696508-1874-Bill-read-first-time-Merchant-Shipping-Consolidation- — Page 15

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 1ST AUGUST, 1874.

Offences of foreign

seamen.

[Sec M. S. A., 1854,sec.243.] Act of disobedience.

Continued disobedience.

Assault on officers.

Combining

to disobey.

Expenses, by

4 of 1850, sec. 5.]

5. Whenever any seaman who has been lawfully engaged in any foreign ship commits any of the following offences within the waters of the Colony, he shall be liable to be punished sum- marily by a Magistrate as follows, that is to say:-

(.) For wilful disobedience to any lawful command, he shall be liable to imprisonment for any period not exceeding four weeks, with or without hard labour, and also, at the discretion of the Court, to forfeit, out of his wages, a sum not exceeding two days' pay;

(b.) For continued wilful disobedience to lawful commands, or continued wilful neglect of duty, he shall be liable to imprisonment for any period not exceeding twelve weeks, with or without hard labour, and also, at the discretion of the Court, to forfeit, for every twenty-four hours' continuance of such disobedience or neglect either a sum not exceeding six days' pay, or any expenses which have been incurred in hiring a substitute; (d) For assaulting any master or mate, he shall be liable to imprisonment for any period not exceeding twelve weeks, with or without hard labour;

(e.) For combining with any other or others of the crew to disobey lawful commands, or to neglect duty, or to impede the navigation of the ship, or the progress of the voyage, he shall be liable to imprisonment for any period not exceeding twelve weeks, with or without hard labour.

6. All expenses incidental to the apprehension, confinement, whom payable. and removal of any seaman, under and by virtue of any of the [Ordinance

powers and authorities conferred by this section, shall be paid by the master of the ship to which such seaman may belong, and be recoverable from him at the suit of the Captain Superin- tendent of Police, as a debt due to the Government of this Colony; and the subsistence money for every such seaman confined in gaol shall be paid in advance to the keeper of the gaol, and in default of such payment, the gaoler may release such seaman.

tion of this

At the requi- 7. At the requisition of the Consul resident at Hongkong, of sition of foreign any foreign nation, it shall be lawful for the Governor to suspend Consuls, opera- the operation of this section in regard to the ships of that section may be nation, for so long a period as such Consul may require, or the suspended. said Governor may think fit; and that on like requisition, it shall [Ibid, sec. 6.] and may be lawlul for the said Governor, if he deem it fit, to eause any pending proceedings or case under this section to be discontinued and abated.

Deaths, desertions, or removals of

seamen, &c. to be reported. [Ordinance

Report of Death, Desertion, &c.

XVIII. In the event of the death of any of the crew, pas- sengers, or other persons, occurring on board of any merchant vessel in the waters of the Colony, or in case of the desertion or removal of any of the crew, the master of such vessel shalt forthwith report the same to the Harbour Master, under a penalty 1 of 1862, sec. not exceeding twenty-five dollars for every death, desertion, or

removal which he shall neglect to report.

Penalties for Forgery, &c.

7.3

Penalties for

for false des-

XIX. Any person who shall forge or alter any ticket, certificate, forging of do- document, or matter or thing named in sections,

shall cuments, and be liable to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three criptions and months with hard labour; and any seaman, or other person, who shall give a false description of his services, or show, or make, or procure to be made, any false character, or shall make false state- ments as to the name of the last ship in which he served, or as to any other information which may be required of him by any person having lawful authority to demand such information, shalt be liable to a penalty not exceeding fifty dollars.

statements. [Ordinance

No. 6 of 1852, sec. 12.]

Relief of sea-

CHAPTER X. DISTRESSED SEAMEN.

XX. All expenses which shall be incurred under the pro- men belonging visions of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1854," in the relief of to vessels re- distressed British seamen who at the time of such relief being Colony, granted shall have last served in a British ship registered in this Colony, shall be borne by the revenue of this Colony.

gistered in this

[Ordinance

5 of 1869, 1.]

sec.

Governor may

2. It shall be lawful for the Governor, from time to time, order payment to order the payment, out of any monies forming part of, or arising of expenses in- from, the general revenue of the Colony, of all expenses which may be incurred in the Colony for the relief of such British seamen as aforesaid, under the provisions of the said Act or of any seamen out of regulations in that behalf which may be made, from time to time,

by the Governor in Council.

curred in the Colony for relief of such

monies form-

ing part of ge-

neral revenue. [Ordinance

5 of 1869, sec.

2.1