CO129-539-4 Mui Tsai system 28-6-1932 - 28-11-1932 — Page 6

6

perform many duties which in a richer family would

be undertaken by servants or Mui Tsai, and in such

a family it might be difficult to distinguish by

the duties performed a Yeung Nui from a Nui Tsai.

It is stated in the memorandum of the Watch

Committee that, by Chinese custom, many of the

major events in a person's life are accompanied

by the passing of some financial or other material

consideration (betrothal presents, for example,

which are sometimes given in cash), and that the

giving of "ginger and vinegar money" to the parents

of a girl who is being adopted does not approximate

to buying and selling her.

The Governor has confidence in the Watch

Committee, which would deprecate strongly any action which might reflect on the system of adoption of

daughters as generally accepted.

It has been urged upon the Governor that:

(1) adoptive parents and adopted daughters prefer

to foster the belief that the daughters are natural and not adopted. Registration would militate

against this.

(2) Machinery exists for dealing with abuses in the

Ordinances dealing with Mui Tsai, wherein the onus

of proving that a girl is not a lui Tsai is placed

upon the employer.

The Governor considers that with additional

Inspectors it will be difficult for the law to be

avoided by the keeping of Mui Tsai in the guise of

adopted daughters. He prefers to leave matters as

they stand with regard to Yeung Nui unless abuses

are found to occur, as he is not convinced of the

necessity for further legislation, which would be

regarded locally as vexatious.

With regard to the last paragraph of the

Governor's