CO129-375 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [1-2] — Page 361

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state. The Chinese Community are much disturbed by the increase

of these crimes of violence and I am informed by the Chinese

Members of Council that they are very strongly in favour of

the legislation I propose.

Enclosure 44.

5.

I attach a statement shewing the

number of offences of this class during the last two years,

and the number of arrests.

6.

The crime of kidnapping has also be-

-come scandalously prevalent and I received a day or two ago

a despatch from the Viceroy of the Two Kwang Provinces com-

-plaining that the scoundrels who engage in this trade make

their head-quarters in Yaumati in this Colony and urging more

effective means of dealing with them. In some cases this

crime is identical with slave-dealing for which under section

71865

44 of Ordinance 2 of 1845 a maximum sentence of 14 years

penal servitude may be inflicted, but sale or intention to

sell is difficult to prove, and in most cases the maximum is

7 years as provided by section 45. The draft bill provides

that kidnapping shall be punishable by the ordinary whipping

on the breech. I am however informed by the Superintendent

of the Gaol that such birching is taken no notice of by

Chinese criminals.

7.

I propose to address you further in

a separate despatch on the subject of minor forms of crime,

but