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Objects and Reasons.

1. This bill is one of the measures decided upon in consequence of the report of the “ Sunning Piracy Commission. It repeals the Piracy Prevention Ordi- nance, 1914, and all the regulations in force there-

under.

2. It inserts in the Suppression of Piracy Ordinance, 1868, power to make regulations for searches of vessels and persons, and any other regulations which may appear desirable for the purpose of preventing piracy. These regulations will all relate to things to be done or suffered within the territorial limits of the Colony, and the present scheme of bonds for the observance of various regulations outside the limits of the Colony will thus disappear.

3. A draft of the proposed regulations to be made under Ordinance No 1 of 1868, will be published shortly. It will be seen that they contain nothing to require the provision of grilles or any other structural arrangement in any ship.

4. The recommendations of the “Sunning" Piracy Commission relating to guards are still under consid- eration.

5. Clause 3 of the bill proposes to repeal four sec- tions in the Suppression of Piracy Ordinance, 1868. which appear to be unnecessary.. Section 7 is repealed because there is no reformatory in Hong Kong. Sec- tion 8 is repealed because the possession of arms is sufficiently dealt with by the Arnis and Ammunition Ordinancë, 1900, Ordinance No. 2 of 1900, and stink pots are now obsolete. The regulations made under this section which were published in the Gazette of the 20th August, 1870, ceased to be in force on the ∙12th April, 1915, by virtue of the provisions of section 5 (2) of the Regulations Ordinance, 1915, Ordinance No. 7 of 1915, and of the Order made under section 5 (1) of that Ordinance which was gazetted on the Ist April, 1915. No regulations have subsequently been made under section 8 of the Suppression of Piracy Ordinance, 1868. Section 9 of that Ordinance is repealed because it merely provides that all enactments. etc., inconsistent with Ordinance No. 1 of 1868 are to be of no effect. Section 10 is repealed because it merely provides that nothing in the Ordinance is to effect the jurisdiction previously exercised by the Supreme Court.

3rd September, 1927.

J. H. KEMP,,

Attorney Generai.