Sessional_Paper_1892 — Page 181

177

No. 992

11

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON A PETITION FROM THE PÓ LÉUNG KUK OR SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor, on the 14th March, 1892.

REGISTRAR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 1st February, 1892.

Enclosure No. 1.

SIR,

I have the honour to forward herewith, for submission to His Excellency the Governor, the translation of a petition from the Chinese Society for the protection of Women and Children, commonly known as the Pó LEUNG KUK, praying that the Government will be pleased to devise some means of making a grant to the Society, which will enable it to meet its expenditure, and to place the Institution on a firm and lasting basis.

2. In order to facilitate the consideration of the request made by the Petitioners, a short sketch of the origin of the Society may be found useful.

3. In the year 1878, public attention was drawn to the question of traffic in human beings and the evil practice of kidnapping by the late Sir JOHN SMALE, who was at that time filling the office of Chief Justice. The discussion, to which his utterances from the bench gave rise, created much interest among the Chinese community, which led to a numerously signed memorial being presented by the Chinese residents to the Governor, Sir J. POPE HENNESSY, praying for permission to form an association for suppressing kidnapping and kindred offences. This memorial was forwarded to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and in reply the EARL OF KIMBERLEY stated that the memorialists should be allowed to form an association of whatever kind they desired, and that, in order to obtain official recognition, its rules and organisation should be made known and approved by the Colonial Government. Before the receipt of these instructions a society entitled the Pó Léung Kuk had already been constituted informally and was reported to have rendered much practical assistance to the Government. The Acting Chief Justice, Mr. SNOWDEN, stated that he found the society of great help in the detection of kidnappers and the Governor expressed his conviction that its operations and influence would do more than anything else to put an end to whatever was really bad in the native customs to which Sir JoHN SMALE had drawn so much attention. Rules of the society were drawn up and it was proposed that an Ordinance giving them legislative force should be introduced. The Secretary of State did not consider legislation necessary and suggested that if the society required corporate powers, the Association could be formed under the Companies Ordinance and formal approval could be given to its rules and organisation by the Local Government. Incorporation of the Society at that time was found impracticable and it was agreed that publication of the rules as amended would meet all practical purposes. The following notice and rules were accordingly published in the Government Gazette of the 5th August, 1882.

K

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 318.

A number of Chinese Gentlemen, resident in the Colony, having formed them- selves into an Association called the Pó LEUNG KUK, with the object of assisting the Government in carrying out the laws for the protection of women and children, His Excellency the Administrator has been pleased to approve of the following rules which are hereby published for general information.

Colonial Secretary's Office,

Hongkong, 5th August, 1882.

By Command,

FREDERICK STEWART,

Acting Colonial Secretary.