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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 25тп FEBRUARY, 1871. 77
Months from such Period, they should be liable to pay the Surplus, if any, arising from such ale, to the Borrower. The Surplus to be forfeited to the Pawnbroker unless claimed within such Period of Six Months.
The Committee also recommend that enactments to the following Effect be retained or introduced, as the case may be, into the Bill:-
1. That Pledges may be made for Six Months, and renewed indefinitely for Periods not
exceeding Six Months at a time.
2. That in the absence of any Special Agreement, a Loan shall be deemed to have been made or renewed for Six Months, but that the Borrower may redeem at any time before the sale of the Pledge.
3. That in addition to the Particulars now required to be recorded in the General Book and Pawn Ticket, the date of each Loan, and the Terms of any Renewal thereof, shall be likewise entered, and also accurate Particulars of any Gold or Silver Articles or of any Jewellery which may be taken in Pledge.
4. That false entries of any Particulars should render the Pawnbroker liable (in addition to the Fine now imposed) to forfeiture of all interest in both the Loan and the Pledge. 5. That the Governor in Council should have Power to direct Public Sales of unredeemed Pledges, excepting Articles which having regard to their Description or Value, it may not seen expedient to include. The Committee while approving of Public Sales of unredeemed Pledges, are disposed to think that the introduction of the system among the Chinese being experimental, it should be brought into force for a certain Period by Order in Council, so as to obviate the necessity of fresh Legislation in the event of it being found not to work satisfactorily.
6. That the amount of the Proceeds of every unredeemed Pledge, sold by the Pawn- broker, shall be entered in the General Book, and that the Borrower shall be entitled to inspect such Entry at any time before the forfeiture of the Surplus.
7. That Pawnbrokers be prohibited from taking unfinished Goods in Pledge.
8. That Pawnbrokers be required to affix in a conspicuous part of their Shop a Copy in
Chinese of Section XVII of Ordinance No. 3 of 1860.
9. That Section VIII of Ordinance No. 13 of 1867, (an isolated Section relating to Pawn- brokers introduced in an Ordinance relating to Naval and Victualling Stores) be repealed, and its Provisions substantially re-enacted in the Bill now under consideration. 10. That Power be given to the Governor in Council to make Orders for better carrying
out the Provisions of the Law respecting Pawnbrokers.
"In conclusion, the Committee have the honor to submit to His Excellency The Lieu- tenant-Governor a Copy, annexed to this Report, of an Amended Bill embodying the above Recommendations."
"JULIAN PAUNCEFOTE. "HUGH BOLD GIBB. "PHINEAS RYRIE."
“Council Chamber, Hongkong, the 27th day of October, 1870.”
It is then resolved that the Original Bill be withdrawn, and that the above Report, together with the amended Bill submitted by the Special Committee, be published in the Government Gazette for general information,-with a Notification to the Public, that the said amended Bill will be laid before the Legislative Council, and read a first time after the expiration of one month from
this dute.
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At the conclusion of the Proceedings, His Excellency directs a Record to be nade on to-day's Minutes of Two written Statements which had been transmitted to him by The Honorable The Chief Justice, as provided by Article VIII of Her Majesty's Instructions.
The said written Statements are as follows:-
"To His Excellency
"Major-General WHITFEILD,
Lieutenant-Governor,
fe., &c., &c.
I deemed and am of opinion that an Ordinance of which I under cover of a Letter on the 8th of August, 1870, a Draft sent to the Honorable the Colonial Secretary entituled “An Prance enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the Advice of the Legislative Council thereof, to make Provision for the more effectual Suppression of Gaming" is a Law fit to be enacted by the Legislative Council, and that it ought to be proposed for a first reading at the Legislative Council to be held on the 11th of November, 1870.
"I have in my said Letter of the 8th and in another Letter of the 15th of August last, both addressed to the Colonial Secretary, set forth at large some of the reasons upon which my
*pinion is founded.
Among my reasons for this Ordinance are shortly the following;