CO129-276 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [6-8] — Page 159

But at a speedy and quick rate, and unless a strict and efficient check be put upon this most iniquitous and immoral trade, the Colony will soon be overrun by these infamous and unfortunate women. We hear that many societies have been founded in Canton and elsewhere for the procuration of women and girls for prostitution in Hong Kong.

The evil effect of the increase of sly brothels in this Island is everywhere painfully apparent, especially so to parents, guardians, and employers of female labour. These sly brothels are scattered all over the Colony, more especially in the Central District and right in the midst of family residences, much to the dislike of the Chinese. The respectable Chinese residents, as predicted by us, have not in a single instance availed themselves of the provision of law that enables the house-holders in the neighbourhood to lay complaint before a Magistrate and have any disorderly house in the vicinity closed, and some of them have actually preferred removing their families to Canton or elsewhere to instituting a prosecution under this provision of law.

We are confident that the Government will not permit such a state of things to continue for long, and in this belief, we venture to offer a few suggestions for consideration. We are aware that under the Ordinance for the Protection of Women and Girls, the Registrar General is invested with special powers for checking the traffic in women and girls, and without such powers, it is certain that the evils now complained of would be much worse than they actually are; but the large increase...