254
SCHEDULE.
[s. 12.]
KUN YAM TONG (H) 36, Tai Ping Shan
Street, Inland Lot Nos. 1349 and 1426.
LIN FA KUNG (E) Tai Hang, Inland Lot
No. 1351.
SUI TSING PAK TEMPLE (1) 12, Tik Lung Lane, Inland Lot No. 769, Section D, Sub- section 1.
TAM KUNG SIN SHING TEMPLE (A1EE)
Aberdeen Inland Lot No. 72.
TIN HAU TEMPLE (*) Tung Lo Wan, Inland
Lot No. 1352.
Objects and Reasons.
1. This Ordinance is introduced on the strong recom- mendation and urgent request of the leaders of the Chinese community.
2. It will not interfere in any way whatsoever with genuine Chinese religion. The enthusiastic support which the principles of the bill have evoked from the Chinese community is sufficient evidence of the correctness of this
statement.
3. The objects of the bill are:--
(a) to prevent the exploitation of the ignorant by
charlatans ;
(b) to recover for the benefit of the community the control over public temples which have been slipping into private hands; and
(c) to prevent for the future the establishment of
temples as purely business speculations.
4. There has been an alarming growth of pseudo- religions establishments in recent years, Many of the keepers are simply fortune tellers of an unrecognized and objectionable kind. Some of these temples occupy a single floor for a few months at a time until they have dealt with all the dupes of the district, when they move elsewhere.
5. There are some private temples, established originally by private individuals or particular families, which are managed honestly and unobjectionably, though of course the profits go to the private owners. All temples which are clearly of this class will be specifically exempted from the financial control proposed to be set up by this Ordinance. The list of the temples so to be exempted is contained in the Schedule to the Ordinance. There are other temples, originally established by sections of the community for the benefit of the public, which are falling or which have fallen under the control of private individuals. These individuals, or their predecessors, have thus encroached on the rights of the public and can have no claim as against the community to usurp the revenues of these temples. Such temples will be brought under the control of the Ordinance.
6. For the future it is felt that temples should not be private property, conducted for the pecuniary benefit of private individuals. Accordingly, all future temples will also fall nuder the control of the Ordinance.