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discipline was kept with less trouble to the employer.
At
the present day, with the exception of the Kowloon and aikoo
Dock Companies, most of the principal employers of watchmen
get their men through the police. The system had grown to
such an extent that it seemed desirable to regulate it by
Ordinance.
3. The Ordinance and the regulations made under it are on
the whole intended to embody the formerly existing practice,
with one important exception. That exception is that in
future no unregistered person will be allowed to act as a
watchman, ind no employer will be allowed to employ an
unregistered person as watchman.
A copy of the regulations
which have been made is annexed tomthis report.
4. One point requires special explanation.
It relates to
a particular provision of the Ordinance which is a little
complicated, and which may appear rather artificial, but which
seems to be the only practical solution of the particular
problem with which it deals. Most of the watchmen supplied
and supervised by the Captain Superintendent of Police are
Indians, but there are also 50 Chinese watchmen.
There are
The other is
also from time to time watchmen of other nationalities and
Two things seem obvious: One in that the term race."watchman" must be defined widely in order to include
all the persons whom it is desired to include,
that it would be impossible for the Captain Superintendent of
Police to attempt to supply and supervise all persons of
Chinese race who are employed in the Colony in protecting
property or preventing crime or maintaining order. Accordingly
section 4. (a) of the Ordinance provides that the Ordinance
shall not apply to watchmen of Chinese race unless allowed by
the Captain Superintendent of Police to register themselves in
the Watchmen's Register established under the Ordinance.
Such Chinese registered watchmen will be subject to the