CO129-465 - Public Offices & Others - 1920 — Page 297

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the South of China". The Governor therefore called

the attention of the Commodore to the position of296

affairs.

Paragraphs 9 and 10.

Accurate.

Paragraph 11. The Secretary of State bad also asked the Governor to consider the possibility of a system of registration. In his report which was recently received the Governor expremned his regret that he could not regard the proposal as a solution of the difficulty. In his opinion the chinese community would not understand it and (unless very stringent penalties were attached to failure to register) would largely ignore it if they did; the majority would prefer the possibility of having to pay a fine ruther than have the privacy of their households invaded by Government Inspectors; and it is obvious that registration without inspection and an inquisitorial right of entry into every private house in the Colony would be merely nugatory. The Governor's view is that the well dispored good citizen, norvourly anxiour to do everything right and with nothing to hide or fear might perhap register, but that the evil disposed would take care to do nothing of the kind, and there would be little chance of discovering the omission; and that between these two would fall the large class of the imorant, the careless and the newcomer to provide opportunities for *aqueere" and blackvail.

Sir K.Stubbs adds that any real system of inspection would require an army of officials and an interference; with the domestic affaire of great numbers of Chinese Mamilies which would be bitterly resented and which pould go far to alienate the feelings of one of the host loyal and law-abiding communities in the British mpire.