PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
PEPIC.O. 882
61
Appendix No. 6.
REPORT ON THE VILLAGE COMMUNITIES ORDINANCE OF CEYLON, No. 24 or 1889. We have considered in detail the Ordinance relating to Village Communities, as printed in the authorised revised edition of the Ordinances of the Government of Ceylon, and we believe that in principle it is admirably adapted for the village communities of China, that it would be quite suitable if adopted en bloc, with the exception of those small portions dealing with circumstances peculiar to Ceylon, the necessary modifica tions being made afterwards as experience showed their necessity. We think, however, that the limits of the jurisdiction granted to village tribunals may be greatly enlarged without any fear of injustice or oppression. The Chinese have been accustomed for centuries to a very extended system of local government, the Imperial officers confining their attention almost solely to the collection of revenue and to the suppression of armed piracy and brigandage. There is never any attempt to deal with individual crimes unless complaint is made, and on account of the extensive and universal corruption of the official class and the consequent suspicion and distrust on the part of the people, complaints are rare, and it is in this way that the village tribunals of China have acquired the very wide powers which they now exercise both in civil and criminal cases, and the village communities a thorough training in local government.
Where the
We recommend that in civil cases the village tribunals be given authority to hear cases in which the debt, &c., does not exceed 100 dollars, and also all actions in which the title to land, &c., which is in dispute does not exceed 200 to 300 dollars consent of both parties is obtained, the limit might be raised to 500 or 1,000 dollars. These powers, large compared with those of the village tribunals in Ceylon, may still be safely granted. There is ample provision for a dissatisfied party to obtain redress in the leave granted to appeal to the Government Agent in the first instance, and ulti- mately to the Governor in Council.
At present the shan-sz (gentry) and elders of a Chinese village are in the habit of settling disputes about property the value of which is much in excess of 300 dollars, and we believe that the village tribunals will be able to deal with such questions to the satis- faction of all parties, and far better and at very much less expense than if the case were heard in one of the ordinary courts of law.
As regards debts, &c., Chinese are in the habit of borrowing what are, considering the rate of wages, &c., in China, very large sums for the burial of their dead and for the marriage of their children, and these debts, mostly contracted in a peculiar way, viz., by money loan associations, can be better proved in a village tribunal than elsewhere.
In criminal cases we recommend that the village tribunals be given power to flog on the breech with the rattan up to from six to a dozen strokes. At the present the village tribunals flog up to a very large number of strokes, but the flogging does not compare in. severity to those administered by Europeans in Hong Kong. As a summary punish- ment this flogging is very effective, as there is much disgrace attached to it, and as it is not accompanied with any serious cruelty.
We suggest below certain minor modifications.
Section 3.-" Natives" shall mean all Chinese by descent, and shall not include those whose father is non-Chinese. We wish the ordinary Eurasians not to be entitled to the benefit of this Ordinance. Neither by association nor training are they fitted to be placed in the same class as the ordinary Chinese on the mainland and under the same institutions.
Section 6 (10).—-Omit.
Section 6 (20)-Omit, but insert some provision by which the villages may regulate or prohibit the sale of European wines and spirits.
small.
Section 14-Fifteen days' notice will be quite sufficient, as the new territory is
Section 16. For six men substitute five men. voting..
An odd number is preferable for
Section 23-For police headmen substitute police, including tipó and kangfú. Section 28 is dealt with above.
Section 20 may be omitted.
Section 30.-We do not think that the unanimous opinion of the Councillors should be over-ruled by the president, and recommend that if the councillors differ the presi- dent should decide: but that, if the councillors are unanimous, the president should give effect to their verdict.
Tai po taai
100
P.
Kau lung taai.
350
Au tau
60
H.
Sham shui po
1,500
Tseung Kwan o
150
P.
Pak shui leong
20
Yan u wan
100
H.
Cheung sha wan
500
Ping long wan
150
H.
Keo pa kang
300
Hang hau
80
H.
Kwai chung
400
Mang kung uk
350
H.
Teun wan kai
500
Tui hang hạn
120
H.
Sz tiu kok
30
Blang sz wan
120
P.
Mok min ha
*400
Ha jang
U hop wan
Fat tong
200
Teun wan wai
400
60
H.
Wo li kiap
80
DAR
Tai wo ...
250
Po toi o
60
Tai lam chung
400
Kun tong
60
Chan lung
200
Kau lung
1,200
P.
Lin fa ti
300
Kau lung tong
250
H.
Un tan
80
Nga tain long
120
P.
So kun fat
600
Nga tain
150
P.
Sam tung muk
400
Ta ku ling
150
H.
Sam pi chan
400
Chuk ün
Po kong
80
P.
Shek wai kok
400
80
P.
Ha kai chung
400
Tai om
50
P.
Tan chong
400
Un ling
200
P.
Kan wo kang
400
Ngan shi wan
600
H.
Lai chi kok
400
Tsing lan shu
450
H.
Shing mun
120
Ngan tau kok
200
H.
Lam fong to
140
IIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHH,PPPPPPPIP
H.
Bha po
300
Ma tau
220
P.
54 villages
15,030
ISLANDS.
Island.
Name of Village. Population. People.
Island.
Name of Villages. Population. People.
Tsing i
Tsing i
400
H.
Lan tao
I o
...
Ma wan
Lan-tao
Ma wan
400
19
Shek sen
I tatin...
10
"
Shek pik
Tai tatin
10
要
19
Tong fuk
Kai shek
10
Shui hou
"
"
#4
Toing ohon
10
31
Pui o ...
300
Kong shun au
10
脊索
"
Tai long
100
"
Yam o
20
Chai li shek
*
19
Tung ip hang
10
"
Sup long
Sham shui kok
30
"
11
Ma tong tar
Tai ho
100
H.
"
19
Mai wo
"
Pak mong
100
H.
}}}
Ma wan
50
H.
"
11
"
Pa mi...
80
H.
Kak hoi
Tai pak
I pak
...
*
Ling pi
1,000
H. I'.
Ping chau...
Ping chan
600
静
Shok mun hap
30
H.
Cheung chau
Cheung chan
5,000
Nim un
50
H.
Lamma
"
Yung thu wan
250
11
Shek lou pu .......
150
H.
Luk chon
Ngao au
150
H.
"t
Lung ching hap
80
H.
ད མ ད
Lo su shing
Sha lou wau ...
200
H.
99
"
Pak shek hang
50
H.
Tung o
Total villages, 43 13,720
គននខ្លួនគ្នននននននន ន
150
P. T.
H.
H.
B.
H
H.
H.
H.
T.
T.
P. T.
P. T.
HREE
H.
H.
H.
H.
Tal o
***
3,000
P. T.
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