CO129-514-3 Mui Tsai system- correspondence 27-8-1929 - 21-11-1929 — Page 2

2

1.F.O.(F.4322/671/10)

ank to be furnished

with

27-8-29

au relevant recent

information for torrsusen to Delegation at Geneia.

2. Norê

mui-15ai

in Hong Kory

13 To Fo. (lansd) (w/c 2)

3 0 AUG 1929

4.5

4. Ai. G. maxwell

2.9.29

ranggests that the mui-Tsai problem could be solved by the introduction to that of Kedah which eventually schipuished

of legislation somitan "The "Debut showery" septem.

As regards Nos. 1, 2 and 3 we understood

semi-officially from the Foreign Office that

this question had been raised by Lord Cecil

verbal

ས

21

On the instructions of the Secretary of State

the note in No. 2 was prepared as a brief for

Lord Cecil and sent over to the Foreign Office

at once as the Delegation was on the point of

leaving for Geneva.

As to No. 4, I do not think there is really

much parallel between the problem of Mui Tsai

in Hong Kong and that of Debt-slavery in Kedah.

The plan of abolition adopted in Kedah involved

recognition of the system and the registration

of all the Debt-slaves. The Debts were then

reduced automatically in amount until ultimately

all the slaves became free.

In Hong Kong the system of Mui Tsai, so

far as it involved any kind of personal slavery,

has