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A BILL
INTITULED
An Ordinance to facilitate marriages between British subjects resident in the Colony and British subjects resident in the United Kingdom.
BE it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Marriage of Short title. British Subjects (Facilities) Ordinance, 1916.
2. Where a marriage is intended to be solemnized or Recognition contracted in this Colony between a British subject re- of certificates sident in this Colony and a British subject resident in the issued in the
United United Kingdom, a certificate for marriage issued by a Kingdom as Superintendent Registrar in England and a certificate for sufficient marriage issued by a Registrar, and a certificate of pro- notice in clamation of banns, in Scotland, and a certificate for respect of marriage issued by a Registrar in Ireland shall in this marriages Colony have the same effect as a certificate of receipt of British sub- notice of marriage issued by the Registrar of Marriages in jects intended the Colony.
between
to be solem- nized in the Colony,
3. Where a marriage is intended to be solemnized or The giving of contracted in the United Kingdom between a British sub- notice in the
Colony in ject resident in the United Kingdom and a British subject respect of a reside..t in this Colony, a certificate of receipt of notice of marriage to marriage may be issued in the Colony in the like manner be solem- as if the marriage was to be solemnized or contracted under circumstances requiring a certificate of receipt of notice of marriage and as if both such British subjects were resident in the Colony.
nized in the United Kingdom between a British sub- ject proceed- ing from the Colony and a British sub- ject resident in the United Kingdom,
Objects and Reasons.
The Marriage of British Subjects (Facilities) Act, 1915, 5 and 6 Geo. 5, c. 40, was enacted in order to facilitate marriages between British subjects resident in the United Kingdom and British subjects resident in other parts of His Majesty's dominions, the object being to enable the marriage to be celebrated immediately on the arrival of the intended spouse from the Colony or from the United King- dom as the case may be. It provides for the recognition, for the purpose of marriages in the United Kingdom, of certificates of notice of marriage issued in other parts of His Majesty's dominions, and it enables certificates for marriage to be issued in the United Kingdom for the purpose of marriages in other parts of His Majesty's dominions. These provisions, however, in the case of any particular colony, depend on the Act being applied to that colony by Order in Council, and a condition precedent to the issue of any such Order in Council is the enactment of reciprocal legislation in that colony. This bill contains the local legislation which is necessary before an Order in Coureil can be issued applying the Act to the Colony of Hongkong.
J. H. KEMP,
Attorney General,