CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 324

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mui trai lie firmly embedded here; and the "Anti-Muitsai Society" merely aime the only way to remove the evil lies in at setting all these unforunate gi the eradiction of the roots through Gov. adrift without any further thought ou ernment action in cancelling these docu- their welfare. The first step in emancipa ments of sale and refusing to recognise tion is to cancel all documents of sale. their validity. The buying and selling in whatever guise, to prevent re-sale. of human beings in this British Colony The girl's purchase price is to be con-/ would thereby receive its death-blow, and sidered as money advanced to her parent. the mus teai would be liberated. Instead and, for this consideration, the mus taai will have to remain to work for her owner of proceeding in this direction, opponents of reform talk of devising ways and

for a certain number of years to be fixed by a Commission before she regains means to prevent cruelty to the mui tsai. overlooking the fact that they preserve her freedom. The power of appointing the poison in the system through neglect all commissions or individuals to further ing the source of the disease. It is com-

the work of emancipation will, of course, mon knowledge that, in spite of such pro;

be exercised by the Government, whose tection as is afforded by the Law, the co-operation in founding a temporary vigilance of Police and the supervision industrial home, as in Egypt, has also to of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, be sought. With a little assistance, the cruelty to mui tsai is still rampant, and, unfettered mui tsai can be self-support- where Constituted Authority has failed ing and will eventually be absorbed into to remedy an evil, it is obviously far-

the ranks of domestic servants and factory fetched to expect success from the pro- hands. It will also be necessary to form an Employment Bureau to facilitate this paganda of private citizens and the

of scrutiny of

To-day the services charitable institution. absorption. Moreover, protection is efficacious only

"Chu lin mụi".e. a hired servant giri when it comes from those to whom cruel are greatly in demand, and it is con- treatment is meted; and to promote a fidently expected that the majority of the society of mut tai owners for the pre- liberated muf tsai will earn their living vention of cruelty without assisting those as such. Thus, she will be protected liable to ill-treatment to liberate them- after her emancipation until she can fend selves may be aptly compared to the

for herself. This rough outline of pro- formation of a league by cats in the in-

cedure has the merit of impartiality to terest of the mouse. The only way to recommend it, since the interests of the prevent ill-treatment lies in making a

owner are not ignored. It is also expect. clean sweep of the instruments of sale by ed that sometimes the interests of the which one human being is permitted to

owner may clash with those of the mui bold in his hand the destiny of another fear; but any such differences can safely be left in the hands of the Government who is powerless to resist ill-treatment. How is it possible to stop the steam from for satisfactory adjustment. a boiling kettle without wihdrawing the conviction that the following tentative fuel under it, or should one, afraid of proposals form a sound and practical being drunk, continue to inbibe pint basis for the solution of the muitos after pint?

question:-

a

It is our strong conviction that reform by persuasion is futile when applied to the mui tsai system.

(V) TENTATIVE PROPOSALB TO EFFECT

ABOLITION,

It is often said that the mui tsai system should be abolished, and it is often ask- ed, "How is abolition possible without & constructive scheme?" What is to be done with the liberated mui trai, and how are we to supervise those who are per- mitted to remain with their owners form the pivot to which almost all arguments in this burning question finally converge. It is, however, ridiculous to assume that

It is our

(a) The Anti-Muitaai Society" seeks to assist the public to realize their mis take in continuing the evil practice of keeping mui taas by means of literature. by holding public meetings and by giving lectures with the object of effecting aboli. tion of the mus trai system in the British Colony of Hongkong.

(8) The Anti-Muitsai Society" neck! to petition the Hongkong Government:

(1) to legislate, cancelling all docu mente of sale and refusing them validity irrespective of whether the girl is bought (LA 2 mui tras or BS &n adopted daughter." It is necessary to point out, that, although the buying and selling of

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human beings is technically illegal in Hongkong, the law is a dead letter and the official recognition of documents such "presentation cards," ete,, leaves a loophole for the traffic to flourish. Un less cancellation of such documents is enforced, girl-slavery cannot be said to be extinct in this British Colony.

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(2) to legislate, requiring compulsory registration of all mui tsois and "adopt ed daughters." The distinction between a mui trai and an "adopted daughter " In is great and should be observed. genuine cases of adoption, the girl should be permitted to remain with the adopted to parent under certain guarantees as education and treatment. With the can- cellation of the document of sale, the mut tari ceases to be auch and it should be incumbent upon the owner to inform every member of his or her household that the former will no longer be known as muti tai but as yung nui" i.e. ser- vant girl. The servant girl will then remain to work with her owner for a cer- tain number of years, to be fixed by & Commission so that the owner may be compensated by service for the outlay in buying the girl. At eighteen years of age, the servant girl regains her liberty Should the period of service fixed by the Commission expire before that age limit is attained, she may elect to remain with her owner at a monthly wage or seek the assistance of the Employment Bureau for a change. Until she regains her liberty, the servant girl will be under the super- vision of inspectors, preferably of the gentle sex, having a knowledge of collo- quial Cantonese.

(3) to provide a building for ten years as an industrial home in which the in- mates will be taught work of a vocational nature washing and cooking included. Admission into this home is to be open to servant girls of tender years whose ownere may find it troublesome to keep or difficult to manage them and to those who are temporarily out of employment. In the management of this refuge, the

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assistance of a missionary body should A thorough subscription be invoked. campaign amongst all members of the community, coupled with an annual sub- sidy from the Hongkong Government, should remove the difficulty of finance.

CONCLUSION.

Our

In conclusion, it is imperative to point out that the pernicious mui tai system, into which the plea of necessity does not really enter, is doomed to elimination in this outpost of Western civilization and at the present stage of social develop- ment. It is the duty of a civilized com- munity to raise its fellow citizens out of a state of degradation and oppression. When those who have a claim to sympathy happen to be helpless little girls of tender years living amongst strangers and in what, to them, is often a strange country, no denial of succour is possible without outraging our feelings of humanity. It is against a Briton's sense of right that children living under the British flag should be treated merely as goods and chattels. Finally, it is, there- fore, fervently hoped that the charitable public will support this Society in its girls to obtain a glimpse of the light of effort to assist thousands of subjugated day and in removing a blot from the administration of Hongkong-one of the bright jewels in the British Crown.

Mrs. MA YING PIU C. G. ANDERSON CHAD WAI CHEUNG, M.B., B.S.

HUNG TO FEI Provisional Execu- LAM Woo

tive Committee LI PING

of the Anti-mui- NGAN KWAN YU trai Society.

Tau Mow CHI

J. M. WONG

WONG OF TONG

T. P. Woo,

M.B., Ch.B.

IFONG SHIU CHUAN.

Hongkong, 12th October, 1921.