12071-1909-Bills-read-a-first-time--Public-Service-Transfer-of-Duties — Page 11

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, JUNE 11, 1909.

Concil

"(1.) Opium forfeited to the Crown may, unless Power to

ordered by the Governor-in-Council to be Governor-in- delivered to the Opium Farmer, be sold to order within the Colony, destroyed or otherwise opium for- disposed of as the Governor-in-Council may feited to the direct."

(b.) by the substitution in the second line of sub- section (2) of the words "the provisions of this Ordinance" for the words "the last preceding section”.

Crown to be disposed of either by sale within

the Colony

or otherwise.

14. Section 53 of the Principal Ordinance is hereby Amendment amended

of section 53 of the

(a.) by striking out in the fifth line the words Principal

"shall be paid" and by inserting in place Ordinance. thereof the words "may in the discretion Discretion in

Magistrate of the Magistrate be awarded ";

to award (6.) by the addition at the end thereof of the portion of

words" or to any other place without the fine to permission in writing of the Superintend- ent of Imports and Exports required under the provisions of section 9 (5)”.

Farmer.

Power of

Governor-in-

15. The following section is hereby added to the Principal Ordinance and shall be read at the end o thereof :---

“55. The Governor-in-Council may from time to time make rules for any of the following purposes:-

(1.) To determine the quality of prepared opium and dross opium to be sold by the Opium Farmer or Dross Farmer or their licensees.

(2.) To determine the packages and receptacles in which prepared opium and dross opium shall be sold to the public and the quantities to be contained therein,

(3.) To prescribe the books and registers to be kept by the Opium Farmer or Dross Farmer and the returns to be made by him".

make rules.

16. Form No. 3 in the Schedule to the Principal Repeal of Ordinance is hereby repealed,

Form No. 3 in Schedule

to the Irincipal Ordinance.

17. The title, the preamble and the following sections Commence- and parts of sections of this Ordinance, namely, sections ment. 1, 2 (d) definition of "Importer 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 17, shall come into operation forthwith. The remain- ing sections and parts of sections of this Ordinance shall come into operation on the first day of March, 1910.

Objects and Reasons.

The purpose of the measure is to carry into effect the instructions of the Secretary of State for the Colonies with regard to the restrictions to be placed, from the date of the expiry of the lease of the existing Farm, upon the consumption of opium in the Colony.

Opium divans are abolished (section 10), the selling of prepared opium to women and children is prohibited (section 5), and restrictions are placed upon the exporta- tion of prepared opium from the Colony (sections 3 and 7). Extended powers are also given to the Government to supervise the conduct of the Farm (sections 11 and 15).

Section 8 sub-scetion (a),--The reduction is made to meet representations made by those interested in the trade.

Section 8 sub-section (6).- The amendment is made in order to give effect to the original intentions of the Legislature as expressed, in Ordinance 10 of 1904, section 4 sub-section 12 (c).

Section 12 sub-sections (a) and (b).-These amend- ments are made because of the existing method by affix- ing notices at the place where unclaimed opium etc. is found, is often found to be impracticable.

Section 12 sub-section (c).-The amendment is made in order to remove doubts as to when opium may be said to be not in the possession of any person.

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