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This omission it is now sought to correct by providing that breach of the provisions shall be subject to the general penalty provided in section 10 of the Ordinance, namely a fine of $500 and imprisonment for 3 months upon summary conviction, or a fine of $2,000 and imprisonment for 6 months on conviction upon indictment.
An effect of the Bill will be also to clear the
way for an Order to be sought from the Governor in Council prescribing the maximum level of expenses which may be incurred by a candidate standing in the Legislative
Council elections. In the case of the functional
constituencies, the ceiling that we have in mind is $20,000 and, in the electoral college constituencies, $10,000.
These maxima, although arbitrary, are proposed having regard to the ceiling set for candidates in the
District Boards elections. The functional constituencies
will mostly comprise an electorate substantially smaller than that of the average District Board constituency. However, the difference in numbers is offset by the fact that electors in functional constituencies will be more dispersed and have, for example in the case of the Teaching constituency, a very much wider geographical spread. It is thus considered not unreasonable to adopt for candidates in these constituencies the District Board
maximum of $20,000.
In the electoral college constituencies, on the other hand, the eligible electorate will be very limited. In no one constituency will their numbers exceed 59,
/and their geographical
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