CO129-522-6 Mui Tsai System 13-12-1929 - 31-12-1930 — Page 74

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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75.

On the part of the Master.

Since the law has taken away from the master the

"locus parentis" over his muitsai, he cannot control

and keep her in discipline in the same way as he

could with his own children. If he accepts the

conditions contained in the Regulations for regis-

tration, he has to pay wages to the muitsai and yet

he cannot dismiss her as he can in the case of a Chü

Nin Mui.

If the muitsai becomes disobedient, he

cannot administer that degree of punishment to her

which he could administer to his own children without

incurring the direful consequences of being hauled up

before a magistrate or before the S.C.A. Hitherto

a master may freely remove his family from place to

place without having to report such removal to the

S.C.A.; but, by registering his muitsai, he will have

Should

to report on each occasion of removal.

the whole family of the master require to go back to

Canton or Macao on account of death or marriage in

the family, the muitsai will have to be produced at

the S.C.A's office for enquiry as to her willingness

to go with the family.

If she refuses to go,

provision must be made for her to remain behind at

Hong Kong. If she is willing to go, a further

report must be made to the S.C.A. on her return.

Thus a registered muitsai becomes a nuisance. To

keep her in discipline is impossible, so the master

will become "the slave." and the muitsai "the master."

You can therefore realize how difficult it is to

advise any master to come forward and register his

muitsai under the present regulations.

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