THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 30TH JULY, 1898.
A BILL
ENTITLED
An Ordinance authorising the imposition of fees for the issue, by the Government of Hongkong, of certain certificates to certain Chinese desirous of proceeding to the United States of America.
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 for all purposes as The Short title. Chinese Certificates Fees Ordinance, 1898.
2. For each certificate issued by the Government of Fee for cer- this Colony to a Chinese person, other than a labourer, tificate. desirous of proceeding to the United States of America, there shall be paid by the applicant to the Registrar General a fee of $50, which sum shall be paid into the Treasury of this Colony.
3. All fees hitherto charged and received by the Registrar Fees hitherto General in respect of such certificate before the commence- paid legal- ment of this Ordinance, and paid by him into the Treasury, ized. shall be deemed to have been legally charged and received by him.
Objects and Reasons.
It has been the practice to charge certain fees to certi- ficates issued to Chinese, other than labourers, desirous of proceeding to the United States of America. Before issuing these certificates it is necessary to make careful enquiries, and their issue throws responsibility upon the Registrar General. It is, therefore, only just that the Colonial Treasury should receive some payment for the work thus cast upon officers of the Government for the special benefit of individual Chinese. It, however, seems desirable that Legislative sanction should be given to the imposition of these fees, and that is the object of this Ordinance.
W. MEIGH GOODMAN, Attorney General.
A BILL
ENTITLED
An Ordinance to provide for the punishment of certain conspiracies.
Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
1. Where any person is convicted, in the Supreme Court, Iunishment of conspiring to cheat or defraud, or to extort money or of certain goods, or falsely to accuse of any crime, or to obstruct, conspiracies. prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of public justice, he shall be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding three years, or to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or to both.
Objects and Reasons.
Common law misdemeanours, where no special punish- inent is provided by any Act or Ordinance, come within the scope of section 5 of Ordinance No. 3 of 1898.
The maximum penalty which can be inflicted under that section is one year's imprisonment with hard labour and a fine of $500. Such punishment is not adequate, as a maximum, in the case of conspiracies such as those mentioned in this Ordinance, and the maximum term of imprisonment with hard labour has, accordingly, been increased in such cases to three years.
W. MEIGH Goodman, Attorney General.
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