MONDAY AUGUST 1, 1991.
"MUI TSAI."
CHINESE MASS MEETING DISCUSSION.
RESOLUTIONS CARNIEU.
PROTECTIVE SOCIETY TO BE FORMED.
Out of the four hours' oratory and gesticulation-excited decuociation and vehement denial that marked the mass meeting of Chinese held in the Taiping Theatre, West Point, on Saturday afternoon to discuss the fact stands clear-a resolution was carried mud tsai question, one that a society should be formed for the protection of girl-domestic The audience, roughly estimated at 500, was representative servants. of many classes from the impecunious colie to the prosperous merchant. It listened attentively to the various speakers for and against the system, and though nearly every speaker prefaced ́a partisan speech with a declaration that he intended to be absolutely Impartial, gave each one an almost equal measure of applause. Once or twice only during the more heated moments of the general discussion that followed the speeches delivered by the Hon. Mr. Lau Cha-pak (Chairman) and the Hon. Mr. Ho Fook, did the audience manifest any great excitement and a mild uproar have to be quelled by appeals for order from the Chair. Notwithstanding the great diversity of opinion expressed with more or less animation by the various speakers, the meeting with few dissentients was unanimous in defying the allegations incorporated in the Hon. Mr. Lau Cou-pak's questions. The questions submitted by the Hon. Mr. H. E. Pollock and the Daily Press were not put to the meeting and a suggestion that another meeting should be held to consider them was apparently lost in the general flow of cratery, much of which was of little value owing to the lack of any attempt to restrict the speakers to the questions before the meeting- namely (1) whether the sui tai system should continue as at present, (2) whether it should be abolished, and (3) whether protection was necessary for the girl domestica concerned.
THE HON. MR. LAU CHU-PAK'S SPEECH.
The Hon. Mr. Lau Chu Pak presided and those supporting him on the platform included:-The Hon. Mr. Ho Fook- Messrs. Chau Sui Ki Chou Shea Sen, 3. W. Tre, llo Kom Tong. You Sui St. Kwok Sui Lan. Tegi Hing. lo fu. Chan Fors La Fok To Kai. Teks Po. Fung Ping Shan. Ip Lau Chuer. Lo Cheng Shi, Wong Kwong Tin Li Yik Mu. Po Kwai. To iz Tun. Yau Sui Chi. J. M. Wong, Wong Tak Kaoag, Lo Tat. Tam Pak Shiu. Li Wing Kong. Chau Cat Min. Li Yan Tsun.
Young Shin Chuen, Dr. M. Luk, Dr. Ng TinPo and others. The ptly Europeans in the assembly were Mr. A. H. Crook and Mr. 1. Jackann.
The Hos. Mr. Lap Our Pas said: Ladies and Gentlemen.--The subject which you have been invited to come her to discuss, is of scane importance in that it affects not only the custom of as, Chi nete, but also su respectability as a race. farge you to demonstrate fully and with perfeer fairness what you have personally soen and heard of in connection with the subject. so that matters can be publicly investigued.
OWACTS.
Within the past few months, questions have been asked in the House of Com- to in England as to why in a British Colony like Hongkong the buying and fo:- selling of slases Ead not yet been biddru. and why servant girls were still allowed to be cruelly treated by their The Hongkong Government has already replied in detail contradictiog three necusations, and the local English newspapers bave also obtained and pub fished my views on the subject. Now re ports are aguia being circulated in Lon don among different classes of people to the effect that we, Chinese, in Hongkong Bay and bring servant girls up for prostitution, and for the immoral pur- poses of their masters who. when not pleased with them, resell them; and that frequently the girls are badly treated ay, their owners who thrash them or in jure them with various crue! means. The originators of these reports requested the Liternment of England to order the Government of Hongkong to enact a law to prohibit the buying and keeping of rvant-girls, or to impour restrictions on those families who possess servant-giris by compelling them to report and register their possessions, and by appointing officers to inspect the girls periodically
will presently proceed to narrate in
e detail what I have, personally seen and heard of. in connection with the subject. so that, after hearing p you can compare my experience with what you have personally seen and heard, differentiate between your views and mise, and accordingly form your own conclusion as to whether we have been justly or wrongly accused. At any rate we shall all consider carefully, every allegation, and if it was groundless. we should formally and publicly textify to its being so, and submit a full report to the Honglong Government embodying all the facts of the servant girl system, so that such facts may be communicated to the Government of England.
There might have been a small number of cases in which the owners wantonly ill-treated their servant-girls. In these cases, we should take measures to prevent their reoccurrence. Even in the case of animals and birds, the European have formed a society to prevent their ill-treat- Tacht. I am sure that for the good treat- ment of servant-girls brought up by them- selves, the Chinem will not hesitate to help in farming a society to carry out the object.
radugh to be married. their parents if they could refund the money paid for them. had the right to redeem them. When a s
a servant-gir! was to be roarried her parent had to be informed of the address to which she was to be married, thus enabling them to take up the new relation. ship with the family of her husband. Up
the present das. Laina has never passed a law to probibi: prostitution and the servant-girl system. The emancipation of slaves was not effected natil towards the end of the Manchu Dynasty. However. among the prohibitive laws passed at the times of Hon and Tong, there were para graphs showing sympathy with the slaves and the servant-girls for their owners wers forbidden to kill and burn them.
In the old days in China, in addition to the enactment of statuses. laws could be made by Imperial edicts. or by pre clamations issued by the local authorities. unlike these constitutional countries whose Jaws must first pass through both the Iwwer and Upper Houses of Parliament before they can be recognized. Towards the end of the Manchu Dynasty there was
edict abolishing slaves, but none to prohibit the keeping of servant-girls. Sometimes when the kidnapping of women and girls became flagrantly common. the local authorities did issue proclamations to forbid the sale of toys and girls and taking them out of their jurisdictions. But it was only a temporary measure. applied to a particular district. As far as the practice of the people was concern- ed, it wet en as usual and unchecked. This proves the noc-existence of any law forbidding the sale and purchase of girls
for servants. When a girl is bought to be a servant, the deed of transfer is some times drawn up as a perpetual sale, and sometimes as a temporary presentation. The word
replaces the presentation word "sale." and the term "Ginger and Vinegar 1 is
Toney
used instead of "prien in crder to show that the trans action is not an act of sale. Among the Cantonese the form of presentation is generally used Further the buying of a giri to be a servant differs from that of cnc for prostitution, the latter transac ten eeing spette brohibited by la Luder the Manchu code, the buying of
સુપ
women and girls for proscfore.
severity.
punishable with those whose business it was to buy youaz girls and bring them up for prostitution always said that they bought them to by daughters or to be daughters-in-law. Such girls were generally bought frost distant places so no to avoid detection by their pareats, or were bought in their age of innoccnon so that, when brought up. they would not know their own parents, Thus there is obvious difference between the two classes of girl-purchase. That the English accusers mix the one up with the other is proof of their ignorance of the real state of affairs The Po Leung Kab was founded to afford relief to those who were kidnapped, and to abate the mal practice of selling boys and girls. There- fore all the women and girls who came from the mainland of China to enter the Jccal brothels, or for transhipment to other plates as prostitutes were subjected to examinations at the Secretarial Jor Chi. nrse Affairs. Those who were not of the legal age, or whose answers to the ques tions put them were not satisfactory were passed on to the committee of the Po Leung Kuk for further investigations If they were found to have been kid. napped or seduced, those who brought them to Hongkong were prosecuted and panished.
If they were doceived inta becoming prostitutes or compulsorily male to prostitute themselves, they were detained and looked after until suitable men could be found to marry them. The bulk of the prostitutes in Hongkong bail- ed from the mainland. There might be a email number of them from amongst the local residents who swelled their number, but such had either so misconducted them- ́selves sa to be unft for marriage or bad themselves preferred to become prostitutes to being married. Also there might be Some who, when quite young, were
the brothel
am, now, coming to what I have seen and heard of in reference to the subject. After you have heard me, I wish you to toll the meeting what your own experi
systems of slaves, servant- ence is girls and prostitutes, according to the historical records were introduced more Kuan Chung of than 2,500 years ago. Tsai, one of the warring States in the reign of the House of Chow, instituted brothels to induce what were then called the good men to remain in his State with a view to enriching it and increasing its population. Pablic prostitution started from that tina The selling and buying of slaves and servant-girls were initiated by the Dynasties of Chan and Hos, when extenders of the law were also made slaves and servants as a mode of punishment. The slaves were all men and their Bons and grandsons remained to be slaves from generation to generation, unless and until they could accumulate sufficient wealth or their friends and relaties could find the nocery weans to pay for their emancipa. tion, and even then only with the consent of their masters. Servants were generally young women and girls. - Their status was different, when grown up.'they were mar zied. After marriage., should theý stil Tike to mainain the relationship with their former owners, they would be allowed ans. te,drosa mémbers of their former owners' Families, but without doing any more ↑ up too much of your licht, hoc, l'a ? sh domestic work. Before they grew old
brought to this Colony how old enough keepers, and when they grow became prostitutes, but of these scarcely any were bought in Hongkong. The Chinese residents in this Colony know that it is against the wishes of the local
authorities to buy and sell women and girls and that there is no remedy for awindles. There have been eases in which the mothora conspired with the go betweens to sell their daughters and after: a time reported to the "Authorities. As having lost their daughters. Then they went to the families who bought them, and rogained the custody of their daughters without paying back, a cent, while those familice dared not bring their cases into Court. Buying is therefore seldom done in Hongkong unless there can be produced bond fide widence of good faith. I do not, propose to repost verbatim ? what :-F. told - the renosters of the English papers, for it sonid tabe,
to use the sinis argumcente I used to them.
THE CHINA MAIL.
for people have already said that this meating was called to defend the mus feui system. I need scaronly any that it was ‘dot, fer, as you are aware, the system is more or less a part of the question of economies in China. "Without improving the economic conditions of that country, any attempt at interference will rather add to than redues the miseries of the poor. Also the notice convening the meet- ing clearly shows that we are more in a
to Answer rense
certain 'accusations against our good name as well as to investigate dispasionately what is un. doubtedly an important question.
Having dealt generally with the systems of slaves and servant-girls, I now côme to deal with the questions before you and those, suggested by my Honourable col· league Mr. Pollock and by the Editor of the Daily Pren since the publication of the notice copyrning this meeting. The questions by Mr. Ho Fook and myself
are:-
1. Is it a fact that servant-girls are
brought up for prostitution 1
2. Are servant-girls slaves?
3. Are servant-girls kept for the sexual purpose of their masters, who, when tired of them, sell them
4. Has the Chinese Government passed any law to abolish the practice of keiping servant-girls?
5. Cau the owners of the servact-girls
ill-treat them as they please!.
Any other matters relating to the ques tion of servant-girls. The questions bug- gested by the Editor of the Daily Press“.
I
1. What do you meną by (a) domestic "
service (b) slavery ↑
2. Are the mui trai purchased by their owners in the vast majority of cases for philanthropic or for commercial
reasons
If the object of purchasing mui tšai- is in order to obtain cheap labour, what protection against abuse do these children enjoyi
4. Are people who proê: by this system trustworthy judges of the desirability ur otherwise of continuing the *ystem!
3. Do not the continuance of the pr
went systera constitute racial dis crimination of which the conveners at the meeting are declared oppon-
ents!
6. lu rebérence to the question of ill- treatment. is it expected that these who ofred in this respres will give evidence at the meeting?
The Honourable Mr. Pollock's questions
1. Has the person who purchases a mui tani ahsolute domition over her? For example. has he the right to order ber
(a) To be his concubine.
(b) To be his mistress.
(c) To do any work about the house of any description what.
Fyer,
(d) In short, to do anything what- ever which he directs which will not brigg either him or ber within the grasp of the criminal law?
Are got mui taais frequently pur- chased for economical reasons, ie.. merely as a means of obtaining cheap domestic service)
3. is not the mui tauí system sometimes used as a cloak for purchasing girls for the purpose of their becoming prostitutes.
4 Cannot the purchaser of a muni teas resell her to somebody else? If he wants to resell her, has the parent or any other person who originally told her the right to be consulted- with reference to such reale?
5. What are the rights of the parent or other person who originally sold the mui faci as to redeeming such mui tai, ie., buying her back
(a) from the person to whom he.
originally sold her.
(b) from the person to whom she
was re-said?
The above Questions, it fully answered, will, I think crable each one of us to judge for himself
(The real status of a mui tani, and (ii) Whether the mui trai system ought
to
be continued
(a) at all, or
(b) in its present form in
British Colony.
a
By way of elucidating the above ques tions, I will first give you the views which I have both before and quite recently gathered from various sources, and also tell you what I bave personally seen and beard of, before asking you to expresa your own views and tell me what you Ar have yourselves seen and heard of. the views, which I am going to give, cover almost every point raised in the ques tions, I don't think that I need deal with then set by set, but, I will more or less keep to the order in which they have been put. In doing so, I may have to repeat some of the remarks I have already made, in order to make matters clear.
mixed up.
1. There are two distinct classes of people who buy young girls and keep them; one class buy and keep servant- girls for domestic service, and the other for prostitution. The two should not, be
Those who buy and keep young girls for domestic service are of the respectable class, who would not have their good name stained by such a desigua- tion as
(a nick-name for tortoise" brothel-keepers the daughters of any of whom are prostitutes), and be subjected to extortions by the official underlings and local tracts, without whose cbani- vance and protection, their trade cannot be ecried on quietly for the buying
of young girls to be brought up for prostitu tion is punishable by law. Young girls sold for domestic service cannot be made to prostitute themselves without their own censent and that of their parents. Their purchasers guilty of the offence are liable to pay heavy damages in addition to the punishment provided by law, and to return the girls to their parents without compensation. Those who buy
and keep girls for prostitution generally make special arrangements with the girls' parests and pay higher prices for them. had in some cases they pretend to buy for beate there are different forms adoption; of documents,
namely "Perpetuity" and Adoresealation,"
9. and 3. There are, now, no slaves in China, and if there are still a few, they are not recognized as such, or it is rather because "And it pays them better ta remain with their old owners as servants. that they have not left.. Girls have never been counted na slaves, They are gen-^ -| erally bought very young. People do not like to buy big girls because they are difficult to control and stier a few year”. service, they will have to be married off, When the girls are too young to look after themselves, the masters", amaks sad, in some cases, the masters/wives falisk daughters here to drem them and keep them clean until they become old mourh to work. Their partitis are allowed to 776g and see thena porsód texty."And wher they come, they are, sa a rùle, provided-
with board and lodging and in many cares paid their travelling expenses by the girls' masters. In the case of rich families, the girls' parents not infrequently obtain gifts of money and old clothing. One's own clansmen's daughters are often taken over to be servant-girla. Girls cannot be married as wives or concubines to men of the same clas. The administration at domestic service is in every case, in the hands of the mistress Should a man -take a fancy to his servant-girl, he must first obtain his wife's consent and then that of the girl herself and her parents, before he can make her a concubine. 11 he carries on secretly with the girl. although the latter is a consenting party. he will have to answer to his wife, when and if she finds him our. It is the sume in the case of bis concubine's servant-girl. There is yes a greater source of danger to a man who has luced his servant-girl. It the girl is eventually married out of his family, and her husband finds that she is not chaste and if she makes a confes- sion, then her eld master will not only ba regarded with reorn by his relatives and friends and cursed by his wife or enen- bine, as the case may be, but will also be subjected to blackmailing by the girl's husband and parents. There have been cases, in which men in high social posi- tions quietly made their servant-giris their concubines without the knowledge and conset of their wives, but in such cart the girls' parents were bribed and parate establishments provided for the girls and their children were, in after days, recognized as legal heirs.
Other cass hard occurred, in which after having made the girls concubines, the wives whose consent had not previously been obtained made things to hot for the men, that they had to pay the girls large sams of money and send them secretly back to their parents, giving them a fré hand as to whether they should bide their time or marry ather men as they might please. In the case of the girls kept by concubines, similar formalities have to be gone through. Caves have also been heard of, in which the girls who were formally TORd concubines breame favourites, while the wires and the senior concubines were relegated to second places. This is one of the instances of what the Chinese commonly call slighting_the_wife to please the concubine, and such offenc is punishable by law. No cases have ever came to light, in which the masters had a free hand to do what they liked with their servant girls.
4. The Chinese Government has pot up to cow enacted azy law to prohibit the system of mud trai. At the commencement of the Republic, the Commissioner of Police of Canton attempted to do so. He compelled most of those families who kept mui trai to give them up, and he had quito a large number of them lodged in building specially maintained for the
purpose.
erally works off her pledge in about eight or ten years While in the service of her purchaser, in addition to her food, clothing, medical attendance and other sundry articles which a girl requires, she participates in the tips panally given to the servants by the purchaser's friends and relatives. In not a few casce, & ser- Fant-girl has accumulated fairly sub- stantial savings in this way. Besides she has ornaments given to her by her mis treas for good conduct and faithful ser- Tice. Sometimes the reward takes the form of fres release,
-No well-to-do people would sell their daughters to be mi trai. Thom who do has either been reduced to straitened rirenmstances or driven from plate to place by want of work or be lamine. In some instances, to sell a daughter in her tender age is to sare ber life, and at the same time to enabla one to tide over had times, or to prevent the other children the family frora being starved to death. And many a daughter has been sold to defray burial expenses and to pay the lines and other levies made by the officials. For such purposes, even many of the younger sons have been sold. Son cannot be redeem- ed, because they are bought for adoption; but girls can even if they have been resold.
Girls are generally bought at Ages ranging from 4 to 13
They can not be expected to do beyond odds and ends until they are between the g of 10 and 12. Their actual period of Jarvi between 12 aos 18. From 15 they begin to assert their rights and steps must necessarily be taken to marry them or other arrangements made with them. The prices paid for a girl vary between $10 and $15 for every year of her age, ie, for a girl 4 years old 840 or $60 and so on. In the famine stricken districts, the prices are lower. In the last famine in North China, there were so many boys and girls dying of starva- tion that their parents begged to have them taken off their hands for practic aly nothing. But this was excepticas! and we are not dealing with parti calar incidents.
Shoald & girl die at whatever age after the male; the pur chaser must pay her burial expenses, and has no right to demand the refund of the purchase money or claim compensa. tien for whatever money spent on her maintainence up to the time of her death. From 4 to 19. the costs of a servant- girl's food, clothing, docters fees and pericdical board and lodging and travel- ling expenses for her parents have be included in ber hill, and she dnes not begin to be really useful until 13 to 15. When she is married sometime between 15 to 20. 30 per cent to 3 per cent. of the wedding price has to be spect on her outat, in addition to the tips she has saved and the ornaments given her, which must be banded over
to
A girl brought up in one's family with one's children can be ex-
S to know one's ways and habits then a sexact engaged by the month. Treated as a member of the
Family, a trained girl caa be relied upon
to her. Before long. however, he had to ask the families concerned to take back the giris, because the latter, while in the care of the Commissioner clamoured for the same kind of clothing and food, which they used to enjoy in their former homes and those who were old enough either whated him to procure for them suitable husbands or begged to be allowed to go For the out to bunt for busbands. younger ones, he had to employ amaha ta look after them. In short, he was pester- ed with
br so great a variety of requests the
girls,
and worried so often by the poor who volunteered to hand their daughters over to him to be brought up that he became disgusted and gave the attempt up as a hopeless job! It was also suggested by some reformers that both the roncubine and servant-girl systems should be abolished, but that suggestion was not. adopted owing to its impracticabilities.
3. Girls sold to the wesithy families are as a yule weli off, doing very little work; of those sold to the middle class some have to work
workTly hard, and others have ligh
BOL so well off as those sold to the wealthy families. It is more or less a question of luck.
to take care of one's valuable things. There is a permanency of at least 5 to 10 years in a trained girl's service. In the case of a conscientious girl, she still keeps her relationship with the family in which she was brought up after her marriage, thus keeping up the ancien: system of mutual help and mutual res- ponsibility, particularly in the case of children's folk On the girl's part, when For the is safe from starvation and
the chance of learning to sew and read and acquire good habits, which. As a poor man's daughter, she has not When grown up, she has the chance of marrying above her position as a poor man'a daughter and when married inlo a good family, she has the means of benefiting her parents and her brothers. if she has any Macy servant-girls have been married into good familes and have been the means of lifting up their
Par enta and brothers. In the wealthy
In some villages. many girls are killed, when borg, il no families. the girls act as companions to
one can be found to take them over. their masters children, wait on their
Alto in every district, w bea a poor man mistresses, go on errands, do a little sew-
cannot earn enough to keep all ing, when they have learned it, and attend
months of his family going, he is com to the wants of female visitors when re-
pelled to get rid of his children or even quired in the families of the middle,
his wife, and at the same time to leave class they have to help in cooking, sewing."
his aged mother to public charity Washing cleansing and sweeping, carry ing light loads, marketing and sach gen.. eral work 39 20 ordinary man's own daughters
would have to do, were they with their parents; and they are sure of their food
while with their and clothing.
be parents, they would not of either. The
cases, in which the percentage of mistresses are exacting, bad-tempered or cruel-hearted in treating their servant- girls is infuitesmal. These women would treat their own daughters no better, if their daughters were as naughty, lazy and disobedient as some of the servant- It is not of rare occurrence girls are. that the parents of girls, who are naughty,
ty, disobedient and with bad habits
sure
are asked to take them back by paying back what they could, or, failing that to consent to their being transferred to some other families who would not mind having them. Except fa cases, in which the girls have been sold in perpetuity (and these are comparatively few in the Province of Kwongtung, whence the of the Chinese in this Colony majority come) the girls' parents are in contant touch with them, and the masters ог mistresses are bound to let the girls in- form them on their periodical visits. of the nature of the work they are required to do, and how they are treated. The girls' parents can redeem them, when- ever they can afford to do it, and they are often urged to do so by their daugh- ters or to find another good family to if they feel that they are
jll-treated
take them the parents hare sleo some voice in the marriage of their daugh ters In many cases in the past, when no.suitable husbands could be found for their daughters, they were asked to take them back to marry them on payment of a sum mutually agreed upon. The mat ters generally check any harsh treatment of the girls by their wives or concubiner. as they are too much for their good names to allow their women folk, to go beyond certain limits. Whenever a girl is badly treated, the other servants and the neighbours are bound to know of it, and the girl herself is bound to talk, and in no few cases has she taken upoz herself to leave her mistrend's house, Whenever there is proof of cruelty even in the treatment of one's own children, the Chinese public seldom let things rest without making noise Cruelty, when reported, is investigated and
punished
by the local authorities Many girls who had learned hair-dressing, sewing and other useful crafts refused to be mar ried and bargained with their mistresses * to remain in their service, for one or two
yeats longer aither with or without pay. and after the expiration of the period, went to: work ontziða er 'continued in the employ of their mistimack at the PRLING, THE DE ways. u they zugid vary.
outside.
In short
a servant giri-gen-
For
philanthropic sad commercial rea sons, le conclusions be formed from the particulars gathered as above.
Th're remain a few minor points to be dealt with. Before the system of introduced, sons and nephews slaves was did servitor's work for their fathers, and daughters and nieces for their mothers and aunts
Speaking literally the juniors waited on their elders morning and evening, carrying out their orders and performing every kind of menial labour, which the elders ordered them to perform, in addition to tilling their land and herding their cattle. They were not paid for their labour, and when their elders were displeased with them. they had to kneel down with canes on their backs and asked to be thrashed, and ever when they were ordered to die, they bad to Whether justly treated or not, they had no remedy. After slaves were created, sons and daughters, nephews and nieces were gradually relieved of such burdens which were shifted on to the shoulders of the slaves. This system has died out and has, therefore, no bear- ing on what we are now discussing.
But the word "alavery" which is em- ployed by our English friends, in con- section with the mui tuoi system calla for some explanation." "As I said before, when interviewed by their newspaper" reporters its meaning. depends very much on how it is interpreted. Accord -ing to our point of view, what a father dors on accumulating wealth and leaving it to his children in "slavery, He labours hard to earn money. Lor his children to enable them to live in comfort, while be has to put up with all sorts of difficul
Hence our sons are ties and worries humorously called masters and ourselves slaves. In the same way I may be called your slave because I labour for you and what I am doing
be called may slavery. (Laughter and applause.)
No täsi or servants do harder work and get less reward than the wife of a She farmer on the mainland of China. gets or before day-light every morning. Jetches water frpin the river or well, conka mesis, cats grass or trees for tuel.......
mus
ARE YOU GOING ON A JOURNEY? ~HAMBERLAIN'S Cole and Diarrh- Remedy should be packed in your band tugage when going on a journey. Change of water, diet and temperature all tend to produce bowel- trouble and bla medicine cannot be a cured on board tas train or stasmakīp. It may SAVO Zenobi, millelag-nod ins
· by Wil Chanlatı und Btors
EARLIER TELEGRAMS.
„Kauter's Service se the Lat
AUSTRALIANS AT SWANSKA,
At Swansea, the weather was dull and
Lospos, July 30th. the wicket
softish,' but before 7,000 spectators, South Wales ade 213 The second wicker partnership between Riches (75) and Bates (9) realised 131-the highest score against Australians in the
tcar.
Armstrong took 5 wickets for $1. The Australians had made 30 for the loss of one wicket when stumps drawn.
were
U.S. TRANS-PACIFIC CABLE.
WASHINGTON, July 30th.
It is announced that Mr. Hughes har recommended, and President Earding has approved, the Government laying trans-Pacific cable,
private enterprise
is unwilling to undertake the task.
Mr. Hughes said that the Federat jeet should be deferred until it has be
bead ascertained whether
private would lay the cable.
companies He pointed out that now here
here was only one cabin be tween the United States and the Philip pinea rid Gram. Applications for licences to lay a new cable had been made by rable companies, but the plans were for connections to Japan, and were, therefore, subject to Japanese satetion.
AUSTRALIAN ۳۰ ESSEX.
Losoos, July 5th.
At Southand, ia dult," a indy and threatening weather, before a small at- tendance, Essex were dismissed in their second innings for 219. Habert Ashton scored so.
Es ruts.
The Australians won by an innings and
LONDON, July Surres defeated Somerset by 10 wickets
Glamorgan beat Worcestershire by an ianings and rucs
INTER-VARSITY CONTEST,
Lar The inter-Varsity athletics ceramitter has reversed the decision regarding the second pings and declared the result a tie.
FRENCH STUDENTS.
Pazis, July 27th (delayed). Several scholarships naraed after the British scientist the late Sir Willia Ramsay have been instituted, enabling Freash students to pursue scientific re searches in British taiversities and to acquaint themselves with British methods of engineering and chemistry.-Haras
ters.
in
on the hill side, helps in tilling and cultivating land, mends old clothing. tends and feeds her children, rears for fs. and pigs, waits on her husband's mother. weaves iloth and makes threads, if she knows how, washca
clothing sad pounds. rice, besides many other household jobs. In short she works unceasingly from day- light until far into the night; day and day out, she toils the same. Even' when her son has grown up and built up a family of his own, her fabour does not. crase, having then to help her daughter- in-law in all tho does Her food and clothing are of the cheapest kind and alten
when her good man happens to be in a temper, she would be scolded and beaten. Women of her class abound in every village and the mus tras are drafted from the ranks of their daugh As the mothers have to struggle so hard to keep life going, it can well be imagined what miseries the daughters It is a common have to put up wilk. sight to see young girls tending cOWL and cutting grass on the hillside and carrying heavy loads to and from, the Selds. When these girls grow up, they are married to men of their class.
Talking of racial discrimination which the continuance of the mui ta system
to constitute, I am
□ not sure what is really meant by it. If it is meant that the system being a Chinese system. if allowed to retain, the Chinese would remain Chinese and the British British, I can only say, and I think you will all agree with me, that its abolition will not and cannot convert the two races into the satue habits and thoughts. There an not be more prominent discrimination than what is now already in existence. namely
ja said
The Chinese Ordinance; a Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, reserved residential areas for Europeans; Chinese offenders alone sentenced to stocks and flogging, etc. But this question should not be dragged into to-day's discussion, and i would not have mentioned it but for the reference to the matter of racial discrimination by the Daily Press.
I
before me many of you who do
not keep mui troi, so that it cannot be said that the opinions which will be expressed here all come from those who are benefited by the system. It is of no material importance to me whether the system will be abolished or not. What should be considered is how far will its abolition affect the welfare of the poor, and whether, its abolition alone will im prove the conditions of the girls and their parents For instance, if the Hongkong Government were to adopt to-day the
žame measure se was adopted by the Commissioner of Palica of Canton ten years ago, there would be handed over to the Government ten to fifteen thousand girls, some very young sad some mar risgeable. Would or could the girls be taken care of at the public's expense, or would they be all returned to their And suppcso many of the girls either: to be taken over by the Government or to go back to their parents; would the Government go tir the extreme of driving away all the lami lies passing such girls or compulsorily dragging the girls away and housin them elsewhere? If it was frared, in the case of the proposed establishment
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