33
on evil days.
Section 12 gives the Chinese Temples
Committee power in such cases to close the temple and to
sell its assets and transfer the proceeds to the General
Charities Fund. Before closing any temple, however,
for this reason, the Committee will have to call a
meeting of the members of the community who would be
expected to be interested in the matter.
Such meeting
might result in revived support and the temple might then
be allowed to continue.
23.
Section 13 exempts from sections 3,4,7,8,10 and 11
of the Ordinance the Chinese temples specified in the
Schedule to the Ordinance.
These are all old established
temples which were founded by families or individuals and
not by the community or sections of the community, and
their administration is unobjectionable, though the
profits do not go to the community.
As these temples are
private property, and are run for private benefit, section
13 also provides that no public collection or appeal must
be made for them except within the precincts of the
particular temple for which the collection or appeal is
being made. Section 13 also provides that the Ordinance
as a whole shall not apply to the Man Mo Temple, because
the affairs of that temple are already regulated by the
Man Mo Temple Ordinance, Ordinance No.10 of 1908.
24.
25.
Section 14 gives the ordinary powers of search.
Section 15 provides that every person who
contravenes any of the provisions of the Ordinance or of
any regulation made thereunder shall be liable to a fine
not exceeding five hundred dollars.