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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH JANUARY, 1888.
Person burning tree on a Forest plantation.
Trespassing or permitting cattle, &c., to pasture or trespass.
Village rates may be increased to make good damages to trees,
Orders to be read with
Rating Ordinance.
Not to prevent other penalties.
Possession
of wood or branches.
of the Surveyor General, shall, on conviction thereof, be liable in the case of a first offence to a fine not exceeding Fifty dollars, or in the case of a second or any subsequent. offence, within a period of twelve months from the date of the preceding offence, to a fine not exceeding Two hundred dollars, and in default of payment of any fine to imprison- ment for a period not exceeding three months; and shall further in each case be condemned to pay a sum equivalent to the value of any tree so destroyed or caused to be des- troyed or removed or caused to be removed.
4. Any person who either wilfully or through his own negligence shall, by setting fire to herbs or grass, or by lighting a fire cause a conflagration by which any tree or plantation of trees not belonging to such person shall be destroyed, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding Two hun- dred dollars reserving always to the Attorney General, should he think fit, the right to prosecute the offender under any other law of the Colony.
5. Any person who in a Government plantation of trees trespasses or pastures cattle, sheep or goats or permit any cattle, sheep or goats to trespass shall, on conviction thereof before a Magistrate, be liable to a fine not exceeding Fifty dollars, and in default of payment to imprisonment with or without hard labour not exceeding one month.
6. Whenever it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the Governor in Council that trees or plantations belonging to Government in the neighbourhood of any village in this Colony have been destroyed, and that there is sufficient reason to believe that such cutting down, injury, or damage was committed by the inhabitants of the said village or by any of them, it shall be lawful for the Governor in Council, by order under his hand, to increase the Police rate assessed upon such village to an amount sufficient to cover the damages done, and such increased assessment shall take effect from the earliest day after such order on which it can be brought into force, and shall continue until the Governor in Council, by a further order under his hand, shall revoke or alter the original order, which the Governor in Council shall do when he is satisfied that the injuries to trees on account of which the original order was issued have ccased, or that they were not committed by the inhabitants of such village.
7. Every such order shall be read as forming part of the Municipal Rates Ordinance No. 21 of 1885, or of any, Ordi- nance which may be substituted for that Ordinance.
8. Nothing in this Ordinance shall operate to prevent any person from being prosecuted for injury or cutting down trees or for stealing or for the unlawful possession of wood under any enactment under which, before the passing of this Ordinance, he might have been so prosecuted.
9. The possession of newly cut trees by any person living in the neighbourhood of any wood, trees, or Govern- ment plantation shall be deemed primâ facie evidence of destroying on his part of such wood, trees, or plantation, and of the stealing or unlawful possession of such wood or branches.
Registrar to post up and publish notices.
A BILL
ENTITLED
The Unclaimed Balances Ordinance, 1888.
BE it quacted by Gov of thergok, ang How the
advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
1. On the coming into operation of this Ordinance the Registrar of the Supreme Court shall cause to be posted up in some conspicuous place in the Supreme Court notices in the form set forth in Schedules A., B., and C. to this Ordinance.
Schedules A. and B. shall remain so posted up for the space of six months, and Schedule C. for the space of one year.
2. The said Registrar shall also cause the said notices to be published twice in the Government Gazette and for six consecutive days in at least one newspaper published daily in this Colony.
He shall also cause Schedule C. to be published in four consecutive numbers of the London Gazette and for six consecutive days in the Times newspaper.