CO129-532-3 Mui Tsai system 4-12-1930 - 9-11-1931 — Page 2

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Gov.

622

4. 12. 30.

Reports on campaign against Mu Tsai system for the six months ended 30th November 1930.

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It is constantly alleged (e.g. in the newspaper extracts in 82759/1931 No. 3 and in paragraphs 2 and 2 of (51) in 72759/1930) that

there is still in Hong Kong a large number of

unregistered Mu Tsai. Presumably we shall receive

the Governor's views on this point in his report

on Commander Haslewood's letter of November 26th

which we sent to Hong Kong for observations by (53)

in 72759/1930. Meanwhile, this report does not

deal with that question and I take it as implying

that all Mu Tsai, in the official view, are now

registered. It is important that we should be able

to say whether there is good ground for assuming

this to be so. Our evidence on the point is :-

(1) census of 1921; estimated number of Mu

Tsai 8,653:

(2) an estimate of 10,000 was made some time

between 1921 and 1925, but so far I have been

unable to trace this estimate;

(3) Governor's despatch 22.2.29 (page 46 of

Cmd. 3424), "the members of the District Watch

Committee stated that in spite of the great increase

in the population of the Colony, there was no

reason to believe that the number of Mu Tsai in the

Colony had increased";

(4) Governor's despatch No.335 of 25th June 1930 (12 in 72758/30) the original estimate of

10,000 as the total Mu Tsai resident in the Colony

was merely a guess and it appears probable that it was too high. Any dimunition from the number of Mu

Tsai that may have been formally supposed to exist

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