CO129-461 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1920 [5-7] — Page 431

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Enclosure 2.

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426

Extract from the Hongkong Telagraph of the 17th November,

HONGKONG “-SLAVERY."

44.

0:

INTERVIEW WITH MR. LAU

CHU PAK.

0

THE WHOLE POSITION REVIEWED.

A great deal of public interest in Hongkong has lately been Toused on the question of "child slavery," a subject to which the ' Telegraph has devoted not a little attention of late.

We have been fortunate to. secure a lengthy interview with the Hon. Mr. Lau Chu Pak on the subject, and his views will doubtless be read with great in- terest, especially in view of the very close touch he has with all things Chinese.

Replying to a question as to whether hethought it could be said that here

slavery" actually existed he said :- Slavery is a word which has in my opinion a broad meaning. It depends on how you interpret it, and how you use it. In a sense, we are all slaves to something or somebody. The question recent- ly raised in the local Press hel already been investigated more than ence by the Registrar General, who is now called the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, with the assistance of the lead- iog Chinese. The editorial remarks, especially those of our paper and of the Mail, laid the

fairly and squarely before the public. Strictly speaking, there is no slavery in China now, nor have selling and buying of human beings, in recent

years, been

case

-China)

allowed by law, as the wording of the documents for such tran-1 sactions can prove. The wording invariably is somewhat to this effact that at the request of the parent or guardian who is unable to support the child, and in considerat on of So-and-So agree-

to take ing

ovar the child and compensate the parent or

trouble guardian for the

of having brought the child

up. the parent or guardian volunta makes & of the.

for que purpose as agreed upon prostitution excepted), sub- ject to periodical visits by the parent or guardian for a certain- ing the welfare of the child so given away. Such wording bears ample proof that the Chinese laws do not recognise the selling and buying of children. Instinctively Ino parents are willing to part with their children. It is only when hard pressed by direproverty or ex- tremely distressed circumstances, when to sell their children is to save the lives of their children as well as their own, that they bow to this most painful neces- jsity. Without going into a series of cases, I may here give you an instance which has just taken place with my own people. A ¡widow and her younger daughter of about eight were seen standing at the gate of my house weeping. When I was going out, I saw them and turned back to ask my people what the woman wanted. They told me that the woman had been to them begging them to buy herdaughter as they were stary- ing. Her husband died years ago, leaving her and two daughters, the elder of whom had already been sold, fortunately to Good people. With the proceeds, she had a shed built for herself and Ther younger daughter. The shed. is now tumbling to pieces, and owing to the disturbed state of the country, she could not till her b.t of land peacefully, or earn suffic- iently by carrying loads to support herself and her little girl. She begged my people to take pity on her by taking over her daugh.

and

pay her a tons of dollars. so that she could have her shed repaired, and have some capital to do something with. She was sure that her daughter would be better fed and and clothed by us than by herself. My people agreed to pay her some money, but refused to take the girl. The mother kept on begging with tears, and said that that was not good enough, for, should she die or unfo tunately lose her money, there would be no-one to look after the girl, and, moreover, in the event of her failing to get on by her own efforts, she would, afterwards, have a respect- able place, where her daughter is,

ter

few

1919.

FAMILIAP .2

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