troops has elicited the enclosed memorandum from the Senior Military Medical Officer, which does not altogether bear out the view that since the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance the average amount of venereal disease among the troops stationed in the Island has not increased.
I am, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 26.
WEST RIDGEWAY.
DRAFT of an ORDINANCE for preventing the spread of Contagious Diseases amongst the Military Forces stationed in the Island.
Whereas it is expedient to make provision for preventing the spread of contagious Preamble. diseases amongst the military forces stationed in the Island: Be it therefore enacted by the Governor of Ceylon, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:
1. This Ordinance may be cited as "The Military Contagious Diseases Ordinance, Short title. 1898.*
2. It shall be lawful for the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, by Governor Proclamation to be for that purpose published in the "Government Gazette," to bring may bring any town or place where military forces are stationed under the operation of this town Ordinance, and to define the limits of such town or place for the purposes of this Ordin- under the operation ance; and such Proclamation to amend, alter, or revoke as and whenever the Governor of this
Ordinance. shall, with the like advice, determine.
3. In this Ordinance the following words and expressions shall have the meaning Interpreta- assigned to them, unless there be something in the subject or context repugnant to such tion. construction:
"
Contagious disease" shall mean venereal disease, including gonorrhoea.
"Medical officer" shall mean any medical practitioner specially authorized by the
Governor to perform the duties imposed by this Ordinance.
4. If a medical officer has prima facie ground for believing that any public pros- Power to titute living in any town or place brought under the operation of this Ordinance as call upon prostitute aforesaid is suffering from a contagious disease, he may, by notice in writing in the form suffering set forth in the schedule or in any similar form, call upon such prostitute to attend at the from con. hospital named in the notice at a time to be specified therein, and not to depart or quit tagious
without the permission of the medical officer in charge, unless and until such medical disease to officer is satisfied, by examination if necessary, that such prostitute is not in fact suffer- ing or is no longer suffering from such disease.
attend and
remain in
hospital.
5. If a medical officer reports in writing to the Inspector-General of Police that Power to any public prostitute having received a notice as provided in section 4, has refused or exclude omitted to attend at the hospital named, or that such prostitute having attended at such from town
or place. hospital has quitted it without the permission of such medical officer, the Inspector- General of Police may, if he thinks it expedient, by order in writing, direct such prosti- tute to remove from such town or place within twenty-four hours, and prohibit such prostitute from remaining longer in or re-entering it without his written permission.
6. The Inspector-General of Police may, by notice in writing, prohibit
(a) The keeping of a brothel; or
(b) The residence of a public prostitute in any town or place brought under the
operation of this Ordinance, or in any specified part thereof.
Removal
of brothels and prostitutes.
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