Report
37
*An Ordinance (No.42 of 1912) to provide punishment for certain
persons found guilty of adultery or of harbouring Chinese
Married Women,"
1. The object of this Ordinance is to provide some penalty
for (and, by providing a penalty, to prevent as far as may
be) cases in which a Chinese married woman is guilty of de-
liberate adultery with a paramour. Such a practice is un-
love
fortunately not known and there exist at present ne regular
means either for the husband to obtain redress or for the
punishing of the adulterous parties.
2. The Ordinance prescribes punishment for both the erring
wife and her paramour and provides for the payment of com-
pensation by the paramour to the wronged husband with whom
alone, however, lies the right and power of taking precee-
dings in connection with the jury dene to him.
3. With the Ordinance are conveniently welded the provisions
of the two existing Ordinances which already touched the
fringe of this question by making it illegal te harbour er
receive a Chinese married woman whe had left her husband
for ne proper cause.
4. Bection 1 is formal.
Section 2 defines what is meant by a woman married accor-
ding to the laws and customs of China. This definition has
already been employed in the local legislation.
5. Section 3 prescribes a penalty upon a person whe commits
adultery with, Chinese married woman: secondly it prescribes
a
a
A
a penalty for Chinese married woman who commits adultery: thirdly it lays it down that preceedings can only be brough} by the husband of the woman who has committed adultery, this limitation being taken from continental practice which appears to be suitably applicable locally.
6. Section 4 of the Ordinance re-enacts subsection (1) of
section 2 of the Magistrates Amendment Ordinance 1903 as