Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1880-12-04
Treatment Of Chinese Criminals at
Hongkong.

The Earl of Kimberley, acting on the recon-
mendation of the Governor of Hongkong, has
given instructions for the repeal Of the local laws
authorizing the branding Of Chinese criminals,
the repeal Of all laws in Hongkong which impose
hoggng, on individuals of the Chinese exclu-
sveiy the ne abolition bolt 81 publ, hogging and Of fog
that all logging be abolished in the colony except
for such offences as entail tiogging in England
In conveying those instructions to the Governor,
Lord Kimberley writes 81 have come 10 this de-
cision mainly because entertain grave objections
on general grounds to the infection Of the punish
ments in question, and especially that Of hoQuinp
for ordinary offences. In this country logging
has ceased to be employed as means Of repress-
ing crime except in the case of certain crimes Of
brutal violence, and as a means of prison disci.
plire it is confined to the case of convicted pri-
soners who guilty Of serious offences against
the regulations Of the gaol. II must be borne in
mind, however, that 1t is not always safe to con-
clude that punishments which are unsuited to
European community can be dispensed with In
dealing with such population az the Chinese po-
pnlation of Hongkong and IL will be necessary,
therefore, that the effect of the changes you recon-
mend should be very carefully watched" In the
despatch conveying the Governors recommended
acted, the opinions Of the Chief Justice, Sir John
Small of Mr.. Tonnochy, the superintendent of
the prison, and of the other officers concerned in
the administration of the criminal law we're en-
cloGed, and were to the effect that crime had been
reduced and prison discipline improved while the
Governor mad, IN the exercise OF the Royal Pre-
negative, suspended branding and public logging
and reduced the annual nlmber of Aoggings to one
or two, instead OF having them counted by hun
dreds. In the same despatch the Governor thus
records his own experience Of the Chinese race -
" For nine months past have not sanctioned q
single case of hogging and life and property have
never been so secure in Hongkong as at this mo-
ment. Crime has been reduced to a minimum, and
while this has been DONE the Chinese population
of the colony has largely increased and the influx
of Chinese frcm the kwangtung province has
never been great. Speaking with an experience
of three years at this side of the China Sea- and Of
four years administration of a Chinese community
(Labuan) at the other side of the China Sea-
venture to think that the views Of those European
gentlemen who assert that the Chinese are an ex-
ceptionally criminal race and a race that should
be especially dealt with by doRRing, are not cor
rect. On the contrary, having some small expert
ence in the government of nearly every race in
Her Majesty's Colonies-Europeans, Negroes,
Malays, and Chinese-I am more disposed TO say
that the latter are, race the least crininally
inclined and that they the eaaiest TO influence
by that best of reformatory elements-industrial
labor" In referring TO the statistics of crime re-
Gently published in the colony, the Hongkong
Daily Press says: "If IL be true that figures may
be made to misead, they certainly do not do ii,
this case, as the state of good order and security
the colony has latterly enjoyed was frequently
marked upon before the appearance Of these statis
tics. 1t IL hardly necessary now to reopen tho
question rs to the proper mode Of dealing with
crime which formed such burning topic in the
colony couple of years ago but il Ii only fair to
note the fact that under the present regime crlue
has sensibly declined"