CO129-539-3 Mui Tsai system 8-2-1932 - 10-1-1933 — Page 11

14

See euelos

in (8)

B

Colours-

Green Gold & White.

Telegrams--

"Despard, Holborn 9301, London."

WOMEN'S FREEDOM LEAGUE.

DARE TO BE FREE.

ident-Mrs. PETHICK-LAWRENCE.

n. Treasurer-Dr. E. KNIGHT.

Organising Secretary-Mrs. WHETTON.

..on. Head Literature Department—Mrs. GErard. Secretary-Miss F. A UNDERWOOD.

Auditors-HOMERSHAM & CO.,

Bank-Barclays Bank, Ltd.

Incorporated Accountants.

(NON-PARTY)

ANSWD

H.R. Cowell 3sa., c/o Colonial Office, Downing Street,

S.W.1.

Sir,

(11)

Weekly Paper "The VOTE,” Price 1d.

VED

29 DEC 1932

HEAD OFFICE-144, HIGH HOLBORN,

LONDON. W.C.1

COL. OFFIC

Cay outs. 6

Your Ref.92612/32

December, 1932.

We thank you for your letter in regard to the Mui Tsal in Hong Kong.

With regard to the number of mui tsai in that Colony, in an article by Mrs. Cecil Chesterton which has appeared in the press, she says "There is a Chinese population of some 600,000 in Hong Kong, mostly of the poorer and lower middle class, who invariably keep a mui tsai. This means that there must be quite 20,000 female slaves, though only 4,000 are registered." Mrs. Chesterton recently returned from a visit to China and Hong Kong.

In May last year Sir John Simon called attention to the mui tsai system in Hong Kon, and stated that at the annual meeting of the Anti ui Tsai Society of Hong Kong in 1928, the Chairman, himself a Chinese, gave the estimate of the number of mui tsai as approximately 10,000. At the same time friends here who have correspondents in Hong Kong stated that that was an under-estimate rather than an over-estimate, and since then there had been a considerable increase in the number of Chinese coming to Hong Kong, so that the number of mui tsai must have become more numerous.

Whatever the actual number may be, we think that much stronger efforts than are being made at present should be exerted to secure the full registration of all girls who have been bought in the Colony, whether under the name of mui-tsai or" adopted daughter"

You will remember that during the period of registration the Governor himself, in a public speech, saic personally

P.7.0.