CO129-504-15 Various ordinances 4-4-1927 - 29-11-1927 — Page 79

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weather.

It appears, however, that these powers apply only

when the merchant ship in question is in a port of the Colony,

so far as the port of Victoria is concerned,

and, therefore

they do not extend beyond the harbour limits. Table W in the

Schedule to the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, makes Victoria

Harbour a port of the Colony, and section 39 B (7) of the Inter-

pretation Ordinance, 1911, gives the boundaries of the Harbour

of Victoria.

Broadly speaking, those boundaries, as at present

laid down, exclude everything east of a straight line drawn from

North Point to Kowloon City, and they also exclude a large part

of the area between Stonecutters Island and the mainland. It

has been found in practice that ships anchoring to the eastward

of the eastern boundary of the harbour, being outside the harbour

limits and thus not being bound to obey orders issued by the

Harbour Master under section 22 (5) of the Merchant Shipping

sometimes fail in typhoon weather to raise steam or

Such ships sometimes drag

Ordinance,

take other necessary precautions.

on the

their anchors down to the westward into the harbour limits and

thus constitute a very grave danger to ships within the harbour

limits which have taken all precautions in accordance with the

orders of the Harbour Master. For this purpose, if forno other,

it is essential that the authority of the Harbour Master should

extend to the natural boundary of the harbour on the eastward,

i.e., to Lyemun Pass. The definition substituted by section

5 of this Ordinance extends the harbour to Lyemun Pass

eastward, and also includes the area north of Stonecutters

Island above referred to. This amendment is desirable also for

the purposes of section 39 (18) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance

which gives the Harbour Master certain powers over junks, lighters,

cargo boats and small craft. The words "unless any other

harbour is expressly indicated" were omitted in reliance on the

opening words of section 39 of the Interpretation Ordinance, 1911.