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and none at Thayet-myo. At Rangoon, Thayet-myo, and Toungoo the officer com-
manding the European regiment and the officer commanding the Royal Artillery were
appointed ex-officio members of the Cantonment Committee, with a view to their
being appointed members of a Sub-Committee for supervising the working of the
lock-hospital rules. It would appear, however, from the reports of the several
lock-hospitals that these Sub-Committees have not yet been constituted, except
perhaps at Toungoo. This is to be regretted, as it is evident that the enforcement
of the lock-hospital rules would benefit by more careful and constant supervision
than it receives at present.
3. At Rangoon the number of women on the register was 476 at the begin-
ning and 417 at the end of the year. No less than 300 names were struck off
the list. The area over which the rules are enforced was increased from 22 to 120
square miles, and orders were issued that an Inspector and three constables should
be specially told off for lock-hospital work. It would appear from the report that
this order was not fully carried out. The Commissioner has called for an expla-
nation of this. The Chief Commissioner will be prepared to consider any pro-
posal which the Commissioner may think proper to make for increasing the
number of the constables assigned for this duty. The number of women on the
register is probably far less than it should be, and the importance of securing
more complete registration is shown by the fact that, out of 241 women who were
brought on the register during the year 1881, no less than 41 were found to be
diseased at the first examination. Thirty-five women were arrested for practising
clandestine prostitution in the course of the year, but the number of convictions
is not stated. The attendance of the women at the periodical examinations is at
present very irregular, 35 per cent on an average being absent at each examina-
tion. Where regular attendance is not insisted upon, a great part of the benefit to
be derived from the rules must be lost, for it is only to be expected that the
women who stay away from examination should be those who know themselves
to be suffering from disease and who desire by absenting themselves to avoid
detection. Four hundred women in all were reported to the Magistrate for
non-attendance, and of these 120 were punished by fine or imprisonment. The
lock-hospital building has been improved by various repairs and alterations. The
appointment of a resident apothecary has been attended by good results. No
great change was noticed in either the amount or virulence of the disease among
the women.
4. At Thayet-myo two constables were told off at the request of the officer
commanding the European troops to assist the regimental police in the enforce-
ment of the lock-hospital rules, but the results were not so good as might have
been expected. The number of women on the register decreased from 28 at
the beginning to 23 at the end of the year, a very small number for a military
cantonment of the size of Thayet-myo. Three women only were prosecuted
for clandestine prostitution, and all of them were found to be diseased. Seventy-
eight per cent. of the women, on an average, attended the periodical examinations.
Twenty-one women were reported for non-attendance, of whom 14 were punished
by fine or imprisonment. The diseases from which the registered women suffered
were in most cases of a very mild type.