CO129-259 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1893 [5-8] — Page 158

a Government officer before they go

there, they

mwt

obey

will

feet

that the word.

of the keeper is law, and that they

her. Brothel keepers under the present system know that if they

maltreat the inmates they have every- thing to love They

are

ana

nothing to gain.

therefore afraid to maltreat

them, and, as a consequence, the an innate of a brothel, so as the minate is in Houghong,

life of long

is one of less hardship than in Chiria. Under the present system of registration, the power of the brothel keeper is - -greatly reduceds. By abolishing

the

present system, become all pourful, and it is

the brothel keeper will

is easy

to forevee what a life of hardship will be that of nimates under such air-

cumwtai

wees.

Another point to which we

wish to uivite attention is that, at

prevent, brothels are

confired to parti-

154

neighbourhoods, whereas it is

to

„cular

now proposed, remove that restriction, and to allow

we understand,

cessarily brothels to be opened anywhere and

everywhere. We most sincerely trust that in the interest of the morality.

that the old restriction

nemer}

of

this

may

is done

Colony

be allowed to pemain. If it

away

with, we have no hesi.

tation in saying that family life-

among

the Chinese will decrease ra-

Who will care

in this Colony.

pidly in this

to bring his female relations to live

mi or even to visit

there may

Hongkong,

when

be next door to him a

brothel? Who will care to unvest in

that property

any injured

property in Hong Kong when any- unscrupulous person may depreciate

it

by opening brothels in its mime. diate neighbourhood? In China, there exists with regard

to brothel the

principle of local option. As that is a

-principle not yet in force in this

cular

Colony