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it man this:
12
SLAVERY IN HONG KONG.
The Mui Tsai System.
To the Editor of the Manchester Guardian. Sir, Serious allegations have just been publicly made in the British colony of Hong Kong. The gravity of these allegations is twofold:
(a) It is alleged that the undertaking given to Parliament by Mr. Winston Churchill in 1922 to bring about the abolition of Mui Tsai slavery within one year has never been carried out.
(b) That to-day the whole system is in full and active operation, and that the number of slaves has actually in- creased from the figure given by Lord Irwin of 8,000 to 9,000" in 1922 to 10,000 in 1023.
These allegations were publicly made at, the annual meeting of the Anti-Mui Taai Society by its chairman, and pub- lished at four columns length in the "South China Morning Post." The society in question is composed not only of.prominent Chinese, but of British merchants in the colony.
In 1822 Lady Gladstone presided at a public conference in Caxton Hall which called upon the Government to appoint a committee of inquiry to bring in recommendations for க
scheme to prevent the buying and *practical selling of human beings.' Lady Glad- stone said that is long ago as 1880 this matter had been brought to the notice of the British authorities in Hong Kong. "The then Lord Chief Justice, in a formal judgment, gave the decision that the system of Mui Tsai was Flavery and & violation of British law." Two months later, Lady Gladstone having had brought to her notice the assurance given by Mr. Churchill in Parliament, returned to the same plat- form and moved a resolution expressing the "high appreciation" of the meeting the decision of the Secretary of State for the Colonies to abolish the system of girl slavery in Hong Kong within one year." The assur- ance given by Mr. Churchill during question-time in Parliament lacked nothing in precision-
at
I desire to make it clear (to the House) that both the Governor and I are deter- mined to effect the abolition of the system at the earliest practicable date, and I have indicated to the Governor that I expect the change to be carried out within a year. Parliament and press were satisfied. with Mr. Churchill's promise that with in one year this hoary old system of slavery would have disappeared.
What do we find? After seven years the Anti-Mui Thai Society of Hong Kong, gathering, we are told, in large numbers under its chairman, reviewed, the situation. The chairman, Mr. Yeung Shui-chuen, first stated that the results of their six years' effort had been "insignificant,' that when Mr. Churchill's ordinance was issued the owners were for a time a little less eruel to their Mui Tsai slaves, and that he himself then had hopes that this inhuman system would be abandoned once for all." "But," he said, "overy mouth letters reached the society reporting the ill-treatment of the Muil Trai," whilst the numbers of Mui Tsai, slaves appealing to the society, coupled with personal visits, demonstrated the fact that "cruelty shows an increase." The chairman continued: "According to private estimates there are about 10,000 Mai Tsai in Hong Kong, and according to the investigation of some six years ago there were in Hong Kong And on the mainland a total of 8,6 Mai Tsai.
Perhaps almost as astonishing as the increase in the number of Mui Tsai slaves is the increase in the price of a Mui Tsai. A fortnight after the meet ing of the Anti-Mui Tsai Society the editor of the "South China Morning Post" drew public attention to a case of fraud in the police court, where it emerged from the evidence that one of the parties bad purchased a Mui Tsai for 150 or 10 dollars whereas, accord- ing to Mr. Charles Roberts, the price in 1922 was 40 to 60 dollars for a child of four years old, unless purchased for prostitution, when the price was higher. It is useless now to argue that the Mni Tsai system is not slavery, for it falls quite easily within the definition of a slave to which Great Britain and thirty other States have appended their signature in the League of Nations Slavery Convention. The Anti-Mui Tsai Society of Hong Kong has placed on record the following comparison between a Mui Tsai and a slave:
A slave is bought with meney
A Mui Taai also is bought with money.
A slave is not paid for labour.
A Mui Tsal also is not paid for labour.
A slave can be resolt.
A Mui Taai also can be resold.
The breakdown of Mr. Churchill's abolition scheme is alleged to be due to the failure of the Hong Kong Govern. ment to carry out the stipulations of the ordinance, particularly with regard to registration. According to the ordi- nance issued by Mr. Churchill, it was an obligation on the Colonin! Govern ment of Hong Kong to prepare and keep up to date a register of Mui Tsai. No tch registration appears to have been carried out at all. The editor of the "South China Morning Post" suggests that the reason why the ordinance has not been carried out in this respect is because "under British law slavery of any kind is not recognised. The regis- uation of Mui Tsai suggests the recog nition of an illegal bondage system, and niny be a reason for the authorities' hesitation to enforce the provision made in part 3 of the ordinance. But
it is surely a grave matter to have left the British Parliament and public opinion under the impression for nearly seven years that this had been done and the Mui Tsai slaves set free.
Confronted with this deplorable situa- tion, the Anti-Mui Tsai Society is peti- tioning the Goverc.nent for certain specified reforins, and is holding meet- ings in Hong Kong in support of peti- tions to the Government. The imme- diate reforms being pressed include the following:--
(a) A declaration of freedom for all Mui Tesi on reaching the age of 18.
(b) The payr.ent of wages to Mui Tsai, beginning at 6. a week for Mu Tani up to 14 years, and Is. a week for? Mui Thai from 15 up to 17 years.
(c) The registration in Government! departments of all deeds coyerir 3
transactions.
But these demands fall very far short of the promise given to Parliament by Mr. Churchill in 1922.-Yours, &c.,
JOHN H. HARRIS.
Denison House, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, S. W. 1, Jan. 10.
Manchester
Guardian
Jan.
16
219
29
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