Directory_and_Chronicle_1932 — Page 286

CHINESE EMIGRATION IN BRITISH SHIPS

Under the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, 1915, any vessel clearing with more than twenty Asiatics on a voyage of more than seven days' duration is a Chinese passenger ship.

Part II of this Ordinance provides certain regulations relating to the duties and obligations of the master of an emigrant ship arriving in the waters of the Colony and reads as follows:

6. The master of every ship arriving within the waters of the Colony with more than 20 emigrants on board or intended for carrying from the Colony more than twenty emigrants shall, within twenty-four hours from the arrival of his ship, report such arrival to the Emigration Officer.

7. The owners or charterers of any emigrant ship about to proceed ou any voyage, or, if they are absent, their respective agents, shall, as soon as such ship is laid on for the conveyance of emigrants, give notice in writing of the fact to the Emigration Officer specifying in such notice the name, destina- tion, and probable time of departure of such ship.

8. (1) No emigrant ship shall clear out or proceed to sea on any voyage without a certificate from the Emigration Officer.

(2) Such certificate shall be in the form required by the Act or, in the case of ship under a special licensc, in the form contained in the First Schedule.

9 No emigrant ship shall clear out or proceed to sea on any voyage and the Emigration Officer shall not grant the certificate unless the master of such ship is provided with a licence under the hand of the Governor and the public seal of the Colony or under the hand or seal of an Emigration Officer, to be obtained in manner hereinafter mentioned.

10. (1) A licence granted under the provisions of this Ordinance may be:

(u) a general licence granted under section 15;

(b) a special licence granted under section 14;

(c)

an outport licence granted under section 12.

(2) Such licences shall be in the respective forms contained in the Eleventh Schedule.

11. Whenever any emigrant ship is about to proceed to sea from the Colony on any long or short voyage, the owners or charterers of such ship, or, if they are absent from the Colony, their respective agents, shall, before such ship is laid on for the conveyance of emigrants, apply in writing to the Colonial Secretary for a licence under the hand of the Governor and the public seal of the Colony for the conveyance of such emigrants.

12. Whenever any outport emigrant ship, which is not provided with a licence covering her intended voyage, is about to proceed with emigrants from any port in China, or within one hundred miles of the coast thereof, other than a port in the Colony of Hongkong, on any short voyage, the owners or charterers of such ship, or, if they are absent, their respective agents, shall, before such ship is laid on for the conveyance of emigrants, apply in writing to the Emigration Officer at such port for a licence under his hand and seal for the conveyance of such emigrants on the intended voyages only.

13. The Governor may grant to any vessel a general licence for any period, or for any number of voyages or for voyages between any specified ports.

14. The Governor may grant a special licence for any period not exceeding twelve months, or for any number of voyages to be performed within twelve months, between any specified ports, to any ship which is being regularly employed in the coveyance of public mails under contract with the government of the state or colony for which such mails are carried, or to any other ship which is approved by the Governor as a 1st class ship.