ORDINANCE No. 21 OF 1844.
Salt, Opium Licensing &c.
being duly paid after conviction the same shall be levied by distress in the usual manner on the offender's goods and chattels and if there be no sufficient distress every such offender shall be liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six calendar months.
5. And be it further enacted and ordained that it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Governor in Council from time to time to make such further regulations or orders as to him shall seem fit, respecting the weighing or vending of salt or opium, bhaang, ganja, paun, betel and betel-leaf, with a power to enforce the same by such penalties as shall seem expedient, provided always that such penalties shall not exceed those hereinbefore imposed.
6. And be it further enacted and ordained that it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Governor with the advice of the said Council to make hereafter all such rules and regulations as to him may seem expedient concerning the farming, selling and retailing of bhaang, ganja, paun, betel and betel-leaf, and that in the making and enforcing of such rules and regulations he shall be vested with all and singular the powers and authority hereby vested in him with respect to the farming, selling and retailing of opium.
7. And be it further enacted and ordained that no person shall exercise or carry on the trade or occupation of a pawnbroker or of an auctioneer or shall keep a public billiard table without having previously obtained a licence from the Governor for the time being in Council, which licence shall endure for the space of one year from the date thereof; provided always that every person taking out a pawnbroker's or an auctioneer's licence or licence for a public billiard table shall pay into the Colonial Treasury such sums as to His Excellency the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council may seem fit, the said sums to be paid previous to the granting of such licence or licences.
8. And be it further enacted and ordained that if any person shall without having obtained such licence as aforesaid carry on or exercise the trade or occupation of a pawnbroker or auctioneer or keep a public billiard table, or either or any of them, or shall be convicted of exposing for sale or putting up anything whatever to public auction or of taking anything whatever in pawn, he shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars, to be recovered in a summary manner before any Police Magistrate, and in default of payment the same to be levied by distress of his goods and chattels.
9. And be it further enacted and ordained that the Governor in Council, if he see fit, shall be empowered to levy an auction duty of two-and-a-half per cent on all sales by auction within this Colony.
10. And be it further enacted and ordained that every person who shall act as an auctioneer in the said Colony shall make and give at the office of the Colonial Secretary once in every three months a faithful and true return on oath of all the sums received at sales made by him as auctioneer within the said three months, and that
Page 107
Power to Governor in Council to make regulations from time to time.
Power to Governor in Council to make like regulations for the farming, selling and retailing of bhaang, ganja, paun, betel and betel-leaf as for opium.
No person to act as pawnbroker, auctioneer or keep public billiard table without licence.
Penalty $200.
Auction duty of 2½ per cent.
Auctioneer to make quarterly returns on oath and deduct auction duties.