691954-1876-Bill-read-first-time-Chinese-Emigration-Amendment- — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH MARCH, 1876.

Title.

Preamble.

Repealing part

Ordinance 5 of

1874.

An Ordinance enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, to amend the Law relating to Chinese Passenger Ships and the Conveyance of Chinese Emigrants. 1876.]

"

[

9

HEREAS by section V of "The Chinese Emigration Con-

Wolidation Ordinance, 1874, it is enacted that none

"

passenger ship, except ships about to proceed on a voyage of not inore than thirty days' duration within the meaning of section "VIII of this Ordinance, shall clear out or proceed to sea, and the Emigration Officer shall not grant the certificate prescribed by "section IV of "The Chinese Passengers' Act, 1855,' unless the "master of such ship shall be provided with a licence under the "hand of the Governor and the public seal of the Colony to be "obtained in manner hereinafter mentioned"; and paragraph 2 "that it shall be lawful for the Governor in Council, from time to "time, to exempt from the operation of this section, any mail steamers or other vessels which are subject to the provisions "of "The Chinese Passengers Act, 1855,' provided that the "Chinese passengers proceeding in such vessels be free emigrants "and under no contract of service whatever"; and whereas it is expedient that every Chinese passenger ship should be provided with a licence, and that the fee chargeable upon such licence should be reduced, and that the law should be amended as here- inafter provided: Be it therefore enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-

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I. The following portions of section V of "The Chinese Emigra- of section V of tion Consolidation Ordinance, 1874" are hereby repealed, viz. :-- Paragraph 1. The words "except ships about to proceed on of not more than thirty days' duration within "the meaning of section VIII of this Ordinance." Paragraph 2. The whole.

Reducing the fees for

licences.

General

licences to mai steamers, &c.

The Governor may authorise labourers and servants to be

engaged for persons in British

possessions.

1874 not to

66 a voyage

Parapraph 3. The words "and shall also furnish the like

"

particulars where any exemption is applied for under paragraph 2 of this section."

II. The fee payable upon the granting of a licence shall hence- forth be dollars only; and in any reprint of the said Ordinance the said sum may be inserted in paragraph 5, section V in place of the "one hundred dollars" therein mentioned.

III. The Governor in Council may, at his discretion, grant to any mail steamer or other vessel a general licence for any period, or for any number of voyages, or for voyages to and from any specified port or ports, upon the condition that the vessel provided with such licence shall carry only free passengers under no con- tract of service whatever, except as hereinafter mentioned:

General licences shall be exempt from the provisions of

paragraph 6 of section V aforesaid.

IV. The Governor in Council may, at his discretion, authorise any person to engage any specified number of Chinese labourers or servants for any person resident in any British possession, and to make contracts in writing on behalf of such resident with the persons so engaged.

Any vessel provided with a general licence may carry any per- sons so engaged without thereby affecting her licence. Ordinance 5 of V. Nothing in "The Chinese Emigration Consolidation Ordi- nance, 1874," shall prevent passengers natives of Asia from travel- ling in the first cabin of any vessel which is provided with a general licence, on the same terms as passengers of other nationa- lities; or in the first or second cabin, if the vessel carries more first or second than two classes of passengers.

prevent

Chinese pas-

sengers from travelling in

cabin as other nationals.

This Ordinance Incorporated

1874.

Such passengers are hereby exempted from the necessity of ob- taining contract passage tickets or of submitting themselves to be mustered or inspected by any emigration officer or medical officer or other person.

Such passengers shall, however, be reckoned in calculating the number of passengers, natives of Asia, who are carried by the said vessel.

VI. This Ordinance shall be read with "The Chinese Emigration Consolidation Ordinance, 1874," and shall be taken to be incor- with No. 5 of porated therewith; and upon the issue of any new edition of the Ordinances, the provisions hereof may be inserted in the said Ordinance; sections III and IV hereof may be printed next after the paragraph now numbered 5 of section V of the said Ordinance, and the other paragraphs of the said section may be re-numbered. Parapraph 6 of the said section may be amended by inserting the words "except a general licence" after the word "licence."

Section V hereof may be printed as section VI of the said Ordinance, and the other sections may be re-numbered.