come. The usual statements were at once taken from
as many of the persons connected with the matter as could be found; the child was medically examined for signs of ill-treatment by a Government Medical Officer, with negative results, and all this evidence was then referred for advice as to the prospects of successful prosecution to an officer of one of the legal departments, who gave it as his opinion that on the evidence submitted there was no hope of a conviction
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
10RD PASSFIELD,
for assault.
The matter was then referred to me and,
after I had consulted the Attorney General and
further statements had been taken, I directed the
Secretary for Chinese Affairs to institute a
prosecution for common assault. But in the
meantime the child's mother had returned to her
home in the interior of China taking the child with
her, and it was thus impossible to proceed with the prosecution, which would otherwise have taken place.
I must add, however, that in the face of the
Medical Officer's report, which was to the effect that the girl was well-nourished and bore no definite
marks of ill-treatment, the prospects of a conviction
were not great.
3. As a sequel to this case I issued
instructions on the 23rd April, 1929, that a
prosecution is to be attempted in all similar cases,
where any witnesses at all are available, whether or
not there is any prospect of securing a conviction,
provided that the charge is not obviously malicious
or untrue. I hope that the publicity so obtained
may act as a deterrent.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,humble servant
Governor &c.,
Telephone-
Holborn 9301.
Colours-
Green, Gold & White.
Telegrams—
"Despard Holborn 9301. London"
FREEDOM LEAGUE.
WOMEN'S FREEDOM
DARE TO BE FREE
(NON-PARTY
Weekly Paper "The VOTE," Price 1d
Head Office—144, HIGH HOLBORN
LONDON, W.C.1
President-Mrs. PETHICK-LAWRENCE,
Hon. Treasurer-Dr. E, KNIGHT.
Hon. Organising Sec.--Mrs. WHETTON.
Hon. Head Literature Dept.—Mrs. PIEROTTI.
Hon. Head "Vote" Sales Department.- Mrs. LEGGE. Secretary-Miss F. A. UNDERWOOD.
Auditors—HOMERSHAM & CO.,
Bank-Barclays Bank, Ltd.
Incorporated Accountants.
The Rt. Hon. Lord Passfield,
Colonial Office,
My Lord,
Mui Tsai System.
8th July 1929.
RECEIVED
9 JUL 1929
COL. OFI
The Women's Freedom League is greatly concerned
that the Mui Tsai System continues in Hong Kong, in spite of
the undertaking of Mr. Winston Churchill, given seven years
ago, that it should be abolished. May we ask you to take
steps to redeem Mr. Churchill's pledge without further
Yours faithfully,
Shrance A. Underword.
RECEIVED
2 8 JUN 1929
OOL. OFFICE
Dear Edgcumbe,
27 th June, 1929.
Perhaps you would take over the enclosed
letter about the Mui Tsai system in Hong Kong,
which I presume is a matter for the Colonial Office
to deal with.
Yours sincerely,
J. A. P. Edgcumbe, Esq., C.B.E.
Colonial Office,
Downing Street,
Jear Madam,
27th Juno 1929.
Miss Margaret Bondfield зks me to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 25th June,
in regard to the ul Tesi system in Hong Kong.
; this is a matter for the col mal ffice,
Kiss Bonefield has thought it best to forward your
letter to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
for attention.
Yours faithfully,
* U. DENNYS,
L. Haslewood,
5, ydney buildings,
Private Secretary.
Col. Offion
5. Sydney Buildings.
The Rt Hon. Miss Bondfield.M.P.
25th June, 1929.
Dear Madam,
They aid
Child Slavery in Hong Kong.
May I draw your attention to the fact that in the British Crown colony of Hong Kong the cruel system of Child slavery known as the Mui Tsai system, is still in force. Under this system young girls and small children are sold into bondage as domestic drudges; into brothels; re-sold; bartered; and cases of the most revolting cruelty are common.
This gross injustice has been allowed to continue for over 80 years under the flag of Great Britain.
On March 21st, 1922, Mr Churchill gave a considered and solemn pledge in the House of Commons that the system should be abolished "within a year". An Ordinance was passed to give effect to this promise in 1923. It was allowed to become a dead letter, the Government in Hong Kong, which is under the direct control of the Colonial Office, having made no attempt to enforce it.
Replies to questions in the House on Feb. 4th, April/22nd, and May 6th, showed that far from being abolished, the system continued, and that the number of slaves had increased, and their price had risen.
Having had first-hand experience of the cruelty practised upon these children, I write to beg you to use your influence to bring it to an end, finally and for ever.
Mrs)L.Haslewood.
yours truly
CBL. Hadwood.
In any further communication on this subject, please quote
No. F2157091/12
and address—not to any person by name, but to--
"The Under-Secretary of State," Foreign Office, London, S. W. 1.
THE Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to iཀ་ད་~༤
༡་་་་་ད ། ། བད
for the colonies and, by direction of the Secretary of State,
transmits herewith cop of the under-mentioned paper
Foreign Office,
ད ༤། , 192q.
16 MAY 1929
Reference to previous correspondente:
Description of Enclosure.
Name and Date.
Subject.
MWC. B. in. Haslewood
Mui Io ai
systems in
3、འོད་༤ ༔1ཅ
Monghong.
Similar letter sent to
14-18814 B 2/29 (2)
(F 2157/671/10)
8 Bennett Street,
30th April, 1929.
You may remember making a statement to the House of
Commons on May 29th, 1922, with reference to the action
taken by my husband, Lieut. Commander Haslewood, and myself
on the question of Child Slavery in the British Crown
Colony of Hong Kong.
As a result of this motion, the system, known as the
kui Taai system, was, after two years of denial, finally
admitted by His Majesty's Government to be slavery,
contrary to British law, and Mr. Churchill gave a solemn
promise to the House on the 21st March to abolish it
"within a year".
This promise has never been fulfilled. The Ordinance of
1923 has been a dead letter for the representatives of the
Home Government in the Colony have not even attempted to
put it into action, the various exouses given being as
follows:-
That it is "difficult" to carry out.
That there is not enough evidence of cruelty to the victims of this system to make it necessary.
That it would cost too much money.
4. That it would be hard to distinguish between Mui
Tsai purchase and Child Adoption.
That it saves girl children from death by drowning and from starvation.
That unless China takes the lead, Hong Kong can do nothing.
There is not one of these excuses that will hold water from
To the Rt. Hon. Austen Chamberlain.
start to finish.
Meanwhile, the number of Hui Tsai has
increased, their price has risen, and not a single Member
of His Majesty's Government can deny it.
I am, etc.,
(Signed) (Mrs) C. B. L. Haslewood
F 2157/671/10
Foreign Office,
14th May, 1929.
With reference to your letter of the 30th
April, I am directed by Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain
to state that the measures adopted by the Government
of Hongkong with regard to the institution designated
"mui-taal” are outside his jurisdiction. He has
therefore sent a copy of your letter to the Colonial
Office, to which department any further communication
should be addressed.
Your obedient Servant,
Mrs. C. 2. L. Haslewood,
8 Bennett Street,
Telegraph:
50 CITIZENRY, CHURTON, LONDON.
Telephone :
VICTORIA 6065.
The Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society
(in which are incorporated the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society and the Aborigines Protection Society.)
62838/29 13.
HON. SECRETARY:
Travers Buxton, M. A.
PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY:
John H. Harris.
The Under-Secretary of state
for the Colonies,
Colonial Office,
Downing Street,
DENISON HOUSE,
296, VAUXHALL BRIDGE ROAD,
LONDON, S.W. 1.
(CLOSE TO VICTORIA STATIONS.)
luth May, 1929.
We bag to attach hereto an extract from the
"South China Morning Fost" of the 29th March last.
We observe that an investigation is be ing made, and be g
to ask whether we might be allowed to see any deport
which is issued upon this case .
We have the honour to be, wir,
Your obedient Servants,
Thavers Barlan
Hon. Secretary.
Acts (4)
cabs to you.
rarliamentary Secretary.
"SOUTH CHINA MORNING FOST"
29th March, 1929.
SALE OF A CHILD.
Alleged Cruelty to an adopted Daughter.
MOTHER'S ANXIETY.
a case of alle ged cruelty to an adopted daughter was
brought to the attention of the Anti-Mui Tsai Society last
Tuesday. The details are given below..
Wu Kwai-ning, the mother of the child, came all the way
from Shun Tak district, Awangtung, upon receipt of information
from a friend, to lodge a complaint of ill-treatment.
According to u Kwai-hing, her six-year-old child was sold
on the twenty-third days of the twelfth moon last Chinese
year (February 2, 1929) as an adopted child for po0. It was
specified in the sale note tna: the child would be redeemable
at $120.
A friend of the child's mother saw the girl being ill-
treated and wrote to the mother in Shun Tak suggesting that,
in order to put an end to the cruelty, sometning should be
done at once to redeem the child. After some trouble the
mother got in touch with the child and found marks of cruelty.
She discovered that the child had been resold to
another party.
The case has since been brought before the
Chinese Secretariat and investigation is still
proceeding.
Caine 9.5.
62838/29.
Mr. Bottomley.
Sir E. Harding.
Sir J. Shuckburgh.
Sir G. Grindle.
Sir C. Davis.
Sir S. Wilson.
Mr. Ormsby-Gore.
Lord Lovat.
Mr. Amery.
Fa P.S.'s sign
E.H. MARSH, ESQ., C.B, C.M.S., C.V.O.
R 11 MAY
Downing Street,
15 May, 1929.
Dear Marsh
Your letter of the 3rd of
May enclosing a letter from Mrs.
Haslewood on the subject of the
(encl. to 9 in orig.
hacking copy
(Dft. note h'with)
Mui Tsai system in Hong kong, whi ch
I return herewith.
I enclose a copy of a
note prepared in the Department,
which deals with the carrying out
decision
of Mr. Churchill's pladged of
1922. This was prepared at
Vincent's request as Mrs. Haslewood
has also written to the Prime
Minister and Mrs. Baldwin. The now-
is not for commmmicalion
to Mrs. Harlearod
We would suggest that it would
be sufficient, in reply, to refer Mrs.
Haslewood to the replies to recent
questions in Parliament which show
it is not admitted that
that the policy announced by Mr.
Churchill in his statement of the
not being implemented.
21st of March, 1922, is being carried
As you will no doubt remember
Mrs. Haslewood and her husband
are industood to thave bego
the principal inspirers of the agitation
against i Tsai both in 1922 and in the
last few months,
Yours sincerely
Прадстве
E. Caine.
Mr Gent./0
Government action in regard to the Mui Tsai system in Hong Kong.
The old Chinese custom of adopting girl
children for domestic service, known as Mui Tsai, was considered to be open to abuses which required Government intervention as far as the British Colony of Hong Kong was concerned. Mr Churchill, then
Secretary of State for the Colonies, in 1922 declared
the policy of the Government to be to effect the
abolition of the system, and he stated in the House of
Commons on the 21st of March 1922:-
"I desire to make it clear that both the
Governor and I are de termined to effect the
abolition of the system at the earliest
practicable date and I have indicated to the
Governor that I expect the change to be carried out within a year".
In pursuance of this undertaking an Ordinance
was passed in Hong Kong on the 15th of February, 1923, containing a declaration correcting the erroneous view
that the payment of money for a child under the Chinese custom of Mui Tsai conveyed to the employer any proprietary right as against the child herself or
against her parent or guardian. The Ordinance, amongst other provisions, further prohibited the taking into employment of any fresh Mui Tsai after the Ordinance came into effect, made provision for the proper treatment of existing Mui Tsai who might choose to continue in the service of the ir employers, and ave
power to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs to arrange for the care of Mui Tsai who might wish to leave their
employers.
It is now being contended that the Ordinance
is not effective in the direction of abolishing the
Mui Tsai "system" The abolition of Mui Tsai is an aim
which experience has shown to be impossible of rapid
achievement. Amongst the many difficulties to be
overcome are for instance (1) the daily movement in
and out of the Colony from and to the mainland of
China of thousands of Chinese, a movement which is
accentuated in times of disturbance (such as have
subsisted fairly continuously for the last few years)
in the neighbouring territory of the Chinese Republic.
It is not practicable to establish any control of this
migration to a sufficient extent to exclude Mui Tsai
from entry into the Colony. Further, it is rarely
possible to obtain evidence that any particular girl in
a household is a Mui Tsai. The great majority of them
are quite contented with their position and have no
inclination to leave their employers: in such
circumstances no evidence can be obtained by the
authorities.
It remains, however, the declared policy of
the Government to abolish the custom, and the
Secretary of State is engaged, in concert with the
Governor of Hong Kong, in considering means to prevent
evasions of the law.
There is no evidence to show that the number
of Mui Tsai has increased since 1923, nor is there any
foundation for the suggestion that Mui Tsai are
normally ill-treated by their employers.
The Mui Tsai system has been the subject of
numerous
numerous recent questions in Parliament, on the 4th of
February, 26th of April, 29th of April and 6th of May.
The Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill.
8, Bennett Street,
1st May, 1929.
Dear Sir,
If you will refer back to March 21st, 1922, you will
see that you gave a solemn pledge to the Country in the
House of Commons, that the cruel system of Child Slavery,
known as the Mui Tsai system in the Crown Colony of Hong
Kong should be definitely abolished.
Your moral courage in tackling the subject quite
rightly aroused great admiration. Your successor in
office, the Duke of Devonshire, ratified this pledge in
February, 1923, and on the point cabled to the Governor
of the Colony, Sir Edward Stubbs "No compromise".
The position today is that the system is in full
force. The purchase of the Mui Tsai has increased; their
price has risen; and no attempt whatever has been made to
introduce Registration as set forth in Part III of the
Ordinance of 1923.
You, Sir, are aware of the system, and a Member of
the Cabinet, and as such I trust you will exert your
influence to enforce the pledge given, or else stand
condemned as one who has broken faith with his Country.
Yours truly
(Signed) (Mrs.) C. B. L. Haslewood.