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markets elsewhere to replace those lost and have built up a considerable export trade with Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. The trade outlook appears brighter and some firms are installing new machinery and plant in anticipation of improved trade in the near future.
Dangerous Trades.—Glass making, boiler chipping and firework making. Visits of inspection have been made to all places where these trades are carried on. No breach of the ordinance has been discovered.
Building material etc. The practice of engaging children to carry coal, bricks and sand up the Peak, once so common and the subject of so much comment has almost entirely ceased. Isolated cases still occur where children are found helping their mothers but they are not now regularly employed and engaged by contractors for this work.
XII.—Legislation.
Twenty-eight ordinances were passed during 1927. The most important were the following.
The Factory (Accidents) Ordinance, No. 3, gives power to make regulations for the purpose of preventing accidents. The regulations which have been made are short and simple. In this matter it is necessary to proceed here by easy stages until Chinese public opinion has been more fully educated on the subject. In any case, the proximity of China makes it impossible to proceed too far on European lines while China lags so far behind.
The Basel Evangelical Missionary Society Incorporation Ordinance, No. 7, restores this mission to its pre-war status and position.
The Public Revenue Protection Ordinance, No. 9, provides a method of imposing or altering taxation rapidly and secretly, with the object of defeating attempts to take advantage of the old rate of taxation, or freedom from taxation, by means of accelerated clearances from bond or otherwise. It gives the Governor power to impose or alter taxation provisionally, and it provides that the taxation so imposed or altered is to be operative from the actual making of the order by the Governor. The Governor's order remains in force for only four months at most, and it ceases to be in force before that time if the proposals embodied in it are rejected by the Legislative Council. If the Governor's order is not ratified by Legislative Council any excess taxation paid has to be refunded.
The Suppression of Piracy Amendment Ordinance, No. 15, provides for the abolition of the present system by which ship owners have to give bonds binding them to provide grilles and to make certain other structural alterations of their ships, to employ guards, and to carry out certain other anti-piracy measures within certain portions of their voyages from and to Hong Kong. The system was probably necessary originally, but it has now been decided to leave the question of anti-piracy measures on board to the ship-owners themselves, and to confine the Government anti-piracy
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markets elsewhere to replace those lost and have built up a consider- able export trade with Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. The 'trade outlook appears brighter and some firms are installing new machinery and plant in anticipation of improved trade in the near future.
Dangerous Trades.-Glass making, boiler chipping and firework making. Visits of inspection have been made to all places where these trades are carried on. No breach of the ordinance has been discovered.
Building material etc. The practice of engaging children to carry coal, bricks and sand up the Peak, once so common and the subject of so much comment has almost entirely ceased. Isolated cases still occur where children are found helping their mothers but they are not now regularly employed and engaged by contractors for this work.
XII.-Legislation.
Twenty-eight ordinances were passed during 1927. The most important were the following.
The Factory (Accidents) Ordinance, No. 3, gives power to make regulations for the purpose of preventing accidents. The regulations which have been made are short and simple. In this matter it is necessary to proceed here by easy stages until Chinese public opinion has been more fully educated on the subject. In any case, the proximity of China makes it impossible to proceed too far on European lines while China lags so far behind.
The Basel Evangelical Missionary Socitey Incorporation Ordin- ance, No. 7, restores this mission to it pre-war status and position.
The Public Revenue Protection Ordinance, No. 9, provides a method of imposing or altering taxation rapidly and secretly, with the object of defeating attempts to take advantage of the old rate of taxation, or freedom from taxation, by means of accelerated clearances from bond or otherwise. It gives the Governor power to impose or alter taxation provisionally, and it provides that the taxation so imposed or altered is to be operative from the actual making of the order by the Governor. The Governor's order remains in force for only four months at most, and it ceases to be in force before that time if the proposals embodied in it are rejected by the Legislative Council. If the Governor's order is not ratified by Legislative Council any excess taxation paid has to be refunded.
The Suppression of Piracy Amendment Ordinance, No. 15. provides for the abolition of the present system by which ship owners have to give bonds binding them to provide grilles and to make certain other structural alterations of their ships, to employ guards, and to carry out certain other anti-piracy measures within certain portions of their voyages from and to Hong Kong. system was probably necessary originally, but it has now been decided to leave the question of anti-piracy measures on board to the ship- owners themselves, and to confine the Government anti-piracy
This
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