568732-1929-Supplementary-Draft-Bills---Companies-Amendment — Page 6

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Objects and Reasons.

1. Section 2 of this Ordinance amends the definition of the term "ammunition" in the principal Ordinance. The main object of the amendment is to include gas ammuni- tion, but the definition is made more comprehensive in other ways also.

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2. Section 3 of this Ordinance amends the definition of the term "arms in the principal Ordinance, so as to include weapons intended for discharging gas ammunition.

3. Section 4 of this Ordinance amends the definition of the term "exempted person in the principal Ordinance. The list of exempted persons at present is very large, and the result is that there are a great many firearms in the Colony of which the police know nothing. No doubt many of the persons exempt at present keep with the greatest care any firearms which they may possess, but others may be more careless, and their firearms may be stolen and may get into the hands of armed robbers and other criminals. The control of firearms is very strict in England now, and it seems desirable that we should follow that example here. The new list of exempted persons will be a very restricted one, except of course that members of the naval, military, air, volunteer, police and district watch services will be exempted in respect of the arms and ammunition used by them in connection with their duties.

4. Section 5 of this Ordinance amends section 4 of the principal Ordinance in order to carry out the same policy of greater restriction in the number of persons entitled to possess firearms.

The section deals inter alia with the

question of firearms on board vessels. The present general provision on this subject is that the owner or master of any vessel may have on board "such arins and ammuni- tion as are reasonably necessary for the protection of such vessel ". Sub-section (9) of the proposed new section 4 will take out of this exemption vessels which regularly include in their ports of call any place on the East Coast of Asia between Vladivostok and Singapore, or any place on any river flowing into the sea on the East Coast of Asia between Vladivostok and Singapore, or any place in Formosa, provided that the usual extreme trading limits of such vessels do not extend beyond the places specified above. Such vessels will not be allowed to carry arms while within the waters of the Colony except under licence from the Inspector General of Police, which is to be the new title of the Captain Superintendent of Police. The vessels in question are those which trade in regions where the risk of piracy exists. This control of the arms on vessels trading within the piracy zones will not be a new thing, as it was applied during the currency of the Piracy Prevention Ordinance, and gave rise to no inconvenience. Junks and other similar vessels have a special provision to themselves. They are allowed to have their arms and ammunition on board if such arms and ammunition are enumerated in the licence or clearance, and are reasonably necessary for the protection of the vessel.

5. Section 6 of this Ordinance amends section 8 of the principal Ordinance by the substitution of the word similar" for the word "Chinese" in the third line. The section in the principal Ordinance deals with the case of arms or ammunition found on board "any steam launch or motor boat, or junk or other Chinese vessel", and it throws a certain onus in that event on the master and other persons on board. The amendment is made because it is not a question of whether the vessel in question is Chinese or nou-Chinese but whether it is of a certain type.

6. The title of the office of Captain Superintendent of Police is about to be changed to that of Inspector General of Police. Section 7 of this Ordinance substitutes the new title throughout the principal Ordinance.

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