CO129-483 - Others & Individuals - 1923 — Page 165

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The Hon.W.G.A.Ormsby-Gore M.P.

18th November,1923.

It is very satisfactory to note that on the controversial question of self-disinfection, after having considered all the evidence, the Committee of the Legislative Council concurred in the views of the National Council, which have since been endorsed by the Committee of Enquiry on Venereal Diseases which sat under the Chairmanship of Lord Trevethin.

We should be glad to forward to members of the Legislative Council Committee, or to forward to you for transmission to them, copies of this Report, of which a copy is attached hereto.

5. In view of the divergence of opinion and of administration that exists in the Crown Colonies and Protectorates with reference to the application of the Brothel Act and from our own experience on the Commissions, as to the divergence of point of view of the Legislative Councils and the Commissioners of Police as to the desirability, or otherwise, of regulated prostitution as a means of reducing the incidence of venereal disease, we feel it would be of great assistance to those entrusted with the responsibilities of Colonial Administration, if the Colonial Office could issue a memorandum giving the existing evidence as to the relationship between venereal diseases and prostitution, and setting out the evidence against brothel keeping from the public health standpoint.

If it would be of any service to the Colonial Office, we would be prepared to suggest to the National Council that they should appoint a group of experts to prepare the draft of such a memorandum to be submitted to you and which might serve as a ground work, if such a memorandum could eventually be issued by the Colonial Office.

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In the meantime we see that in Hong Kong the Administrative Authorities lean towards the regulation of prostitution as a beneficial measure in the interests of public health, but we note that they ignore one of the recommendations of the Commission to which we attach great importance, and that is the position of the brothels used by Europeans.

We realise it may take some time for the authorities to alter their point of view as to regulation being a desirable system, but we feel convinced that as the object of segregation and re- gulation is to group prostitutes into the less accessible parts of the town, that they should consider removing the Frasert brothel area from its present position. It now occupies a cross street running from the front of the harbour, a corner of the street being occupied by the Sailor's Home, the other end of the street opening on to the main road down which all members of H.M.Forces have to pass to reach their recreation ground,

We would like to suggest that pending the change of policy from regulation to suppression that the brothel area should be removed to a much less accessible quarter of the town.

The most important point on which we were at variance with the opinion expressed by the members of the Legislative Council Committee was that the matter of the accessibility of women to ships "is one that should be left to the police and the shipping companies to deal with".

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After the Conference between our Commissions, the then Harbourmaster Commander Beckwith, and the Attorney General, and after consultation with a representative of the Chamber of Commerce, the Attorney General drew up the following recommendations which were agreed to by the Harbourmaster and the Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, and were submitted to His Excellency the Governor

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