Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1966-1967 — Page 50

138. Notices of marriage are exhibited at the Registry where given and also at the principal Marriage Registry, to which records of all marriages under the Ordinance are sent for permanent retention.

139. The Marriage Ordinance does not apply to non-Christian customary marriages duly celebrated according to the personal law and religion of the parties. No records of such marriages are available, but it is estimated that in 1966-67 there may have been in the region of three unregistered marriages for every four registered, excluding remarriages of the type mentioned in paragraph 148. As mentioned in previous reports the position with respect to these unregistered marriages is far from satisfactory, the great majority being of doubtful validity since they have been contracted not in accordance with the full traditional forms prescribed by Chinese custom, but in supposed conformity with Articles 980 to 988 of the Civil Code of the former Nationalist Government of China. There are also large numbers of irregular unions in which the two parties live together, have children, and are regarded by themselves and others as to all intents and purposes married. During the year much further thought was given to this unsatisfactory situation and the measures required to deal with it, and by the end of the year proposals for legislation were almost ready for publication in a White Paper.

140. The principal Marriage Registry is located in the City Hall. In addition there are in the urban areas full-time registries at Causeway Bay, Western District, Mong Kok, Kowloon (Farm Road) and Kwun Tong, and 'part-time' registries at Aberdeen and Shau Kei Wan open two days a month. In the New Territories there are full-time registries at Tai Po, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long, and 'part-time' registries at Cheung Chau and Sai Kung open two days and one day a month respectively. An innovation during the year was the opening as from 20th November 1966 of the City Hall and Mong Kok Registries on Sunday mornings for the performance of Registry marriages. The main reason for this was that not infrequently the lucky day for the marriage of a particular couple under their horoscopes or a lucky day for marriages generally according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar happens to fall on a Sunday. The Sunday openings proved to be quite popular, especially during the usual rush period before Chinese New Year, but when that ended it was found that it was sufficient to have only the City Hall Registry open on Sunday mornings, and as from 12th February 1967 the Mong Kok Registry reverted to the normal working

44

Page 50Page 51