 For example, a Chinese Protectorate under Pickering was established in 1877 to address the needs of the Chinese community, including controlling the worst abuses of the coolie trade and protecting Chinese women from forced prostitution.In 1889 Governor Sir Cecil Clementi Smith banned secret societies in colonial Singapore, driving them underground.Nevertheless, many social problems persisted up through the post-war era, including an acute housing shortage and generally poor health and living standards.