542
No. 9 of 1897.
VAGRANCY.
Liability of owner, etc., in absence of ship-master.
Recovery of costs and charges.
Evidence in proceeding under the Ordinance.
Arrest of vagrant without warrant.
no money or compensation in respect of such person's passage is paid or received.
23. In the absence of the master of a ship, or if such master departs from the Colony before repaying such costs and charges as are mentioned in sections 21 and 22, the owner, agent, and consignee of such ship at the time the person landed, or, in the case of a seaman discharged or left behind, at the time of such discharge or of his being so left behind, shall be liable to repay such costs and charges to the Government.
24. Such costs and charges shall be recoverable by action as if an express agreement to repay them had been entered into with the Colonial Secretary by the person, firm, company, association, body, master, owner, agent, or consignee chargeable.
25. (1) In any proceeding under this Ordinance, a certified copy of the declaration of the magistrate shall be primâ facie evidence that the person therein referred to was a vagrant from the date of such declaration, and also from any earlier date in such declaration mentioned as that from which, in the magistrate's opinion, such person has been a vagrant.
(2) As regards costs and charges incurred by the Colony on behalf of a destitute person or of a vagrant, the following documents shall be primâ facie evidence that they have been incurred
(a) as regards hospital charges, a written statement signed or purporting to be signed by the Director of Medical Services; and
(b) as regards other costs and charges, including those of removal, if any, a written statement thereof signed or purporting to be signed by the Colonial Secretary.
26. Any person, being apparently a vagrant, who refuses or fails to accompany a police officer to or to appear before a magistrate when required to do so for the purposes of this Ordinance may be arrested without warrant, and shall upon summary conviction be liable to imprisonment for any term not exceeding one month.