806
Draft Bill.
No. S. 364.-The following bill, which it is proposed to introduce at the next meeting of the Legislative Council, is published for general information :-
C.S.O.
[No. 20:―30.10.28.-5. |
A BILL
INTITULED
Short title.
Transfer of old balances to the
revenue of the Colony.
Future trans- fer of
unclaimed balances
other than intestate estates.
Advertise-
ment as to intestate estate.
Transfer of unclaimed intestate estate to the Treasury.
An Ordinance to consolidate and amend the
law with respect to unclaimed balances.
Be it enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows :-—
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Unclaimed Balances Ordinance, 1928.
2. All sums of money which, at the commencement of this Ordinance, have remained unclaimed in the Treasury or have appeared as unclaimed in the accounts of the Government or of any officer ther of (including the Official Administrator, the Official Trustee and the Official Receiver) for a period of five years or longer, and have not been transferred to the general revenue, shall be transferred to the general revenue of the Colony.
3.-(1) Any sum of money, other than the balance of an intestate estate, which, after the commencement of this Ordinance, may for any cause be unciaimed in the Treasury or in the accounts of the Government or of any officer thereof may, on the expiration of five years from the date of payment of such sum into the Treasury or into the accounts of the Government or of any officer thereof, be transferred to the general revenue of the Colony.
(2) Every transfer of any sum of money thus made to the general revenue of the Colony shall be by order of the Governor under the hand of the Colonial Secretary.
(3) Every order thus made shall state the particulars of the sum transferred and the conditions under which a refund of such sums may be obtained.
(4) Every such order shall be published in the Gazette.
4. Where administration has been granted, either before or after the commencement of this Ordinance, to the Official Administrator in respect of the estate of any person who has died intestate and the next of kin of the deceased are not known to him, the Official Administra- tor shall, as soon as may be after the commencement of this Ordinance or after snel grant, cause advertisements to be published in the Colony and also, if in his opinion it is desirable, in any place where it appears to him probable that persons entitled to share in the residue of the estate may be found, to the effect that, if no claim is made within five years from the date of the publication of such adver- tisement, the funds remaining from the estate of such deceased person will be transferred to the general revenue of the Colony, subject to the provisions of this Ordinance: Provided that such advertisement shall not be necessary where the funds of the estate are less than one hundred dollars in value.
5. The Official Administrator shall as soon as may be after the grant to him of administration of the estate of any person dying intestate pay the unclaimed balance of such estate into the Treasury, or into the account of the Government at such bank as the Treasurer shall direct, and the Governor may direct that such balance be trans- ferred to the general revenue of the Colony subject to the