?
COPY.
Hon. Registrar-General,
0 1.320
RECE 22 APR
Section 16 of the Straits Principal-Ordinance is
or closely corresponds with section 15 of ours (No. 47 of 1911).
The Straits people in their amending Ordinance have inserted references to seals and lists of members: there is no reason why
Hongkong should follow suit. When a man is arrested in the
Colony and found in possession of the seals and/or a list of
members of a society I should imagine that any common sense
magistrate would presume until the contrary was proved that the
person arrested was a member of the society. The Straits section 16A (1) as amended is no stronger really (though apparently it
is intended to be) than the last 3 lines of our section 15 (1).
The Straits section 16A (2) amounts practically to our sections
12(1) and 15 (1). With regard to the Straits section 17 as amend-
-ed I do not think we would be wise in following their example.
Our section 16 is sufficient and the amendment would result I
think in much opposition. I prefer our sections 18 and 19 to the
Straits 17A and B. I think it desirable that rights of forcible
entry should not be extended beyond Magistrates, Justices of the
Peace and Police. In short the new Straits Ordinance contains no-
thing which renders an amendment of ours desirable.
(Sd.) C. G. Alabaster,
Acting Attorney-General.
30th. December, 1911.