CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 446

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CONFIDENTIAL

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MERCANTILE MARINE (continued).

The following day a well attended drawing-room meeting was held at Lady Murison'e, presided over by Her Excellency Lady Guillemard, at which a representa- tive Committee of women were appointed with directions to co-operate with the Men's Committee in formulating plans for a Singapore Welfare Association which should undertake to promote facilities for recreation for officers and men of the Mercantile Marine and for the junior employes of the firms. The Educational Commissioner was invited by Her Excellency to prepare a scheme for the consideration of the Joint Committee meeting which was to be convened shortly after the departure of the Commission (See Appendix 3).

NEED OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AMONG YOUNG EUROPEANS.

No organisation exists by which newcomers to the Colony are brought in touch with responsible residents. We were informed by several young men that they had been 18 months or a year in Singapore without ever speaking to a white woman. With many firms it is not etiquette for the junior employes (often University men) to associate with the partners and their wives. The subscriptions to the various young clubs are too numerous and too high and large numbers cannot afford to join. The Cricket Club has the largest membership, but provides no recreation but cricket for the players.

Housing accommodation for young Europeans is bad. As an instance of the need for social effort the following authentic case was quoted:- Three young members of the Eastern Telegraph staff arrived in the Jaland. They landed and hunted for rooms, went first to a hotel, found it too expensive, ao moved into lodgings kept by Eurasians. They had spoken to none but their immediate office chief for alx weeks after their arrival, at the end of that time two of the three were in the General Hospital suffering from Venereal Disease.

PROSTITUTION.

Oonditions.

The conditions as to prostitution were not quite as undesirable as they were in Hong Kong.

There is practically no trouble, as far as could be ascertained, with reference to the boarding of ships by women. Enquiries were made through the Association of Engineers, the Merchant Service Guild, the Superintendent of the Boustead Institute, and others. The European prostitutes have been banished and their brothels closed. The Japanese Consul recently took steps to remove the Japanese prostitutes. A small proportion were entirely removed from the Colony; the majority were taken out of the brothels and remained in the Colony, continuing their occupation clandestinely.

A large number of brothels are recognised by the Government, though not licensed, the Government have power to remove them at any time, but if they are decently conducted they are allowed to remain.