188
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ENCLOSURE IN No. 7.
(Extract from the Hong Kong Government Gazette No. 11 of th
No. 147.
11th March, 1927.)
Regulations made by the Governor in Council under Section 2 of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, 1922, Orilinance No. 5 of 1922, on the 10th day of March, 1927.
PROHIBITION OF MEETINGS AND PROCESSIONS.
1. It shall be lawful for the Governor in Council, by order published in the Gazette, to prohibit the holding of any meeting which, in his opinion, is likely to be conducted in a seditious or disorderly manner. or at or during which, in his opinion, seditious or disorderly utterances are likely to be made or seditious or disorderly matter is likely to be exhibited or used, or at or during which a general strike is likely to b advocated or promoted.
2. Except under and in accordance with a permit in writing from the Secretary for Chinese Affairs no meeting whatsoever shall be held on board any vessel (not being or having the status of a ship of war), or on any pier or wharf, whether public or private.
3. No person shall take part in any meeting so prohibited, and no person shall without lawful authority or excuse be present at any meeting so prohibited.
4. It shall be lawful for any police officer to use any force, and to effect any entry or boarding, which may appear to be reasonably neces sary for the purpose of preventing the holding of any meeting so prohibited, or for the purpose of dispersing any meeting so prohibited, and also to search any premises entered or vessel boarded, and to seize any thing which may appear to be evidence of any offence.
5.-(1) In any case in which he may consider that the urgency of the occasion so requires it shall be lawful for the Governor, without con- sulting the Executive Council and without publication of the order in the Gazette, to prohibit the holding or continuance of any meeting which, in his opinion, is likely to be conducted in a seditious or dis- orderly manner, or at or during which, in his opinion, seditious or disorderly matter is likely to be exhibited or used, or at or during which a general strike is likely to be advocated or promoted.
(2) It shall be lawful for any police officer to use any force, and to effect any entry or boarding, which may appear to be reasonably necessary for the purpose of preventing the holding of any meeting so prohibited, or for the purpose of dispersing any meeting so prohibited. and also to search any premises entered or vessel boarded, and to seize any thing which may appear to be evidence of any offence.
(3) Any such order may be proved in any legal proceedings by the production of a certificate under the hand of the Colonial Secretary, and judicial notice shall be taken of such signature on such certificate.
6. In these regulations,
(a)" Meeting" includes every assembly, gathering, celebration, service and ceremony, whether open to the public or not, and every procession.
"
31
means
(b) Seditious matter" has the same meaning as in the Seditious Publications Ordinance, 1914, and "seditious utterances " utterances which if reduced to writing would be seditious matter.
7. The regulations made by the Governor in Council under Section 2 of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, 1922, and published in the Gazette of the 4th March, 1927, are rescinded.
COUNCIL CHAMBER,
10th March, 1927.
D. W. TRATMAN,
Clerk of Councils.
NOTE: These regulations are in substitution for the regulations published
in the Gazette of the 4th March, 1927. Regulation 2 is now. Some minor alterations.
(.30001/27 B. [No. 5].
No. 8.
There are also
The Governor of Hong Kong to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. (Received 3rd May, 1927.)
(Secret.)
SIR,
Government House, Hong Kong, 1st April, 1927.
The events at Nanking and Shanghai have so completely over- shadowed the local situation that little worthy of report has occurred during the last two weeks. As was to be anticipated, the naval punitive operations in Bias Bay have roused the ire of extremist agitators in Canton, who charge us in their vernacular press with the destruction of 2,000 houses and the slaughter of 1,000 victims. My report on the measures taken will have already reached you and you will be aware that no casualties of any kind occurred.
2. Another example of the lying propaganda fabricated at Canton with the deliberate purpose of inflaming anti-British feeling is con- tained in the attached* translations of articles in Kwok Man San Mun of Canton of the 17th March and in the Man Kwok Yat Po of Canton of the 19th March, which give a malicious travesty of the events reported in the first paragraph of my secret despatch of the 18th March‡ as having taken place in connection with the local celebration of the second anniversary of the death of Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
3. The Seamen's Union continues its policy of trouble-making. Headed off public meetings by the measures reported in my recent despatches, it has now concentrated on the provision on board the river steamers of accommodation for "social purposes." Some of the Chinese owners have made the concession demanded; but, until it is general, the Union will not have recovered the "face" lost in the The recent set-backs (see my secret despatch of the 18th March).† British owners have refused to allot the cabin space demanded. Accordingly the crew of one of their vessels, the S.S. Kinshan, was ordered off on her arrival at Canton on the 30th March and the ship was brought to Hong Kong yesterday by a naval crew disguised as
* Not printed.
+ No. 7.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PERFIC.O.882/11
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO