CO129-532-3 Mui Tsai system 4-12-1930 - 9-11-1931 — Page 33

33

3.

Since the last of the prosecutions

mentioned in paragraph 3 of the same despatch there have

been 22 prosecutions under the Ordinance (No.1 of 1923).

Of these, 14 have been for keeping an unregistered

muit sai, 13 convictions being registered, and eight have

been for bringing an unregistered muit sai into the

Colony, convictions being obtained in all cases.

In three of the thirteen convictions for

keeping unregistered muit sai mentioned in paragraph 3 (above) the defendants were fined respectively $150,

$100, and $150 or sentenced to the equivalent terms of

imprisonment. In the remaining ten cases fines were of

varying amounts, usually about $50, according to the gravity of the circumstances.

4.

In the eight cases of bringing unregis- tered muit sai into the Colony, the circumstances were

nearly all of an inoffensive character, and the offences were committed in genuine ignorance of the Hong Kong muit sai legislation. Fines therefore ranged generally from $5 to $25. A feature of several cases was that the

defendants themselves went to the Secretariat for Chinese

Affairs to try and register their mitsai, and thus

brought the fact of their non-registration to the notice

of the authorities.

A detailed return of convictions secured

under the ordinance is attached.

5.

No new registration was permitted, but in

a few cases where muit sai had been brought into the Colony by their employers, were obviously happy with them, and had no other relatives or friends, both employers and muit sai were seen out of the Colony, the conclusion of the prosecution in each case.

on

Prom My

Cams 618

In two cases, in both of which the employers

were