ORDINANCE No. 11 OF 1844. 33
Licensing Public Houses, &c.
No. 11 of 1844 .
An Ordinance for licensing Public Houses, [ " and certain games" as amended Title.
[See Ordes, No.
4 of 18: 3 and
by Ordinance No. 7 of 1858 ] and for regulating the retail of fermented , No. 10 of 1868.]
and spirituous liquors in the Colony of Hongkong.
[ 1st May, 1844. ]
HEREAS it is expedient to provide for the licensing of public houses , and Preamble,
W promoting good order therein , and for regulating the retail of fermented , and
spirituous liquors, and preventing the illicit sale thereof in the Colony of Hongkong.
Be it therefore enacted by His Excellency the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice
of the Legislative Council thereof, that from and after the first day of July, now next
ensuing, all licenses to sell spirituous liquors hitherto granted in the Colony of
Hongkong, shall be null and void, and that if any person shall, from and after the
said first day of July, sell or dispose of by retail in any quantity, less than two gallons,
any ale, beer, or other malt liquor, or any wine, cider, ginger beer, spruce beer, brandy,
rum, or other fermented or spirituous liquor, in any house, or place, within the Colony of
Hongkong, or its dependencies, or shall permit, or suffer, any such liquors, as aforesaid
to be sold, or disposed of by retail, as aforesaid by any other person , in his, or her
house, or other place, within the said Colony, or its dependencies, without having first
obtained a license, in the manner and form hereinafter directed , every such person shall
forfeit, for every such first offence, a sum not exceeding two hundred dollars, and for
every subsequent offence a sum not exceeding four hundred dollars, together with the
costs of prosecution , in every case to be recovered in a summary manner, as hereinafter
provided, and every such person shall further upon conviction of any such offence, be
rendered incapable of holding any license to keep a public house, for the period of
three years, from the time of such conviction. Provided always , that nothing in this Not to extend to
apothecaries.
Ordinance shall be deemed , or taken to extend, or apply to any person, practising as
an apothecary, or druggist, who may administer, or sell any of the liquors before
mentioned as medicines , or for medicinal purposes . [ Amended by Ordinance No. 4 of
1853.]
2. And be it further enacted , that every license, granted for selling and retailing Licenses to le
valid forone year.
liquors as aforesaid , under the provisions of this Ordinance, shall be valid for one year,
from the granting of the certificate hereinafter mentioned, and no longer. [ Amended
by Ordinance No. 10 of 1868. ]
3. And for the better preventing the granting licenses to unfit or improper persons, Forms to be
observed by
be it further enacted, that every person, desirous of obtaining a license for keeping a persons applying
for licenses.
public house, under the provisions of this Ordinance, or of obtaining the renewal of a
license before granted, shall ten days before the day, on which his application is to be
taken in consideration , deliver to the Chief Magistrate of Police, a notice in writing,
of his, or her intention to apply for such license, and that in every such notice, there
shall be contained a full description of the house proposed to be licensed, with a
statement of the applicant's trade or calling, and situation in life, and whether married,