CO129-551-2 Mui Tsai system 30-11-1934 - 22-11-1935 — Page 67

y dear Cowell,

55

6 Logun Place.

23rd November,

Aust-60

Then we were tang about the

Halayan lui Tsei yesterday, we touched incidentally on the report of the Committee on lui Tsai in Hong Kong. I enclose a formal letter of acknowledgment of the receipt of the official letter covering a copy of the report, and should like to have, later on, an opportunity of replying to some of the Committee's observations on my memorandum. They are due to misunderstanding, anī

are of secondary importance. Though I want to clear

them up in self-defence, T think that it would only

create confusion if I began to deal with them before you

receive the Governor's despatch.

If it is not too late, Tthink that the

Committee might be asked to re-write some passages,which,

at present, are misleading.

In particular, refer to

the statement on page 23, which Tread to you.

follows:

It is as

"While the Committee are of the opinion that the

"sale of girls, for any purpose, is an undesirable "practice, they doubt whether any attempt to stop "the practice could, for thepresent, be initiated "by the ong Kong Government with any hope of

11 success. Attempts to stop the practice, which

"doomed to failure, are to be deprecated."

You will observe that this statement is

ade in direct reply to the resolution of the "ritish "Commonwealth League",which called upon the Tong Hong Government "to prohibit the further purchase of gils

for a purpos-". You will also note the repetition of the words "for any purpose", which appear to indicate

the directness of the reply. I confess that I WOS

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