212881-1934-Supplementary-Bill-read-a-first-time--Births-and-Deaths-Registration — Page 19

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Objects and Reasons.

1. This Ordinance repeals the Ordinances relating to the Registration of Births and Deaths and re-enacts them in a consolidated form with certain amendments more particularly set out in the Table of Correspondence.

2. The principal changes in the law effected by this Ordinance are :-

(1) Appointments of deputy and assistant registrars will be made by the Governor instead of by the Registrar of Births and Deaths (section 3 (3)).

(2) Any birth or death and not merely, as heretofore, only the births or deaths of Chinese, may be registered in a district register office (section 4).

(3) Certified copies of entries in the district registers will be sent once a month to the General Register Office where they will be preserved for record (sections 3 (1) and 5).

(4) The title of the Registrar of Births and Deaths is changed to Registrar General of Births and Deaths (section 2),

(5) Information as to births must be given within 14 days instead of within 7 days or 42 days under the correspond- ing sections of the repealed Ordinance (sections 7 and 8).

(6) No fee is charged for registration (section 9).

(7) As hitherto births are not to be registered after the expiration of twelve months except with consent of the Registrar General. Under the repealed Ordinances (No. 7 of 1896, s. 10, as amended by No. 26 of 1931) the fee for such late registration was five dollars. Under the new Ordinance no fee will be charged (section 9 (3)).

(8) Any person obtaining registration of the birth of a child will be entitled to a free certificate of the birth (section 9 (4)). It is hoped that this provision as well as the others mentioned above will encourage the registration of Births especially in the New Territories.

(9) Registrations more than 14 days after birth are made in a special Post Register book (sections 4 (3) and 9 (2) and (3)). This will facilitate searches.

(10) Deaths reported after 48 hours are also to be registered in post register books (sections 4 (3) and 14 (4) ).

(11) Magistrates may issue cremation orders as well as burial orders (sections 16 (1) and 17 (1)).

3. The sections transferred from the old to the new Ordinance have been revised and in many instances redrafted.

April, 1934.

C. G. ALABASTER,

Attorney General.

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