CO129-444 - Governor Sir May & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1917 [10-12] — Page 149

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3.

Some of these boarding houses are sufficiently controlled al-

ready. For example, a number of Luropean hotels hold publican or adjunct licences under the Liquors Consolidation Ordinance, 1911. Under these licences that part of the business of the hotels which consists of the sale of intoxicating liquor is regulated, and no

further regulation of the business of duropean hotels and boarding houses seems at present to be necessary, Again, Chine se boarding houses for assisted emigrants are already sufficiently controlled

under the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, 1915. There is, however,

no appropriate form of licence, and no effective control, in the

case of Chinese hotels of the better class, Hitherto they have taken out licences under the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, but the

objects of that Ordinance are confined to preventing emigration

abuses and do not extend to the control of hotels which do not cater

for the assisted emigrant business. Some of them have also taken

out Chinese Restaurant licences under the Liquors Consolidation Ordi-

nance, 1911, but the se licences deal only with restaurant business

and are not required where akhotel or boarding house does not sell

intoxicating liquors. Again, coolie lodging houses, employees

quarters and Chinese seamen's boarding houses were formerly not sub-

ject to any effective control, except that common lodging houses, as

defined in paragraph 15 of section 6 of the Public Health and Build-

ings Ordinance, 1903, are registered under that Ordinance and are

subject to the bye-laws made thereunder. It is true that the se

bye-laws deal with questions of good order and decorum but their main

object is to secure proper sanitary conditions.

4.

In view of the above considerations it was thought advisable to

acquire powers of licensing and control over the various classes of

The Ordinance confers those

boarding houses above referred to.