330
CHARITABLE FUNDS.
Tables IX and X give statements of account of the two Funds administered by this Office.
STAFF.
In connection with the Gambling Scandals the following members of the staff either resigned or were dismissed from the service :-
First Clerk, Interpreter,
Registration Clerk, Writer,.
17
17
Messenger,
Their places have been filled as follows:-
Acting First Clerk,. Interpreter,
|
Registration Clerk, Writer,..
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Messenger,
""
..C. OSMUND dismissed.
T. W. QUINCEY dismissed. Lo MAN-KAM resigned. ..IP PAK-SHAU dismissed.
YUNG KAN resigned. ...LI LONG-Pò resigned. ...KWONG CHI resigned.
.KWONG HOP resigned.
YUNG LEUNG resigned.
P. P. J. WODEHOUSE. .....Ts'oI YEUK-TSHAN.
LI KIN-CHING.
CHUNG NGOK-WAN. LI KWOK.
U HUNG-KAI,
.YUNG KWONG IP..
..CH'AN KIN PANG.
YUNG LEUNG.
The post of Assistant Registrar General was filled, from 1st January to 14th April, by Mr. A. W. BREWIN, who took up the duties of Inspector of Schools on the latter date.
The office remained vacant until July 17th, when Mr. A. SETII was appointed to do acting duty until the post was filled by the arrival of Mr. H. H. GOMPERTZ of the Straits Settlements Civil Service, who was gazetted to the substantive appointment, with effect from 4th September, 1897.
Dr. CLARK, Medical Officer of Health to the Sanitary Board, was appointed Superintendent of Statistics in the Registrar General's Office. His professional knowledge has proved of great value in compiling Mortality Statistics of this Department, and under his superintendence these statistics have become more reliable than formerly.
GENERAL.
Ordinances.
The Ordinances more particularly affecting the Chinese and this Office, which were passed during 1897, are three in number :-
No. 4 of 1897.-Vaccination (Amendment).
52
6 of 1897.-Night Passes (Amendment).
27
9 of 1897.-Women and Girls Protection (Amendment).
Ordinance 9 of 1897 consolidates the Laws relating to the Protection of Women and Girls in the Colony, while incorporating certain provisions of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 which seem to be specially applicable to local requirements.
As the powers conferred provisionally on the Registrar General by Part II of Ordinance 11 of 1890 are now made permanent, section 28 of that Ordinance is now omitted.
Section 28 (3) of the new Ordinance is intended to prevent any tampering with the inmates of the Refuge for Women and Girls.
The Regulation of Chinese Ordinance, 13 of 1888, section 30, required all Chinese out at night to be provided with Passes between 9 p.. and sunrise unless other hours were fixed by Order in Council.
I pointed out in my Annual Report last year, "quarterly passes are now issued to the extent of "fourteen or fifteen thousand, and as there is no means of detecting the transfer of these passes to persons who are not really the holders of them, there appears to be a danger of the pass becoming a "protection for, rather than a safeguard against, persons on evil bent."
t
After a full consideration of all the circumstances, it was decided so to modify section 30 of Or- dinance 13 of 1888 as to authorize the Governor to dispense with Night Passes where such a course could be adopted without prejudice to the safety and well-being of the community,-while at the same time reserving to the Governor in Council the power of enforcing the carrying of Night Passes in case of emergency.
This Ordinance was in force during almost the whole of the past year, and the Chinese have been allowed to go abroad at night without passes. The Captain Superintendent of Police reports that the new Ordinance has worked satisfactorily and has not led to that increase of crime which was anticipated in certain quarters.