HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
MINUTES.
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The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 20th January, 1949, were confirmed.
OATHS.
THE HON. B. C. K. HAWKINS, 0.B.E., took the Oath of Allegiance and assumed his seat as a Member of the Council.
PAPERS.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid upon the table the following papers :—
Annual Report for the Director of Supplies, Trade and Industry
for the year 1947-1948.
Annual Report on Exchange Control for the year 1947-1948. Annual Report of the District Office, New Territories, for the
year 1947-1948.
Sessional Papers, 1949:-
No. 2-Report of the War Damaged Sites Committee. Report to the Director General of Colonial Audit on the Financial Operations and Accounting Methods of the Supplies, Trade and Industries Department, Hong Kong.
Memorandum by the Financial Secretary on the Report to the Director General, Colonial Audit, on the Financial and Accounting Methods of the Supplies, Trade and Industry Department.
MAGISTRATES (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1949.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Magistrates Ordinance, 1932." He said Sir, the Bill before Council is designed to provide for substantial and important amendments to the Magistrates Ordinance, 1932, the principal Ordinance. For this reason the Bill is accompanied by substantial Objects and Reasons which are very fully descriptive of the contents of the Bill. For this reason it is unnecessary that should detain Council by a full discussion of the Bill. It will suffice, I think, if I indicate to Council the Bill's more prominent features.
The Bill, by clause 3, provides for the appointment of two types of magistrate, a permanent and a special. The clause can perpetuate, in the case of permanent magistrates who are all professional officers, the enhanced powers which have been exercisable and have been exercised by magistrates since the restoration of Civil Government. It has been found by experience that such enhanced powers can properly be exercised by magistrates and, Sir, it is found that it is essential that they should continue to exercise enhanced powers, otherwise it will entail that further work will fall to the Supreme Court and to Juries.
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