718169-1863-HONGKONG-ANNO-VICESIMO-SEXTO-VICTORIE-REGINE-NO-6-OF-1863- — Page 1

184

Title.

Preamble.

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH JULY, 1863.

No Vehicle to ply for hire until License obtained. Penalty for breach.

Licenses to be taken out and to be renewed half-yearly, and sums

HONGKONG.

ANNO VICESIMO SEPTIMO VICTORIE REGINÆ.

No. 6 of 1863.

By His Excellency WILLIAM THOMAS MERCER, Esquire, Acting Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Hongkong and its Dependencies, and Vice- Admiral of the same, with the Advice of the Legislative Council of Hongkong. W. T. MERCER,

An Ordinance to provide for the regulation of Public Vehicles and Chairs and their Drivers and Bearers, and to license the Hire of Horses, within the Colony of Hongkong.

[8th July, 1863.]

Whereas it is expedient to make provision for the regulation of Public Vehicles and Chairs and for the licensing of the same within the Colony of Hongkong, as also for the licensing of Persons letting Horses to hire: Be it therefore enacted and ordained by His Excellency the Acting Governor of Hongkong, with the Advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-

I. No Vehicle or Chair shall ply for or be let on hire unless and until the Owner or one of the Owners thereof shall have obtained a License for the same, which Li- cense the Registrar General of this Colony is hereby required to grant subject to such Rules and Regulations as are hereby ordained and authorized. Every Person being Owner or part-Owner of a Vehicle or Chair which shall ply for or be let on hire with- out such License, and every Driver or Bearer of such Vehicle or Chair plying for, or let on hire without having such License as is hereby required, shall be subject respectively for each Offence to a penalty not exceeding One hundred Dollars.

II. Every such License shall be taken out Half-yearly or for the residue of the current Half-year, and shall expire on the Thirty-first Day of March and on the Thirtieth payable for licenses Day of September respectively in each Year. Upon the taking out of every such ordinary and special. License there shall be paid to the Registrar General for the use of the Public Treasury

the following Fee:-

Vehicles may ply for

special licenses.

For an Ordinary License for every wheeled Vehicle One Dollar.

For a Special License for every wheeled Vehicle Two Dollars.

For an Ordinary License for every Chair Fifty Cents.

For a Special License for every Chair One Dollar.

For

every Driver of a Vehicle or Bearer of a Chair Ten Cents.

Hours within which III. Every Driver of a Vehicle and every Bearer of a Chair, which shall be licensed hire, and number of by an Ordinary License, shall be privileged to ply for hire from Five O'clock in the Morning until Eight O'clock at Night. Every Driver of a Vehicle and every Bearer of a Chair, which shall be specially licensed, shall be privileged to ply for hire from Five O'clock in the Morning until Twelve O'clock at Night. The number of Special Licenses shall be in the discretion of the Registrar General, in the absence of and subject to any direction he may receive from His Excellency the Governor.

No holder of License

unauthorized by his li-

in authorized hours.

IV. No holder of a License shall ply for hire at any other Hour than the Hours to ply out of Hours above authorized, but every Holder of a License may drive or carry a fare within cense, but he may carry unauthorized Hours, provided he has been bona fide engaged within the Hours within a fare if engaged with- which he is hereby authorized to ply for hire; and every Driver or Bearer plying for hire or carrying a fare at an unauthorized Hour shall be subject to a penalty not ex- ceeding Fifty Dollars, unless the Magistrate shall be of opinion that such Driver or Bearer was bona fide engaged during the Hours within which he is hereby authorized to ply for hire.

Numbers and Badges

and Chairs, and worn

V. Every Licensed Vehicle or Chair shall have affixed thereto in such conspicuous to be fixed on Vehicles place as the Registrar General shall direct the Number of its License in figures not less by Drivers or Bearers. than Two Inches in length, and each Driver of a Vehicle or Bearer of a Chair shall wear in such manner as the Registrar General shall direct his distinguishing Badge, bearing his own Number of License.

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