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Investigation.
Those members who were now present would be asked to elect a large and repre- sentative general committee of no fewer than 37, who would further investigate local conditions and maintain the desired contact with responsible Government officials.
The Chairman pointed to the “ go-ahead action of the Canton Government, which, as they all knew, had promulgated a law for the entire suppression of the mui-tsai form of domestic service, and had gone further than the Hong Kong Ordinance by striking at the very root of the evil. They were reminded that the evil still existed in Hong Kong, despite the Ordinance, by the cases which from time to time came up before the local courts. In one of these they had the glaring instance of a Chinese woman, a well-known member of society, being prosecuted for ill- treating her mui-tsai.
The fact that the offender was sent to prison was but small satisfaction to the Society, as in any case the stigma still attached to Chinese nationals. If by a measure of enlightening propaganda they could achieve their purpose without resorting to more drastic steps, then it would seem that the local Ördinance in its present form was sufficient. Otherwise, the attention of the local authorities would have to be again called more closely into the problem.
Slogans.
Displayed in a prominent position on the stage of the auditorium was a Chinese scroll, bearing the inscription that "the mantle of Abraham Lincoln has fallen on Mr. H. A. Cartwright, Editor of the Hong Kong Daily Press." This was the tribute of the Anti-Mui-tsai Society to the late Hong Kong Elitor, for his services in drawing home and local attention to the movement. It was stated by the Hon. Chinese Secretary that the scroll would now be forwarded to Mr. Cartwright's widow in England.
The meeting stood in silence for a minute as a mark of respect for the memory of the late Mr. Cartwright.
He
Mr. Peter Wong made a statement of the financial affairs of the Society. stated that there had been a dearth of funds owing to the lapse of subscriptions, and had it not been for the expenses saved for them through being rent-free and through the secretarial work being hitherto gratuitously discharged, the Society would have been financially in a bad way indeed. As it was there was just the wherewithal to pay for the cost of stationery.
The election of the 37 members of the General Committee was then proceedel with, including members of the local gentry and representatives of the European and Chinese press.
Enclosure 3 in No. 18.
Extract from the "South China Morning Post" of the 22nd October, 1928.
THE MUI-TSAI SCANDAL,
Local Society's Petition to Government urging enforcement of Law.
Registration and an Age Limit.
A new attack on the mui-tsai system in Hong Kong was launched on the occasion of the annual meeting of the local Anti-Mui-tsai Society, on Saturday. The Chair- man, claiming that the system was still in full operation in the Colony, urged the enforcement of registration provided for in the Ordinance of 1923.
Draft proposals to be submitted to the Government include the conferment of full freedom on all existing mui-tsai on their reaching the age of 18, the payment of wages to these girls, and the registration of deeds of adoption, to ensure that they are bona fide.
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The annual report states that further public support in the way of finance will be welcomed.
Addressing the large gathering of members, the Chairman, Mr. Yeung Shui-chuen, said :-
"Ladies and gentlemen, the annual meeting of the Society to-day is one which differs slightly from its predecessors, because in addition to giving you a report on the work of the past year, together with the accounts, we are going to elect new officials, and also consider a proposal that, since the Society has been established for six years and seven months, the regulations drawn up such a long time ago may not be suitable for the requirements of to-day.
The large attendance to-day proves the enthusiasm and sincerity of the public
in response to the call for humanitarian work.
+
Since the resignation of our first chairman, Mr. J. M. Wong, I have had the honour of occupying the post for the past few years, but regret to say that what we have accomplished during this period towards reaching our goal has been insig. nificant. It is my desire that someone else be elected to the post to-day, and that the mui-tsai system may be abolished for ever.
Petition to Government.
"Another factor which I wish to emphasise is that, with the approval and support of you gentlemen, the Society intends to petition the Hong Kong Government to enforce the Female Domestic Service Ordinance of 1923. What the Association most sincerely desires is that all owners of mui-tsai should register the latter at the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, and also fix the amount of wages to be paid to mui-tsai.
"It will be recalled that some time ago I, for one, believed that the registration of mui-tsai could be postponed, for on the 14th of April, 1922, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs prohibited the purchasing and using of mui-tsai. Meanwhile the Magistracy displayed severity in the imposing of sentences for cruelty to mui-tsai by master or mistress. The effect of all this was that the majority of these who possessed mui-tsai took precautions, and showed consideration in their treatment. We then believed that this inhuman system would be abandoned once and for all, and that it might not be necessary for the Association to continue to function any longer.
"Unfortunately, the outcome was not what we expected, and recently it has been reliably learned that the practice of the system is continuing in Chinese circles, with the exception, perhaps, that the owners exercised some discretion.
เ
Despite these deplorable reports, we have comforted ourselves with the belief that the practice having been in force for many years in the past, could not be discarded in such a short time.
Effect of Propaganda.
"We decided to give the owners of mui-tsai the opportunity to abandon their old habits gradually, and simultaneously the Society did its utmost to disseminate propaganda in newspapers and other directions, to enlighten the public on the many evils pertaining to the system. The propaganda in some cases produced wonderful results, and succeeded in bringing justice to those mui-tsai who were ill-treated, whilst in other cases they were able to go back to their parents.
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Though the Society has all the time continued with its work, some years have elapsed and the much-disapproved of system continues unhampered. What is most regrettable is that the number of mui-tsai who have personally come to the Society giving reports of cruelty shows an increase.
"In addition, every month there are letters addressed to the Society informing us of many cases of ill-treatment of this class of unfortunate souls. Most of these letters fail to give the names and addresses of the inconsiderate master and mistress, thus the Society has not been able to take any effective steps.
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