§ 44. Mr. INSKIPasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that the Governor of Hong Kong requested the Naval Authorities at Hong Kong to restrain the wife of Lieut.-Commander Haslewood, then superintendent of the chart department, from advocating publicly the prohibition of the mui tsai system, and that the Commander-in-Chief thereupon tried to bring pressure to bear upon Mrs. Haslewood, through 1679 her husband, to desist from her public advocacy of a Measure which has now been substantially adopted by His Majesty's Government, as evidenced by the proclamation in Hong Kong that slavery is not allowed to exist in the British Empire and that, therefore, the mui tsai are not the property of their owners: and whether, in view of all the circumstances, the Government can make some amends both to Lieut.-Commander Haslewood and to Mrs. Haslewood.
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI had better first state the facts as far as I have been able to ascertain them. According to the Governor's report, his attention was drawn to the fact that Mrs. Haslewood was at that time conducting her campaign, which included allegations of widespread cruelty to mui tsai, in terms which gave much annoyance to the Chinese community. The Chinese have a great regard for official position, and when an officer's wife, with the encouragement of her husband, made attacks of this character, the Governor considered that there was a danger that they might get the impression that the Government approved the terms which were employed, and that thus a state of ill-feeling towards the British Government would be created which would be highly undesirable, especially in view of the unsettled state of South China. A Governor is both entitled and bound to do all he can to restrain persons from acting in a manner likely to disturb the peace of the colony for which he is responsible. In these circumstances the Governor had decided to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies to request the Admiralty to move Lieut.-Commander Haslewood to another station, but on further consideration, not wishing to damage Lieut.-Commander Haslewood's professional prospects, he communicated privately with the Commodore on the subject, suggesting that he should ask Lieut.-Commander Haslewood to restrain his wife from taking part in a public controversy affecting racial questions and customs and stirring strong and dangerous feeling in the Chinese community.
The Commodore, and subsequently the Commander-in-Chief, interviewed Lieut.-Commander Haslewood, and the Commander-in-Chief informed him that if he wished to continue his campaign he ought 1680 to resign his official appointment in the Dockyard. In the meantime, Mrs. Haslewood was taken to hospital, and her condition was such that the doctors had the gravest doubts as to her recovery if she did not leave the Colony at once. The Commander-in-Chief accordingly informed Lieut.-Commander Haslewood that he was prepared to allow him to proceed home with his wife and to replace him in the Chart Office by another officer. Lieut.-Commander Haslewood accepted this offer, and on returning home gave as his reason for leaving the Chart Depot: "I applied to proceed on urgent private affairs. This was approved by the Commander-in-Chief, China Station."
Lieut.-Commander Haslewood was a retired officer who had volunteered for service during the War. About the time of his leaving Hong Kong, the War being over, the Admiralty were reverting such officers to the retired list, and they were being warned in advance of the likelihood of their being relieved at an early date by active service officers as opportunity offered. object of this warning was to give these officers as much notice as possible of the impending change. Lieut.-Commander Haslewood knew that this was the Admiralty policy at the time. though it is doubtful if the warning reached him before he left Hong Kong. It will be seen that the naval authorities acted at the request of the Governor, and the Governor seems to have shown all possible consideration in the performance of what he felt to be his duty to the Colony. Lieut.-Commander Haslewood suffered no injury to his professional career, and the Admiralty did not at any time express displeasure at his conduct.
I wish to make it quite clear that there has not at any time been any suggestion that Lieut.-Commander Haslewood and Mrs. Haslewood acted from any but the highest motives.
Sir J. D. REESIs not the Proclamation of the Governor a spirited negation of self-determination, seeing that the British are a mere handful among half a million of Chinese?