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345
2.
"fit for unlawful purpose, with intent to use the same for any unlawful purpose, or such unlawful purpose, who shall be unable to give a satisfactory account of his possession thereof, shall be liable to a penalty of not more than £10, or in the discretion of the presiding Magistrate to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding 14 days."
From these Sections it will be seen that any Chinaman possessing arms may carry arms, and as the pass system does not extend beyond the City of Victoria, there is no enactment preventing the carrying of arms by Chinamen outside the City.
The Peace Preservation Ordinance of 1887, in Sections 3 and 4, enact that:
A Chinese person shall not have or carry any arms, save as authorised by the Governor in Council.
The Governor in Council may from time to time at discretion grant to any Chinese persons licences to have or carry arms subject to such conditions to be specified in the licence as to the Governor in Council may seem fit, and may from time to time at discretion revoke any such licence.
4. Any person having or carrying or reasonably suspected of having or carrying any arms in contravention of this Ordinance may be arrested without warrant by any Police Officer, and, as soon as reasonably can be, conveyed before a Magistrate in order to his being dealt with according to law.
But this Ordinance expired on the 1st April 1888.
I would propose to re-enact these, as far as the carrying of arms is concerned, with Section 12 of Cap 14 of 1845, which will be sufficient.
With respect to the trade in arms and possession of arms and the storage by traders, there is no law.
The Merchant Shipping Consolidation Amendment Ordinance of 1879 forbids any one keeping a larger quantity than 15 catties of gunpowder in his house, store, or godown, but as this provision is hidden away in a Shipping Ordinance, I doubt if its provisions are strictly carried out or attended to.
If it be deemed necessary to place some control on the trade and storage of arms, I would propose that all importers and dealers in arms do furnish the Captain Superintending of Police once a month with a list of