1937-06-03 — Page 33

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ENGLAND AND

MUI TSAI

“imui taar. As she pointed

the difficulty is

the line, since the

O How mui tsai became

& between a mui tsai and an adopted daugh- ter. There appears to be an opinion, even in Hong Kong, that as long as an adopted daughter is defined as such, all is Welk It matters not, we are left to sup- pose, if her workaday activities in a family differ not at all from those one would expect to ob serve in the conditions of a mui tsai, nor even if the treatment meted out to her is harsher than that to which waverage mui tsai is accustomed The principle has been satisfied. She is not called a mui tsai and does not come, therefore, within the "hor- ror" definition, that of a slave- girl.

The argument seems to be that there are two quite distinct problems: one, slavery as such in the mui tsai system; and two, cruelty to children, whether na- tural or adopted. It is argued that they should be kept separ- ately and distinctly, in water- tight compartments of their own, and that when, five or ten or fifteen years hence, the last It is plain from comments on officially sanctioned mui tsai has

or into. the mui tsai 'problem in the been given her liberty English newspapers that the na- marriage, it will be time to tackle ture of that problem is still little the problem of ill-treatment of understood at Home. The "Daily all children. To us, it seems that Telegraph" for instance, sees the this line of argument evades the royal road to elimination in the primary issue which is, whether satisfying of leaders of opinion or not it can be justly asserted in Hong Kong and Singapore that the prohibition of mui tsai that British hatred of slavery is registration has led to an exten- philosophically and morally justi- sive growth in female child fied, and believes that the lesson adoption. In other words, whe- would driven home, mui tsai would dis-ther the children Wve been

have become mui tsai 28 appear almost “as swiftly

diverted into other channels. pigtails." The answer, of course,

whether their lot is not is that if that alone would suffice And there would be no mui tsai. pro-exactly as it would have been in blem. The leaders of Chinese the absence of mui tsai regula- opinion in Hong Kong, and the tion. This is Miss Picton-Turber- same can probably be claimed for vill's fear and it is the fear of Malaya, are wholeheartedly in many close observers of the of the abolition of the operation of Hong Kong's legis- mui tsai system. If there relation. We find it regrettable main any unconvinced leaders of that the Majority Report offers opinion they probably share Bri- such plentiful opportunity for tish horror of the idea of slavery (escape from this issue. while denying that the mui tsai

favour

system and slavery are one and

the same thing.........

It is unfair, too, to suggest A Broadside that the mui tsai law of Hong

extra-

· ཆོས་ ༦--སྒྲོ ་

Kong is a dead letter. The Sir Thomas Beecham, in an evidence of the Mui Tsai Com-address to the National Federa- mission's Report demonstrates tion of Music Societies, opened plainly that the law as it stands fire on Britain's legislators for is working efficiently and well. their neglect of music as a part The fault, if any, lies not with of general culture and education.

was a characteristic the operation of existing laws, It but with their inadequacy to vagance to say that we spent deal with the mixed ramifications £100,000,000 a year on "educat of mui tsai, adopted daughters ing young people up to the beau- and other manifestations of girl tits of Shakespeare and other child transference. It is here, English literature." Ten years indeed, where the challenge later those same young people comes to the recommendations to "can't quote a line of the hard" be found in the Majority Report, and spend their evenings in the The "Daily Telegraph cannot cmema. From this and from the have read their Report very national neglect of music Sir well on they would have found Thomas pounced fiercely upon that Sir Wilfrid Woods and his the "lunacy" of giving to the INSULITE is no saw-mill by-product. male colleague on the Commis "B.B.C. with its immense revenue Its fibres are especially ground from sion approved Hong Kong's leg-a monopoly of the "air," with the selected woods from northern forests.islation, which envisages the result that for three-quarters of gradual abolition of the mui tsai the day there was relayed over Nor is INSULITE “just another wall- system and merely made sugges, the wireless "the biggest non- board." It is the pioneer of all wood-tions for increased inspectorate sense to be heard in music? fibre insulating boards, backed by over and trifling.............., administrative What should be an almost negli twenty years intensive research and changes that many people gible quantity in the musical life erve of the country was becoming, he catering to the markets of the world. Hong Kong feel will merely

to perpetuate, what Britain's

most the most powerful anti-slavery, enthusiasts enr

lement. “This is a piece ingly. Miss Pic of

compared with which much far-eye thing ever done in any Con- ther her Minority Report and ital country 18.completely that control should reasonable. The speech will be of the be exercised over every form of enjoyed by dislikers Child transference, whether the wireless, but those who look for transaction be termed adoption constructive criticism will not or conversion of a child into" alfind much in it.

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