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4. The cause of order and peace in the Colony has been further promoted by the passing---
i. Of an Ordinance regulating the carriage and possession of arms.
ii. Of an Ordinance enabling Government to take steps for the suppression of
the Triad and other unlawful Societies, and
iii. Of an Ordinance for the more effectual prevention of crime by placing under police supervision all criminals who are liberated from gaol before expiry of their sentence.
The necessity of the second mentioned Ordinance was strongly urged on the Government by a Commission which was appointed to enquire into Secret Societies. and which proved to what an extent these unlawful Societies existed here, and the power which they were enabled to exercise, a power which they used not only for their personal benefit, but often to the prejudice of justice by the help which they extended to criminals.
5. Closely allied to these three Ordinances is that of No. 16 of 1887 empower- ing the Courts to award whipping for certain crimes-an Ordinance which it is hoped will act as a strong and effectual deterrent, and will therefore not be often put into force.
6. The Cattle Diseases, Slaughter House, and Markets Ordinance (No. 17 of 1887) is a useful and practical piece of legislation, the object of which is to secure the Colony from the introduction of cattle plague or other infectious diseases, the better regulation of our slaughter houses, and the cleanliness and good order of our markets.
7. The Ordinances relating to the
1. Post Office,
2. Police Force,
3. Juries and Licences,
have been amended and consolidated by several Ordinances passed this session.
8. The work of the Law Revision Committee and the preparation of the revised edition of the Ordinances has been furthered by the passing of these Ordi- nances and by the Statute Law Revision Ordinance No. 4 of 1887, which finally repeals and removes from our Statute Book no less than 102 Ordinances and parts of 5 others.
9. The protection of adopted daughters and young girls has been furthered by the passing of Ordinance No. 9 of 1887.
The necessity of such an Ordinance is clearly shown by the fact that there are at present no less than 205 young girls under the protection of the Registrar General, the most of whom, if not all, would have been brought up to a life of shame and immorality, had it not been for the intervention of the authorities. It is hoped that the manner in which this Ordinance, which at first was viewed with a certain amount of apprehension on the part of the Chinese, has been worked, has removed all those fears and proved to the Chinese residents that the only object which the Government had in passing it was to put a stop to a shameful traffic and to protect those who could not protect themselves.
The Annual Reports from the several Government Departments for the year 1886 have already placed the public in possession of the necessary information regarding them, and leave me but little to say excepting to testify to the zeal, energy, capacity for work, and devotion to the public service evinced by the heads of departments and their subordinates, and which I have seldom seen equalled, certainly not surpassed, in any Colony.
The recommendations of the Police Commission have mostly been adopted or are being adopted as opportunity offers, and considering the great difficulties the Police labour under, the facilities offenders have of escape and the little assistance rendered by the Chinese public in the detection of crime or apprehension of criminals, I think we may be well satisfied that good order is on the whole so well preserved.