663028-1888-Merchant-Shipping-Ordinance-Amendment-Bill-Bill-to-amend-the-Powers-of-Magistrates — Page 1

!

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 8TH DECEMBER, 1888. 1109

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 535.

The following Bills, which were read a first time at a Meeting of the Legislative Council held this day, are published for general information.

Council Chamber, Hongkong, 5th December, 1888.

ARATHOON SETH, Clerk of Councils.

A BILL

ENTITLED

The Merchant Shipping Ordinance, Amendment Ordinance, 1888.

BE

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

1. Ordinance 8 of 1879 is hereby amended as follows, viz. :-

In Section 16 by striking out Sub-section 5, and inserting in the place thereof the words following, viz. :—

5. No seaman shall, except with the sanction of the Harbour Master, be shipped to do duty on board a British ship, or any foreign ship whose flag is not represented by a Consular Officer resident in the Colony, elsewhere than at the office of the Harbour Master, and the Harbour Master shall require such seaman to lodge with him his certificate of discharge from the last ship, and failing the production of such certificate, such seaman shall be bound to give satisfactory explanation to the Harbour Master of the cause of the non-production thereof.

Such fees not exceeding the sums specified in table in the Schedule hereto, as are from time to time fixed by the Governor in Council shall be payable upon all engagements and discharges effected before the Harbour Master or his Deputy, and the Harbour Master shall cause a scale of such fees to be prepared and to be conspicuously placed in the office of the Harbour Master and the Harbour Master or his Deputy may refuse to proceed with any engagement or discharge unless the fees payable thereon are first paid.

Every Owner or Master of a ship engaging or discharg- ing any seamen or seaman at the Office of the Harbour Master shall pay to the Harbour Master the whole of the fees hereby made payable in respect of such engage- ment or discharge, aud may, for the purpose of in part reimbursing himself, deduct in respect of each such engagement or discharge from the wages of all persons (except apprentices) so engaged or discharged and retain any sums not exceeding the sums specified in that behalf in the table marked H. in the Schedule hereto: Provided that, if in any cases the sums which the owner is so entitled to deduct exceed the amount of the fee payable by him, such excess shall be paid by him to the Harbour Master in addition to such fee. In, Section 21 by inserting between the words "waters of the Colony" and the words "or in case" the words "or in the course of a voyage to the Colony" and between the words "shall forthwith" and the words "report the same the words "or on the arrival of such vessel in Hongkong as the case may be.”

"

In Section 42 by inserting at the end of Sub-section 8, the words following, viz.:--

"and for securing within the Colonial waters the effectual enforcement of the Foreign Enlistment Act, (Imperial), 33 and 34 Victoria Chapter 90, and for the order and superintendence of shipping and traffic with a view thereto."

And in the Schedule by adding thereto the following words namely:

Table G.

Fees to be charged and paid into the Treasury in

pursuance of this Section.

1. ENGAGEMENT OF CREWS.

Amendment of Section 16.

Amendment

of Section 21.

Amendment

of Section 42.

Addition to Schedule,

In ships under 100 tons,..

100 to 400 tons,

400 to 700 tons,.

700 to 1,000 tons.....

..$ 5

10

15

20

and so on for ships of larger tonnage adding for every 300 tons or part of 300 tons, five dollars.