CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7] — Page 389

C

342

4.

Such an arrangement would be in direct

opposition to the previous policy of this Government which has been to refuse to regard the payment of money to the parents as conferring any proprietary rights in the girl

and in my opinion if it were adopted many of the criticisms

of this Government which have been made without adequate

knowledge of the facts might be repeated with full

justification,

5. I attach no importance to the argment of

the Committee that "mui-tsai keeping is a very old practice

and that the interests of the owner cannot be entirely

ignored". Persons who have employed mui-taaia (I object to

the use of the word "owner" in present circumstances,

though I think it would be correct if the proposals of the Committee were adopted,) have always known that in the eye of the law the payment made to the parent has conferred no

to right of property. If they chose, with this knowledge, pay money for something which the law did not recognize they did so at their own risk. The law as it stands at present would not support them in an attempt to retain control of a girl against her will, on the ground that money had been paid for her, and I should object most strongly to any alteration of the law which placed them in a better position in this respect than heretofore.

6.

I submit that more drastic action is

required if the system is to be abolished. I am not prepared to put forward cut and dried proposals at the moment. It would take some little time to work out exact details and you have asked me to submit my suggestions before I leave for England, I would ask permission there- fore to submit the broad lines of the scheme which I think should be adopted. If the general principles meet with your approval, the details can be elaborated by the

16

Secretary

!