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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 3RD MARCH, 1888.
BILL ENTITLED THE VAGRANCY ORDINANCE, 1888.-The Attorney General moved that the Council resume consideration, in Committee, of this Bill.
The Colonial Secretary seconded.
Question-put and passed.
Council went into Committee.
Bill reported with amendments.
The Attorney General then moved that the Bill be read a third time.
The Colonial Secretary seconded.
Question-put and passed.
Bill read a third time.
Question put-that this Bill do pass.
Bill passed, and numbered as Ordinance 12 of 1888.
JURY LIST, 1888.-Strangers having retired by request, the Council proceeded to consider the Jury List for 1888.
The List was duly revised, corrected, and the Special Jurors designated in terms of Section 4 of Ordinance 24 of 1882.
ADJOURNMENT.—The Council then adjourned to Tuesday, the 28th instant, at 4 P.M.
G. WILLIAM DES VEUX,
Governor.
Read and confirmed, this 28th day of February, 1888.
ARATHIOON SETH,
Clerk of Councils.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 85.
The following Bills, which were read a first time at a Meeting of the Legislative Council held yesterday, are published for general information.
Council Chamber, Hongkong, 29th February, 1888.
Preamble.
Village rates may be
Increased to make good damages to trees.
Orders to be
read with Rating Ordinance.
Nol to prevent other penalties.
W
A BILL
ENTITLED
The Trees Preservation Ordinance, 1888.
HEREAS great damage is done to trees and plan- tations in the neighbourhood of the respective villages of this Colony, and whereas it is frequently diffi- cult or impossible to discover the persons who have com- mitted such damage: Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
1. 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 levy a special 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 ceased, or that they were not committed by the inhabitants of such village.
2. 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.
3. 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,
ARATHOON SETH,
Clerk of Councils.