1878 — Page 270

prevent some class of diseases arising from prostitution, but the laws were made to prevent all disease, as far as possible, by attention to health and cleanliness, and especially to stamp out hereditary syphilis, in this I contend it has been most successful in this Colony.

Undoubtedly the registered women are liable to contract disease from men coming from other countries, but that severe forms of disease even to the severest are not well known among the Chinese, is untrue. It is a daily occurrence to see Chinese in the streets of Hongkong horribly scarred with syphilitic disease, with nose and eyes completely gone. Prisoners come into the Gnol who, when stripped, reveal most horrible scars and deformities, the result of syphilis in its worst form. Sailors have been received in Hospital here with disease contracted in the nearest coast ports of the most revolting type. Two women have been received into Hospital this year, diseased by their own countrymen, and in a most deplorable state. Any one can see miserable little wretches of Chinese children about the streets of Victoria suffering from hereditary syphilis. One Chinese Doctor tells the Commission that he has been in practice 23 years in Hongkong, that he treats over 1,000 cases of syphilis a year, more among men than women; and he makes a very clear distinction between diseases in his evidence, though his theory and practice are not to be recommended. All this goes to prove the disease is here and in the Canton province in its worst form.

The Commission nowhere in commenting on the "Modification of Type of Disease" take into consideration that a similar law to our Contagious Diseases Ordinance is in force in Singapore and Japan, that similar laws prevail in Europe and India, that rapid communication is more common by sea, and seamen found to be diseased are sent ashore for treatment at the nearest port, that many vessels carry their own Surgeons and that by these means discuse not belonging to China has been to a considerable extent prevented from entering this Port. So that similar laws in other countries must have helped to free this Port from disease, or perhaps the Commission give all the credit to those other countries for exporting these diseases into this Colony and China, and therefore as they now have laws for the prevention of the spread of disease there is no reason for us to trouble ourselves further about the matter.

That brothels licensed for Chinese should not have the Medical clauses of the Ordinance applied to them, I agree. But that the Government supervision of these houses has had no appreciable beneficial results, I deny. When I first arrived in this Colony, Typhoid Fever of a very virulent type was rife in these houses, and I had orders to enquire into the matter, the result was a Report I sent in, January 19th, 1874, which the Commissioners do not appear to have seen. Mr. TONNOCHY, then Acting Registrar General, went round with me on the first series of inspections, and a more disgusting, filthy, overcrowded state of things than these houses presented it is impossible to conceive. Now no brothel is allowed to have more inmates than it can decently accommodate, and every brothel is thoroughly cleaned and whitewashed once a year at least, oftener if required. Latrines and drains are kept in decent order and the houses have been rendered as wholesome as the style of building permits.

The Chinese community appreciate the cleanliness that has taken the place of the filthy state of things disclosed by my report, for I have often been spoken to on the subject by some of the leading Chinese merchants.

That being under Government supervision they ought never to have been in such a state, is undeniable. But being left in the hands of Inspectors, who had no orders to guide them and who were perfectly ignorant of what was required, it could hardly be otherwise.

1 went round each house and wrote down in a book for the Inspectors' guidance, how many women it could accommodate and what it required to render it wholesome. I also wrote out a set of general rules to guide the Inspectors, and I make yearly inspections to see for myself that these places are in proper order. If these houses were again left to themselves as before, they would soon relapse into the condition in which I found them.

With the prosecution of unregistered women, my Departinent has nothing to do, but I think as have been revealed. Unlicensed much might be done without any such disgraceful proceedings women might be prevented from solicitation in the streets, and licensed women might have passes allowed them to be out in certain parts of the town at certain hours of the evening, it would then be Unlicensed houses kept by easy to tell at once whether a woman on the street was licensed or not. Chinese women admitting Foreigners who are known not to be residents, or known to be in a position to keep women might be prosecuted, for it is quite evident that Foreigners frequent these houses for If the Inspectors ure not to be one purpose and not to have a chat and a cup of tea or even a drink. trusted, paid informers are still less so, and I do not see that the proof of actual intercourse is necessary. Even private soldiers and sailors have sufficient honourable feeling to prevent them betraying the women who discnsed them, for it is certain in the majority of cases they are not so ignorant us they A man who would take money to, and after having inter pretend to be of who the woman was. course with a woman, betray her for no other reason, must be a scoundrel, whose evidence would be

worthless on oath.

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