DOMESTIC SERVANTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 13

DOMESTIC SERVANTS

CONDITIONS IN HONGKONG. LAW FOR IMPROVEMENT. (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright,) RUGBY, November 7. {Received Nov. 8, at 5.5 p.m.) Official correspondence is published regarding the efforts of the British Government to combat the system of domestic service in Hongkong known as mui tsai, under which girls between the ages of 4 and 14 are adopted or sold as domestic servants. .The Government had passed an ordinance to abolish the system, but owing to the opposition on the part of* the Chinese community, part 111 of this ordinance, providing for the registration and inspection of mui tsai, was suspended. Lord Passfield (Colonial Secretary) informed the Governor of -tongkong that public opinion in Britain and in the House of Commons would not accept a continuation of the system with equanimity. He therefore directed that the third part of the ordinance should bo put into force forthwith, and that part II should be amended to forbid the bringing into the colony of any mui tsai. This, he said, would be more practicable as he understood that the status of mui tsai had been abolished by law in China. Lord Passfield added that 'while time might be necessary to make the law effective he was not prepared ’to acquiesce in merely nominal enforcement of the law, and proceedings should be taken against offenders.