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The
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Objects and Reasons are:-
The Public Lighting Ordinance
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled,
.{ An Ordinance to provide for the public lighting of the Colony, and for the protection of the appliances used in con- nection therewith.
The object of this Bill is to give power to the Supreme Court to inflict the penalty of flogging upon a male person convicted of a procuration offence under Section 4 of the Protection of Women and Girls' Ordinance, 1897. The Hongkong law does not at present provide for the infliction of this penalty in the case of a first procuration offence. The amendment is taken from
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- Section 3 of the Criminal Law Amendmented, and the Bill was read a first time. Act, 1912.
This Bill should be read together with the Magistrates Amendment Bill, 1914, and the Protection of Women and Girls' Bill, 1914, simultaneously laid before Council.
This Bill is introduced in order to bring up to the standard which exists in Great Britain the penalties in connection with procuration offences which have been made severe in consequence of the Paris Inter- national Convention of 1910 for the suppres- sion of the White Slave Traffic.
The Airships Ordinance
moved
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL the first reading of a Bill entitled, An Ordinance to amend the Airships Ordi- nance, 1912.**
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- ed, and the Bill was read a first time.
The object of this Bill is to give statutory power to enable force to be used to compel the descent of aircraft which disobey the
law.
This Bill is introduced under instructions from the Secretary of State and is modelled upon the Aerial Navigation Act, 1913.
The scheme of the Bill is that the Governor shall have power to prescribe places within which foreign aircraft coming from outside the Colony must descend and if any aircraft which without the requisite permission by the Governor makes an ascent or any foreign aircraft arriving from outside the Colony fails to comply with the published and public signals requiring it to descend then officers, designated for the purpose by regulation made by the Governor, may
use force against such aircraft so disobeying the requirements of the law.
It need hardly perhaps be pointed out that at a place such as this Colony which is of fortified character the provisions intro- duced by this Bill are highly necessary.
A
TheObjects and Reasons
are:-
The object of this Bill is to provide for the protection of public lighting appliances throughout the Colony. The existing Ordi- Ordinance, 1856, applies only to the City of nance, namely, the Victoria (Lighting) Victoria, and it has been found desirable that the provisions dealing with the protec- tion
against damage to. or improper should be extended to the whole Colony. interference with, public lighting appliances
as
As the Bill will cover rural as well urban districts, the second clause has been thrown into a permissive form.
Opportunity has also been taken to introduce some modern technical terms, and to provide that any improper interference with the light of a street lamp shall be punishable even if the light of the lamp be not actually extinguished.
The liability imposed by Section 186 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903 (No. 1 of 1903), upon the owners of the land adjoining private streets to con- tribute to the cost of providing lighting apparatus for the street is saved.
The Stamp Ordinance
THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled,
An Ordinance to amend the Stamp Ordi- nance, 1901.
וי
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- ed, and the Bill was read a first time.
11
The "Objects and Reasons' are: ----
The object of this Bill is to provide that the stamp on a receipt is to be cancelled by the person by whom tho receipt is given before he delivers it out of his hands. Under the present law there is no obligation on any one to cancel a receipt stamp. This would enable dishonest persons to use the same stamp over and over again.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Foreign Marriage Amendment
Ordinance
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill entitled "An Ordinance to amend the Foreign Marri- age Ordinance, 1902." In doing so he said--It appears from the "Objects and Reasons" that this Bill is intended to introduce here a slight alteration in our present law in order to provide machinery to be used in connection with an Order in-Council of the King-in-Council. The Foreign Marriage Act of the Imperial Parliament provides for, and regulates, the marriage of British subjects outside the British dominions. It provides for marriage districts in which marriage officers shall have power to celebrate marriages, and one of its provisions, contained in an Order-in-Council made under the Act, provides that if either of the parties intending marriage do not reside in the marriage district and cannot therefore give notice there, notice can be given in the place where he or she happens to be living. The original Order-in-Council directed that notice might be given by the absent party if he or she had been living in the Colony three weeks before marriage. An Order- in-Council has now been passed making the time one week instead of three. This Bill is intended to make the change from three weeks to one week in our local law.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second ed, and the Bill was read a second time. Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause.
On resuming,
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL reported that it had passed through Committee with slight amendment, and moved that it be read a third time.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second-
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the existing Ordinance, which has for one of its main objects the protection of the public from dangers inherent in electric installations, from fire or current, but it does not apply to installations where the current is consumed in the premises; for instance, a shop might have a plant of its own, and if it does not supply any electricity outside it is exempt from the existing law. Therefore, it is proposed to secure the safety of the public from all installations, whether supplying the out- sida public or whether the use of the installation is confined to the party who
owns it. It is obvious that it should be extended.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- ed, and the Bill was read a second time.
consider the Bill clause by clause.
Council then went into Committee to
Clause 2 was amended by the insertion, after the word " Colony in the sixth. line, of the following words: "The said regulations may be amended, varied, rescinded, revoked, suspended or added to by the Governor-in-Council (b), by renum- bering sub-clause 2 of the proposed clause 3 of the principal Ordinance as 3, and by renumbering sub-clause 3 as 4.”
The Dentistry Ordinance
HIS EXCELLENCY-The last Bill on the orders of the day (the Dentistry Ordinance) will not be proceeded with to-day. Council stands adjourned till this day fortnight.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held, the COLONIAL SECRETARY
The following votes presiding. passed.
New Territory Roads
were
ed, and the Bill was read a third time and mended the Council to vote a sum of His Excellency the Governor recom- passed.
$5,222.22, in aid of the vote Public Works. Extraordinary, New Territories, Com- munications, Roads: -
Electricity Supply Amendment Ordinance
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to amend the Electricity Supply Ordinance, 1911." In doing so he said This amending Ordinance is intend- ed to expand somewhat the principle of
(a.)-Kam Tin-Au Tau... .$ 3,500.00
e.) Train Halt to Shek Wu
Hui
(f)-Shek Wu Hui to Sheung
Shui
718.66
1.003.76
$ 5,222.42