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PATA
The fact that it has been decided to abolish
the mul taal system must not be taken as an admission
that the system as practised in Hong Kong could properly
be described as slavery. It has long been recognised
that the system was open to misrepresentation and to
abuses, which every attempt was made to prevent, but it
was felt that before radical reform was possible it would
be necessary to have the support of influential Chinese.
It is only recently that there has been any prominent
body of Chinese in favour of abolition, and it is their
support which makes it possible for the present decision
to be carried out. The system has existed for the qual
object of the relief of poor parents and the supply of
domestic service for the richer housenolds: the implica-
tion in the article that it exists solely for the supply
of girls to brothels is unjust and grossly offensive to
thousands of respectable Chinese. It will thus be
understood that when an officer's wife, with the encourage
ment of her husband, made an attack in the local press
on the system in terus which caused great annoyance to
the Chinese community, there was a danger that the
Chinese (who have a great respect for official position)
might get the impression that the Government regarded
with favour the terms in which these attacks were made
and thus a state of illfeeling towards the British
Government would be created which would be highly
undesirable especiallyin view of the unsettled state of
South China.
In these circumstances, as the Governor
reports, he had decided to ask the Secretary of State to
request
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