193509-1932-Supplementary-Bills-read-a-first-time--Empire-Preference-Supreme-Court-Admiralty-Procedure-Amendment-Marriage-Amendment-Divorce — Page 4

C.S.O. 1/5658/31.

1215

A BILL

INTITULED

No. 35-17.10.32.-4.]

An Ordinance to amend the Marriage Ordinance, 1875.

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- Short title. ment Ordinance, 1932.

of Ordinance

2. Sub-section (1) of section 21 of the Marriage Ordin- Amendment ance, 1875, is repealed and the following sub-section is No. 7 of substituted:

1875, s. 21.

before

(1) After the issue of a certificate by the Registrar of Marriage Marriages, or the grant of a special licence by the Governor, Registrar of the parties may, if they think fit, contract a marriage before Marriages. 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.

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 Sections 37 and 38 of the Marriage Ordinance, 1875, Substitution are repealed and the following new sections are substituted :-

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

of Ordin-

ance.

37.--(1) This Ordinance shall apply to all marriages cele- Application 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.

Marriages ander this

Ordinance

are

Christian or equivalent thereto.

1