17621-1910-Supplementary-Bills-read-a-first-time--Lepers — Page 1

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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

No. S. 148. The following Bills were read a first time at a Meeting of the Council held on the 4th August, 1910:-

Short title.

Governor-in-

establish

A BILL

ENTITLED

An Ordinance to provide for the segregation and

treatment of lepers.

Be it emneted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Conneil thereof, as follows:--

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Lepers Ordinance,

1910.

2. It shall be lawful for the Governor-in-Commeil from Council may time to time to appoint any such place as he shall think fit to be a leper asylum for the segregation and treatment of lepers; and every such leper asylum shall comprise such area as the Governor shall from time to time define by Proclamation published in the Gazette.

leper asylumns.

Provision as to existing leper hospital or asylum.

Lepers may build separate dwellings for their

own use.

Duty of per- sons to give information of existence of lopers.

Penalty.

Inquiry int cases of leprosy.

Power of Governor to order lepers to be reinov.

ed to and detained in asylum.

3. The place now and heretofore known as the leper settlement situate at An Tau, shall be deemed to be a leper asylum established under the provisions of this Ordinance, and all nets heretofore done and suffered with regard to lepers and the segregation, support, and treatment of lepers in the said leper settlement shall be deemed to have been done and suffered in accordance with law.

4. Any person detained as a leper in a leper asylum may by the special permission of the Governor erect or cause to be erected for himself a dwelling house at his own proper expense within the limits of the leper asylum in which he is detained subject to such conditions as to plan, site, drainage, and otherwise as the Governor shall srem fit.

5. It shall be the duty of every person having knowledge of a leper or a person reasonably suspected of being a leper in any place outside the limits of any leper asylum to give information thereof to the Government Medical Offeer residing nearest to the village or place in which such leper or suspected leper resides or is found, and such medica! officer shall forthwith report the same to the Principal Civil Medical Officer.

6. Every person wilfully neglecting to give such information as aforesaid, and every medical officer wilfully neglecting to report the same as aforesaid, shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on conviction for each such offence to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars.

7. On the receipt of such report as aforesaid the Principal Civil Medical Officer shall forthwith forward such report to the Colonial Secretary for the information of the Governor, and such inspection and examination of the alleged leper shall be held and such report made thereon as the Governor shall order, or as shall be from time to time prescribed by such general regulations in that behalf as shall from time to time be made under section 13 of this Ordinance.

8. After such inspection, examination, and report as aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the Governor, if he shall think fit, to order the leper or alleged leper to be removed to and detained in a leper asylum. Provided always that no person shall be removed to or detained in a leper asylum unless he has first been certified to be suffering from the disease of leprosy by two qualified medical practitioners. one of whom shall be either the Principal Civil Medical Officer of the Colony or a medical practitioner appointed. by the Governor, by writing under the band of the Colonial Secretary, to inquire into eases of suspected leprosy for the purposes of this Ordinance.

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