564
Short title,
Board for determination
of claims by squatters to
leases.
Chairman
No. 5 of 1890.
SQUATTERS.
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Squatters Ordinance, 1890.
2. Claims by squatters to leases from the Crown shall, subject to the provisions of this Ordinance, be heard and determined by a Board, (hereinafter referred to as the Board) which shall consist of one of the judges, the Director of Public Works and the Secretary for Chinese Affairs and one other person to be from time to time appointed by the Governor.
3. (1) The judge shall be the chairman of the Board, and a quorum three members thereof shall form a quorum.
of Board.
Powers of Board.
Report in favour of claim by Director:
(2) In the case of an equal division of opinion the chairman shall have a casting vote.
(3) There shall be a secretary to the Board, to be appointed by the Governor, whose duty it shall be to keep a record of all proceedings and decisions of the Board, to receive all claims and communications to the Board, and to issue all orders and directions of the Board.
4. The Board shall have the following powers:--
(1) to determine within what time claims to leases in any specified village or district shall be presented to the Board, and in what form and manner such claims are to be presented;
(2) to cause to be notified in any village or district in which land is occupied by squatters, and in such manner as the Board may direct, notice of the time within which claims to such land must be made, and the form and manner of making such claims; and
(3) to fix the dates and times and places for the hearing of such claims to leases, and to cause notice of such dates and times and places to be notified to claimants in such manner as the Board may direct.
5. If in any case it appears to the Director of Public Works before the hearing, that a lease can be granted to any claimant without further investigation, he shall report the same to the Board accordingly, and in such case it shall not be necessary for the claimant or his witnesses to appear before the Board, unless the Board so orders.
Further powers of Board for hearing of claims.
6.--(1) For the purpose of the hearing of any claim to a lease, the Board shall have powers similar to those vested in the Supreme Court on the occasion of any action in respect of the following matters; namely,
* As amended by Law Rev. Ord., 1923,
[The rest of the text appears to be corrupted and is not in English, so it will not be corrected.]