THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH JANUARY 1880.
•
4. The master, owner, or agent of any such ship who shall wilfully neglect or refuse to provide, pack, or keep on board such medicines, medical stores, books of instructions, lime or lemon juice, sugar or anti-scorbutics as are by this section required, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon summary conviction before any Stipendiary Ma- gistrate, incur a penalty not exceeding five hundred
dollars.
5. The provisions of this section, so far as the same refer to lime, lemon juice and anti-scorbutics, shall have the same force and effect as the regulations provided for by "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1867," section 6.
CHAPTER IX.
DESERTION AND OTHER OFFENCES OF SEAMEN.
XX. If any seaman belonging to the crew of any ship, British or foreign, shall descrt therefrom, or otherwise abs- cond, or absent himself from his duty while such ship or vessel is within the waters of the Colony, it shall and may be lawful for any Police Officer, or for the master or person in charge of the ship, or for any one specially deputed by such master or person in charge, to arrest such seaman with- out warrant and convey him before a Stipendiary Magistrate; and in case such seaman shall refuse to return to his duty on board the said ship, or shall not give a sufficient reason for such refusal, the Stipendiary Magistrate may order such seaman to be put forcibly on board the ship to which he may belong, or to be confined in any gaol or other place of security within the Colony, for any period until he can be put on board his ship at her departure from the port, or until he shall be demanded by the master of the ship, or by the Consul of the country to which such ship may belong : Provided always, that the said period of confinement shall not, in the absence of such departure or demand, exceed three months.
2. It shall be lawful for any Stipendiary Magistrate, upon complaint of the master of such ship, to the effect that he has reasonable cause to believe that any runaway seaman belonging to the crew of any such ship is harboured, secret- ed, or concealed, or suspected to be harboured, secreted, or concealed on board any other ship, boat, or other vessel, or in any house or place whatsoever, to issue a warrant directing ♦ a constable to search such ship, boat, or other vessel, or such house or place, and such seaman to lodge in any or the nearest Police Station; and every such seaman shall, with all convenient speed, be brought before a Stipendiary Magis- trate, to be dealt with as is hereinbefore directed with respect to seamen apprehended for desertion, absconding, or absence from duty.
3. If any person whatsoever shall harbour, conceal, em- ploy, or retain, or assist in harbouring, concealing, employ- ing, or retaining any seaman belonging to the crew of any ship, who shall have deserted therefrom, or otherwise abs- conded, or absented himself from duty, while such ship or vessel is within the waters of the Colony, knowing such seaman to have deserted, absconded, or absented himself from duty, or shall cause, induce, or persuade or endea- in any vour to cause, induce, or persuade any such seaman, manner whatsoever to violate, or to attempt or endeavour to violate, any agreement which he may have entered into to serve on board any such ship, or shall knowingly connive at the desertion, absconding, or absence from duty of any such scaman, such person so offending shall, for every such offence, upon conviction thereof before a stipendiary Ma- gistrate, ineur a penalty not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars, or imprisonment with or without hard labour for any period not exceeding six months.
4. The Harbour Master, or his deputy, before granting a port clearance to any ship, may, if he have reasonable grounds for belief that any deserter from a merchant vessel be con- ecaled on bourd of such ship, proceed on board thereof and then and there require her master to iustitute due and diligent search for such deserter, and further, if he deem it necessary, require the master to make oath or solemn declaration that to the best of his knowledge and belief, after duo and dili- gent search, no such deserter is concealed within or about his ship; and any master of a ship refusing or unnecessarily delaying to comply with such requisition, shall incur upon conviction, a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars, and imprisonment until such fine be paid,
Owners ne- glecting to provide ine- dicines and medical stores to be guilty of misde- meanor.
This section
to have the SADIS force as rules made. [M. 8. A. 1867, sec. 6.1
Segmen deserting may be appre- bonded and put on board the vessels to which they belong.
Ordinance 4
of 1850, sec. 1.]
Or may be con- fued in gaol.
Ships or houses may be searched for deserters from ships. [Ibid, sec. 2.1
Pensity on persons bars
bouring deserters from ship. [Loid, sec. 3.]
Harbour Mac- ter or deputy may require, before grant- ing a purt clearance to a ship, the master thereof to search for suspected de- Berters, and to make declara- tion of such search. Penalty for not complying with such request. [Ordinance 6 of 1859, #oc. 11.)
37