The Child Labour Commission was inaugurated on Friday, June 22, 1923 when the first session took place at the Administration Building.
All the members were present as follows Messrs. J. S. S. Cooper, E. J. Cornfoot, R. J. McNicol, H. Moh, G. Okada, H. Lipson Ward, Mrs. D. MacGillivray, Miss Agatha Harrison, Miss Mayling Soong and Dr. Mary Stone.
In addition, Mr. H. G. Simms, Chairman, and Mr. E. S. B. Rowe, Acting Secretary, Shanghai Municipal Council, attended.
The terms of reference were read by the Acting Secretary of Council whereupon the Chairman of Council welcomed those present in the following terms "In opening this important commission I would like in the first place to express the Council's appreciation of your desire to assist it in arriving at a wise decision on what we must all admit is a problem presenting great difficulty.
As you are aware the Council endorsed the view that it should take a lead in bringing about certain reforms in conditions applying to Child Labour in factories and mills in the Settlement. Since then the Chinese Government has evinced a desire to improve conditions in mills and factories under its jurisdiction, and it appears to the Council an opportune time to work in ce-operation with the Chinese Government, and rather than apply separate Rules and Regulations to factories and mills in the Settlement it would be much more advisable to take as a basis to work on the Laws recently promulgated by the Chinese Government, and deal with them in the light of your experience and knowledge with a view to persuade ing the Chinese Government toadd to or modify their Laws, so that we could adopt them here, thus securing uniform legislation both in and out of the Settlement. I feel sure we can rely on the French Council ce-operating with us when the time comes to submit proposals to them.
I understand there is a possibility of Dame Anderson visiting this City. As she is an authority on these very matters you are about to discuss, you will no doubt consider that her assistance would be valuable to you, and the Council would willingly invite her to take part in your deliberations in an advisory capacity if she would be willing to do so.
We have on this commission ladies who have made a close study of this problem of Child Labour in China, and the views of the Chinese ladies on the commission should prove particularly helpful as they have special facilities for putting before the commission the attitude of the children's parents towards reforms. There are economical difficulties to contend with and while we can see the ultimate advantages which the children will reap both mentally and physically as a result of these reforms, the parents naturally are more concerned with the immediate financial gain resulting from their children's labour under present conditions. The geutlemen who have accepted the Council's invitation to sit on the commission have practical experience of conditions in mills and factories, and from a business point of view are just as anxious to arrive at a proper solution of the Child Labour problem as those who approach the subject chiefly from the point of view of social reform. Evidence of this is to be seen from the lead taken by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Ca.. in limiting the age at which children can be employed in Ewo mills. The suitable education of these children thus shut out from work is a question which it will be for you to discuss, but it must be borne in mind that many of them doubtless reside outside our jurisdiction, and this is where there should he co-opera tion with the Chinese authorities.
The Council suggests that Mr. Lipson Ward be asked to preside over. the commission, and IT feel sure that under his Chairmanship you will enter on your labours fully determined to try and overcome the difficulties you are bound to encounter, always bearing in mind that reforms are very necessary if we are to justify our claim to be enlightened administrators of this important Settlement, because no good Administration can afford to ignore its responsibility for the social welfare of the children who live under its jurisdiction. The Council will await the result of your deliberations with the greatest interest. Ladies and Gentlemen, we wish you every The meeting terminated at 5.18 p.m.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.