638626-1896-Bill-read-Births-and-Deaths-Registration- — Page 2

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH MARCH, 1896.

A BILL

ENTITLED

An Ordinance to amend and consolidate the law relating to the registration of Births and Deaths.

E it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the

BE it que un cor sent of the Legislative Council thereof,

as follows:-

1. This Ordinance may be cited as The Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, 1890.

2. The office of the Registrar General shall be "The General Register Office" for keeping a register of all births and deaths of the inhabitants of the Colony of Hongkong, and the Registrar General shall be the Chief Registrar of all such births and deaths. Any act that the Registrar General is authorised or required to do under this Ordinance may be done by the Assistant Registrar General or by any other officer in the Registrar General's Department specially appointed in writing for that purpose by the Registrar General.

3. District registers of births and deaths for Chinese shall be kept at such Police stations in the City of Vic- toria and at such other stations in the villages which shall have been already or may be hereafter declared by the Governor to be register offices, and the inspector, sergeant or other Police officer for the time being in charge of such station shall be a registrar of all births and deaths of Chinese occurring within the district, place or village where such Police station is situato.

Every Chinese required by this Ordinance to give inform- ation concerning a birth or a death shall give the inform- ation to the registrar of the district in which the birth or death took place, subject, in the case of a birth, to the provisions of section 9 (c) of this Ordinance.

4. All registers of the births and deaths of the Chinese population of the Colony shall be kept in both the English and Chinese languages.

5. The Registrar General shall cause to be printed on account of the said Register Office a sufficient number of register books for making entries of all births and deaths of the inhabitants of the Colony of Hongkong according to the form of schedules (A) and (B) to this Ordinance annexed, and the said register books shall be of durable materials, and in them shall be printed upon each side of every leaf the heads of information herein required to be known and registered of births and deaths respectively; and every page of each such book shall be numbered pro- gressively from the beginning to the end, beginning with number one, and every place of entry shall be also numbered progressively from the beginning to the end of the book beginning with number one; and every entry shall be divided from the following entry by a printed line.

6. The Registrar General shall cause himself to be pro- vided with, and shall furnish to every registrar, a sufficient number of register books of births and of register books of deaths; and the Registrar General and every registrar shall be authorized, and is hereby required, to inform him- self carefully of every birth and every death which shall happen within his district or districts, or place or village after this Ordinance shall have come into operation, and to learn and register as soon after the event as conveniently may be done, without fee or reward, save as hereafter mentioned, in one of the said books, the particulars required to be registered according to the forms in the said schedules ( A ) and (B) respectively touching every such birth or every such death, as the case may be, which shall not have been already registered, every such entry being made in order from the beginning to the end of the book.

7(a). In ease any living new born child is found exposed it shall be the duty of any person finding such child and of any person in whose charge such child may be placed, to report such finding to the Registrar General or a registrar, and to give, to the best of his knowledge and belief, to the Registrar General or registrar within 7 days after the finding of such child such information of the particulars required to be registered concerning the birth of such child as the informant possesses, and in the presence of the Registrar General or registrar to sign the register.

Title.

Short title.

Registrar General to be Chief Registrar of births and deaths.

(7 of 1872, s. 1.)

District

registers to be established at certain places. (Ibid, s. 2.)

(New.)

Register in English and Chinese, (Ibid, B. 3.)

Register book.

to be provided (Nrid, B. 4.)

Registrar to register birthe and deaths. (Ibid, s. 5.)

Information respecting finding new- born child to be given to registrar. (37 & 38 Vic. c. 88, 6. 3.)

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