694702-1875-Bills-read-first-time-Appropriation-1876-Compilation-of-Ordinances-Extradition-Rating-Crown-Remedies-Companies-Amendment- — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 28TH AUGUST, 1875.

An Ordinance enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, for compiling a new Edition of the Ordinances of the Colony.

W

[

1875.]

Title.

HEREAS it is expedient to prepare a new edition of the Preamble.

Ordinances of Hongkong omitting all Ordinances or

parts of Ordinances that have expired, have had their effect, or have been expressly repealed or disallowed: Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-

missioners to

I. It shall be lawful for the Governor to issue his commission Authority to to any two persons directing and empowering them to prepare a Governor to new edition of the Ordinances of Hongkong, and, from time to appoint com- time, in case of the death, refusal, or incapacity to act of either compile and of the said commissioners, to issue a supplemental commission print the Laws empowering some other person to act in the stead of such com- of Hongkong. missioner.

nances, &c.

II. The commissioners are hereby authorised to prepare and Commissioners arrange for publication the said edition, omitting all such Ordi- to prepare and nances, sections, and parts of Ordinances as have expired, have for publication

arrange Laws been repealed, or have had their effect, (including Appropriation and to omit all Ordinances); omitting all sections which repeal Ordinances, or expired, re- parts of Ordinances, as well as the Ordinances and parts of Ordi- pealed Ordi- nances repealed, and omitting all schedules of repealed Ordinances. The commissioners are also hereby authorised to insert into Ordinances any amendments made by later Ordinances without taking notice of the fact of such amendments having been made, and to omit the amending Ordinances or parts of Ordinances.

III. Such edition, when arranged and prepared for publication, Commissioners shall be transmitted by the commissioners to such person as to send to the Governor may appoint to print the same; and the commis- printer and sioners shall make such arrangements for correcting the proof, correcting and otherwise insuring the accuracy of the publication, as they proof, &c. think necessary.

arrange for

Proviso,

IV. Every copy of the said edition shall bear on the title page Every copy to the words "Published by Authority under the Provisions of be authenti- Ordinance No. [the proper number of this Ordinance] of 1875" cated; and and the copies so authenticated shall, in all courts and upon copies to be all taken as the occasions whatsoever, be taken, deemed and held to be the only only Ordi lawful Ordinances of Hongkong, as they existed at the date of nances of the the passing of the last Ordinance inserted therein: Provided Colony. always, that nothing in this Ordinance contained shall apply to any operation already effected by, or act done under, any "Ordi- nance omitted in the said copies, or to any right, title, obliga- tion, or liability acquired or accrued under any such Ordinance.

V. The commissioners shall, after the printing of the copies Copies to be aforesaid, see that the type is distributed and shall cause the delivered to printed copies to be placed in the hands of the Colonial Secretary, Colonial to be disposed of in such manner as the Governor may direct. for disposal,

VI. It shall be lawful for the Governor to issue his warrant Provision for upon the Treasury for such sum as he shall deem a reasonable remuneration remuneration for the clerk to be employed by the said commissi- to clerk and oners, and also for such other charges and expenses as shall have carrying into been necessarily incurred, in and about the carrying into effect effect this the provisions of this Ordinance.

Secretary

expenses of

Ordinance.

VII. This Ordinance may be cited as "The Legislative Com- Short title. missioners Ordinance, 1875."

Statement of Objects and Reasons.

This Ordinance is introduced to remedy the mutilated appear- ance which the statute book of the Colony presents, owing to the numerous repeals and amendments of recent years.

"The Chinese Emigration Ordinance," No. 5 of 1874, alone repeals ten entire Ordinances, and parts of two others; and "The Mercantile Shipping Ordinance," when passed, will repeal fourteen Ordinances, and parts of three others. In addition to the great amount of matter dealt with by these two Ordinances, there are at least one hundred and fifty pages of enactments, which are either expressly repealed or have had their effect, or been disallowed; all these will be omitted in the proposed new edition.

This Ordinance is taken from a similar Ordinance passed in 1864; adopting, however, a simpler method of authenticating the printed copies, and giving to the commissioners power to insert in their proper places amendments made by later Ordinances, and to omit the Appropriation Ordinances of past years. It is proposed that the Government shall arrange for the printing instead of the

commissioners.

In other respects, the Ordinance follows the precedent of 1864, which was found to answer its purposes efficiently.

Hongkong, 25th August, 1875.

JOHN BRAMSTON, Attorney General.

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