189067-1932-Ordinances-passed-and-assented-to--Empire-Preference-No-32-of-1932-Supreme-Court--Admiralty-Procedure-Amendment-No-33-of-1932-Marriage-Amendment-No-34-of-1932-Divorce-No-35-of-1932 — Page 4

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THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, OCTOBER 28, 1932.

HONG

KONG.

No. 34 OF 1932.

I assent.

W. T. SOUTHORN,

L.S.

Officer Administering the Government.

28th October, 1932.

Short title.

Amendment

of Ordinance No. 7 of

1875, s. 21.

Marriage before

Marriages.

An Ordinance to amend the Marriage Ordinance, 1875.

[28th October, 1932.]

BE it enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Marriage Amend- ment Ordinance, 1932.

2. Sub-section (1) of section 21 of the Marriage Ordin- ance, 1875, is repealed and the following sub-section is substituted :-

(1) After the issue of a certificate by the Registrar of Registrar of Marriages, or the grant of a special licence by the Governor, the parties may, if they think fit, contract a marriage before the Registrar of Marriages: Provided that, before they are permitted to do so, each of the parties shall sign a written declaration in the presence of the Registrar of Marriages, which he shall witness, in Form No. 6 in the First Schedule.

Substitution for ss. 37 and 38 of Ordinance No. 7 of 1875.

Application

of Ordin-

ance.

Marriages under this Ordinance

are

Christian or equivalent thereto.

*

3. Sections 37 and 38 of the Marriage Ordinance, 1875, are repealed and the following new sections are substituted :-

37.—(1) This Ordinance shall apply to all marriages cele- brated in the Colony except non-Christian customary marriages duly celebrated according to the personal law and religion of the parties.

(2) The parties to any such customary marriage may, however, if they so desire and provided they have not living any other undivorced spouse, contract with each other a marriage under this Ordinance. In such cases the marriage under this Ordinance shall not be deemed to prejudice the previous customary marriage.

38.(1) Every marriage under this Ordinance shall be a Christian marriage or the civil equivalent of a Christian marriage.

(2) The expression "Christian marriage or the civil equivalent of a Christian marriage" implies a formal ceremony recognised by the law as involving the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

Passed the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, this 27th day of October, 1932.

R. A. C. NORTH,

Deputy Clerk of Councils.

*