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Accordingly, the course which the Unofficial Members would now ask the Govern- ment to adopt is as follows:-

(1) To go into Committee of this Council forthwith.

(2) To put clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill into Part III.

(3) To transpose the sections of clauses 6 of the Bill and to re-number it as 4, and to insert two new clauses, to be numbered 5 and 6, for the better protection of mui-tsai.

(4) To put the whole of clause 7 of the Bill with the exception of (1) (a) into

Part II.

(5) To leave Clause 7 (1) (a) and clauses 8, 9 and 10 in Part III. of the Bill. (6) To put clauses 11 to 15 in Part II. of the Bill, subject to certain amend-

ments to clauses 12, 13 and 14, in the interests of the mui-tsai.

(7) To leave clause 16 in Part III. of the Bill.

(8) To pass Part IV. as it is, subject to a slight necessary consequential

amendment at the beginning of clause 17.

(9) To omit clause 19.

In asking Your Excellency to put clauses 4 and 5 into Part III. of the Bill, we would urge that. in view of the time and trouble spent by the Unofficial Members upon the con- sideration of this Bill, they are at least entitled to have their views on those clauses and on the registration clauses laid before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, before the solid weight of the Official Vote is brought to bear in opposition to the unanimous views of the Unofficial Members. We do not ask for any further or longer delay than is necessary for the above purpose, and in the meantime (in fact, this very day) the other provisions of this Bill which contains all its vital principles will be placed on the statute book of this Colony. There are two vital principles in this Bill and the Unofficial Members of Council accept both of them. The first is the abolition of the mui-tsai system, and this is effected by clause 2 of the Bill, which gives the death-blow to the mui-tsai system as hitherto recognized and practised by Chinese custom.

The second principle is the provision for good treatment of mui-tsai. This is dealt with by clause 6 of the Bill. All of the amendments which the Unofficial Members will move in Committee on this Bill are framed for the purpose of furthering and strengthen- ing the above two vital principles of the Bill and for the protection of mui-tsai.

HON. MR. CHOW SHOU SON-Sir, The Honourable Senior Unofficial Member having expressed the joint views of all the Unofficials, I would, ordinarily, have con- tented myself with merely endorsing his remarks: but in this case my Chinese colleague and I have promised both the supporters and opponents of the Bill to repeat here their respective arguments, and to express our own views on this important subject which so intimately concerns the Chinese. I would, therefore, crave the indulgence of this Hon- ourable Council for so doing.

Since the Bill was read for the first time, meetings have been held by various sections of the Chinese community to discuss it-by the Chinese General Chamber of Com- merce. by the Kaifong at the Tung Wah Hospital, by thirteen Chinese Commercial Unions, the Anti-Muitsai Society, the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A., and by the Chinese Labour Guilds. Views on the measures have also been enunciated in both the English. and Chinese Press. As representatives of the Chinese Community, the Honourable Mr. Ng and I welcomed such views which have helped us to no small extent in arriving at our own conclusions. The views expressed have resolved themselves into two broad divi- sions one in support of the Bill almost in its entirety with certain amendments designed to strengthen it; the other in opposition to it as it now stands, though recognising that the mui-tsai system has its evils.

Briefly the supporters of the Bill argue that:--

(1) The sale and purchase of human beings is a degrading and inhuman cus- tom. It is tantamount to treating human beings as chattels and beasts, and it encourages kidnapping, licentiousness and other serious abuses.