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on behalf of the owner as he shall think proper and subject to any conditions or not and the receipt of such person shall be a valid and effectual discharge for the same in the same manner as if payment had been made to the owner.

Memorandum,

The object of this Bill is to simplify the machinery pro- vided by the Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance, 1900, în the case of land resumed for public purposes which is under the value of $500.

A power of entry before resumption is given in the case of all lands resumed under this and the Principal Ordinance and provision is made for the payment of compensation in case of an absent owner,

W. REES DAVIES, Attorney General.

Short title and

construction.

Substitutes a section for section 32

of the

Principal Ordinance.

Custody of adopted girl, etc.

A BILL

ENTITLED

An Ordinance to amend the Protection of

Women and Girls Ordinance, 1897.

Be it enacted by the Governor of Hougkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Protection of Women and Girls Amendment Ordinance, 1910, and sball be read and construed as one with the Protection of Women and Girls Ordinance, 1897, hereinafter called "the Principal Ordinance ”.

2. Section 3 of the Principal Ordinance is hereby repealed and the following is substituted therefor :—

32. No parent or person acting in the place of a parent who has voluntarily parted with a girl for the purpose of adoption into another family or who has received money for parting with the custody of such girl for any purpose shall be deemed to be entitled as of right to the custody of such girl as her parent or as the person acting in the place of her parent, and the legal guardianship of such girl shall be vested in the Registrar General who may take such action as he thinks best to secure her welfare, and he may require any person in whose charge he shall place the girl to enter into a bond with one or more sureties to treat the girl well and to produce her before him whenever he shall so require.

In case it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the Registrar General that any girl has not been treated properly by the person in whose charge she is and that she is unwilling to continue to remain in his charge, it shall be lawful for the Registrar General to call upon such person to produce proof to the satisfaction of the Registrar General that he is the legal guardian of the girl, and failing the production of such proof the Registrar General shall be deemed to be her legal guardian.”

Memorandum,

This Bill amends the Protection of Women and Girls Ordinance, 1897, by constituting the Registrar General the legal guardian of a girl in cases where the girl has been parted with by the parent for the purpose of adoption or for money.

W. REES DAVIES,

Attorney General.

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