112139-1927-Supplementary-Draft-Bills--Watchmen — Page 4

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men supplied and supervised by the Captain Superinteu- dent of Police are Indians, but there are also 50 Chinese watchmen. There are also from time to time watchmen of other nationalities and race. Two things seem obvious. One is that the term "watchman " must be defined widely in order to include all the persons whom it is desired to include. The other is that it would be impossi- ble for the Captain Superintendent of Police to attempt to supply and supervise all persons of Chinese race who are employed in the Colony in protecting property or prevent- ing crime or maintaining order, and it would also be undesirable. Accordingly section 4 (d) of the Ordinance provides that the Ordinance shall not apply to persons of Chinese race unless allowed by the Captain Superintendent of Police to register themselves in the Watchmen's Register established under the Ordinance. Snch Chinese registered watchmen will be subject to the Ordinance and regulations generally, but it will be no offence for an unregistered Chinese watchman to act as such, and it will be no offence for an employer to employ an unregistered Chinese person as a watchiman.

4. The other point which requires special explanation refers to ship's guards. At present the employment of ship's guards is compulsory for all ships which come within the scope of the Piracy Prevention Ordinance, 1914 These guards have to be obtained from the Captain Superintendent of Police and they are supervised by him and are paid through him. That Ordinance is about to be repealed, and the present system under which shipowners enter into bonds binding them to employ guards and to comply with various other provisions will soon come to an end. When that repeal takes place there will be no obligation on shipowners under the laws relating to pracy obliging them to employ ship's guards. There will also be nothing in the present Ordinance or the regulations to be made under it which will require shipowners to employ ship's guards, but if they do employ ship's guards within the Colony, they will have to obtam them from the Captain Superintendent of Police. The ship's guards sapplied will, however, in future be entirely under the control of the shipowner who employs them, and they will not be under the supervision of the Captain Superinten- dent of Police, and will not be paid through him. The Captain Superintendent of Police will still have one hold over these ship's guards because he will be able to remove an undesirable person from the Watchmen's Register, and the effect of that will be that a man can no longer he employed as a ship's guard. He will also be able, as a less drastic measure, to remove a ship's guard from any particular employment upon supplying a substitute if the shipowner desires one. Ship's guards will also have to carry a licence book and badge.

supplied by the Captain engaged by the month, but They are referred to in

5. Most of the watchmen Superintendent of Folice are some are engaged by the day. the Ordinance and regulations under the term "casual watchmen", which is defiued in section 2 as meaning a watchman engaged at a daily rate.

6. A ship's guard is defined in section 2 as meaning a person employed on any vessel as a watchman, other than a casual watchman. The ordinary ship's guard will not be under the supervision of the Captain Superintendent of Police, because there is a strong objection to dual control in the case of persons employed on board ship, but this objection does not apply to casual watchmen, who do not go to sea but who are employed in the harbour as watchmen in the more limite t sense of the term.

7. Section 3 of the Ordinance gives the Governor in Council power to make regulations.