ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHAMBERS,
Hong Kong, 14th July,.....1934.
REPORT ON ORDINANCE No......17..........of 193 4
4
I have examined the accompanying Ordinance. intituled an
Ordinance to amend the Summary Offences Ordinances, 1932,
and am of opinion that it is one which is not contrary to
the Governor's instructions.
2. Section 24(1) of the old Regulation of Chinese Or-
dinance, No.3 of 1888, prohibited (except under permit)
the erection of inflammable structures in the City of
Victoria and in villages, but by sub-section (2) excepted
funeral scaffolds from this prohibition.
The exception appears to have been forgotten when
this and other provisions of the said Ordinance were re-
pealed by the Law Revision Ordinance, 1930, with the result
that all such structures then came within the provisions of
section 9 of the Summary Offences Ordinance, 1845, as amended
by the Summary Offences Amendment Ordinance, 1924, which
forbade their construction and maintenance except under
licence or permit. Section 9 of the new Summary Offences
Ordinance, 1932, re-enacted this prohibition.
3. The object of the amendment effected by the present
Ordinance is to restore to Chinese funeral scaffolds the
immunity in respect of licensing which they enjoyed prior