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594
Extract from the "Hongkong Daily Press
of the 1st August, 1921.
MUI TSAI" QUESTION.
Iseontinued from page 5.)
Reading the statement that children Bought mu order to relieve needy Barents of a burden, the speaker queried the sincerity of this claim and expressed he opinion that the real intention was o make them servant-girls subject to the to the absolute will of their masters. The purchase of children was not the way After several more speakers bad ad- dressed the meeting for and against the #ustom, the CHAIRMAN declared that if the nui teat system were suppressed, the concubine system would also have to be suppressed in order to secure equality. He denied, by way of reply to a previous peaker, that the agitation for abolition origued with Hongkong Europeans. and attributed it to dra. Hazlewood.
It was pointed out that there were mang humane people who reported ill- treatment to the local authorities who were very accessible.
One member of the audience declared that it was futile to ask,--as one of the questions before the meeting did-| whether servant-girls were brought up to. become prostitutes as the musters con- cerned were not likely to admit that. Was it right to kidnap, was it right to wall girls he demanded, adding ** Of course not. If people did not do it, there would be no need for a law."
Yet another speaker declared that the whether the keeping of question Was @ervant-girls was beneficial or jurmful to the Chinese. If harmful they should lo their best to do away with it. There were good points in the system, but most of the speakers had dwelt on the bad ass. Personally he favoured the you because he felt the good out- weighed the evil.
la vebement defener of the system, a speaker, who addressed the meeting with great animation and much gestr culation, declared that they could not stop people from giving birth to child- yen and. demanded to know. Do you suggest drowning them or killing them?" Could they guarantee to keep all the servant girls if the present system were abolished! In answer to an interrup- tion be declared that no one, the Govern- ment included, could stop him from saying what he thought.
A member of the Chinese Y.M.C.A. pointed out that the British Government and voted £20,000,000 towards freeing the black slaves in America.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
**The CHAIRMAX then put the questions before the meeting. By show of hands, the assembly declared, unanimously,
that
(1.) servant girle are not brought up for prostituition;
with two dissentients, that "
(2.) servant girls are not slaves; unanimously, that
(3.) servant girls are not kept for sexual purposes by their masters; with eight dissentients, that
(4.) the Chinese Government has passed no law to abolish the practice; and, with one dissentient, that
(5.) owners cannot ill-treat them as they please.
In putting the resolutions, the CHAIR- MAN interspersed two or three lengthy speeches and became involved in argu- ment with bome members of the andi- ence.
After another half-hour of desultory discussion a further resolution was put, and carried unanimously, to the effect
establish that steps be taken to
society for the prevention of cruelty to mus tear, on the lines of the society re- cently established, at the instance of the European community, for the prevention: of gruelty to animals.
The proceedings then terminated and the audience for the evening theatrical performance began to assemble. -to assist destitute parents. The way to do that was to establish homes and form arettet association for the sole purpose of leading money to the needy. This was the radical solution of the problem. In conclusion he hoped the Chairman would take a broad view of the matter and take steps to restrict the system- it was a practice that should not exist. (Applause.)
'Several subsequent speakers made re- ference to principles of humanity, urg- ing that the system should be abolished if ill-treatment were proved. One speak- er condemned the system and asked the Chairman to have the matter raised in.
Council
that it the Legislative might be completely suppressed, Another speaker said most of the prostitutes were “originally mus tevi.
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