38773-1914-Supplementary-Bills-read-a-first-time--Defences-Sketching-Prevention-Amendment — Page 1

602

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

No. S. 385. The following Bills were read a first time at a Meeting of the Council held on the 3rd December, 1914:-

Short title.

Amendment of Ordinance 1 of 1895, s. 1 (a).

A BILL

ENTITLED

An Ordinance to amend the Defences (Sketching

Prevention) Ordinance, 1895.

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

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Defences (Sketch- ing Prevention) Amendment Ordinance, 1914, and shall be read and construed as one with the Defences (Sketching Prevention) Ordinance, 1895, (hereinafter called the Prin- cipal Ordinance), and this Ordinance and the said Ordinance may be cited together as the Defences (Sketching Preven- tion) Ordinances, 1895-1914.

2. Section 1 (a) of the Principal Ordinance is amended as follows:

(a.) by the insertion of the word "negative", be

tween the words "photograph" and "picture" in the second line thereof;

(b.) by the substitution of a semi-colon for the full stop at the end thereof, and by the addition of the following words thereto :-

"and naval or military premises or anchor- ages' shall include every place, whether on land or on water, which is reserved, either wholly or in part and whether at intervals or contin- uously, for naval or military operations or purposes."

Amendment 3. Section 2 of the Principal Ordinance is amended as of Ordinance follows:-

1 of 1895,

s. 2.

Amendment

(a.) by the insertion of the words "or attempt to make" between the words "make" and "or" in the second line of sub-section (1);

(b.) by the insertion of words "or of any naval or military premises or anchorages, or of any part thereof, or of anything therein, or of any of His Majesty's ships", between the words "battery" and "without" in the third line of sub-section (1).

4. Section 4 of the Principal Ordinance is amended by of Ordinance the insertion of the words "or of any naval or military

premises or anchorages, or of any of His Majesty's ships' after the word "battery" in the first line thereof.

1 of 1895,

5. 4.

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Objects and Reasons.

The object of this Bill is to supplement and render more effective the Defences (Sketching Prevention) Ordinance,

1895.

In order to avoid any question as to the meaning of the word photograph, the definition of the word sketch is amended so as to include the negative of a photograph.

Attempts to make sketches are made criminal.

The application of the Principal Ordinance is somewhat limited and does not include, for example, any naval anchorage, nor does it apply to His Majesty's ships. The Bill enlarges the scope of the Principal Ordinance in these two respects.

J. H. KEMP,

Attorney General.

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