637333-1897-Bills-read-Appropriation-1898-Chinese-Extradition-Amendment--Interpretation-Waterworks-Amendment--Naturalization-of-U-HOI-CHAU-alias-U-CHIU-TSUN-Closed-houses-and-insanitary-dwellings-Amendment--Vagrancy — Page 12

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 30TH OCTOBER, 1897.

ences to public officers and to the computation of time, of words importing number and gender, and of the words "oath," "swear," and "affidavit." The provisions of Lord Brougham's Act relating to the alteration of Acts in the same session, the citation of Acts, the effect of repeals in certain cases, and the public character of Acts were not embodied in the Ordinance. This omission was remedied to some extent by Ordinance No. 3 of 1895, which contains provisions relating to the effect of repeals.

3. The enactments contained in these two Ordinances are reproduced in the Bill under the headings of "Existing Interpretations" and "Existing Rules of Construction." The remaining provisions of the Bill are for the most part taken from the Interpretation Act, 1889, while some few are drawn from the Consolidated Statutes of Canada and others from the Interpretation Ordinance, 1891, of British Guiana.

4. It is hoped that the Bill will, if passed into law, mate- rially help in shortening and simplifying the language of Ordinances, Rules of Court, regulations, and by-laws, and also in settling questions of construction in regard thereto.

A BILL

ENTITLED

An Ordinance to further amend The Waterworks Ordinance, 1890.

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

1. This Ordinance shall be read and construed as one Construction with Ordinance No. 16 of 1890, (as amended by Ordinance and short No. 5 of 1892 and Ordinance No. 6 of 1895) hereinafter called the principal Ordinance.

This Ordinance pay be cited as "The Waterworks Ordinance, 1897," and this and the three previously men- tioned Ordinances may be cited together as "The Water- works Ordinances 1890 to 1897."

title.

2. Section 5 of the principal Ordinance is hereby Amendment amended by adding at the end thereof the words follow. of sec, 5 of ing:-

Ordinance No. 16 of

Proviso.

"Provided always that in the case of Chinese houses 1890.

situate outside the City of Victoria or situate in Kowloon, the Water Authority shall be under no obligation to connect the service with the waterworks where, in the opinion of the Water Authority, there is an adequate provision and maintenance of public fountains."

Objects and Reason.

In view of the limited extent of the water supply avail- able in Kowloon and the fact that all the water requires to be pumped, it is considered injudicious to lay on services to houses indiscriminately, and this amendment confers on the Water Authority the power to refuse to connect such services in the case of Chinese houses where an adequate supply can be obtained from the public fountains.

Water supplies have been introduced into the villages of Shaukiwau, Aberdeen and Wongucichong, as well as into the principal villages in Kowloon, and it is proposed that the powers conferred on the Water Authority should be applicable to all districts or villages outside the City of Victoria. A liberal number of public fountains has been provided in all the villages.

W. MEIGH GOODMAN,

Attorney General,

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