9th August, 1950.
PRESENT: —
HIS EXCELLENCY THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT (MR. JOHN FEARNS NICOLL, C.M.G.).
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY (HON. R.R.TODD, Acting).
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (HON. J.B.GRIFFIN, K.C.).
THE SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS (HON. J.C.MCDOUALL, Acting).
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY (HON. C.G.S.FOLLOWS, C.M.G.).
DR. HON. I.NEWTON (Director of Medical and Health Services).
DR. HON. J.P.FEHILY, O.B.E. (Chairman, Urban Council).
HON. A.P.WEIR (Acting Director of Public Works).
HON. CHAU TSUN NIN, C.B.E.
DR. HON. CHAU SIK NIN, C.B.E.
HON. LEO D’ALMADA E CASTRO, K.C.
HON. M.M.WATSON.
HON. P.S.CASSIDY.
HON. LO MAN WAI, O.B.E.
HON. LAWRENCE KADOORIE.
MR. G.C.HAMILTON (Clerk of Councils).
ABSENT: —
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING IN CHIEF (LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR E.C.R.MANSERGH, K.B.E., C.B., M.C.).
[…]
LAW REVISION (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) (NO. 2) BILL, 1950.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the First reading of a Bill intituled “An Ordinance to make further amendments to miscellaneous Ordinances for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of the revised edition of the laws.” He said: Sir, the time of this Council has, I fear, within recent months been frequently engaged on the business of dealing with amendments proposed to the law of the Colony as a whole, as a consequence of, or for the purposes of, the revision of the laws which is now proceeding. A notable example, fresh in the minds of Honourable Members is provided by the Law Revision (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance, 1950, which was enacted as recently as last May.
The Bill now before Council has a similar objective. As summarized the objective is this: that in revision of the laws we take the opportunity to consider the legislation as at this date with a view to its utility at the present time, and with a view to the removal of anomalies which are to be found and which, by their existence, create clogs in the machinery of Government, particularly when such anomalies have accumulative effect over a vast field of legislation. Thus it is that the objective of the work is not merely to consolidate the amendments to the legislation which have occurred over the years and merely reprint in consolidated form, including all anomalies or inutilities as at this date.
Now, the Ordinance which I mentioned as having been passed in May dealt with, I think, 52 Ordinances and this Bill before Council to-day is designed to effect amendments to, some 77 others.
The Bill as it appears in the hands of Honourable Members is accompanied by extensive and rather detailed Objects and Reasons dealing with each proposed item of amendments. I do not think, therefore, even if time and patience of Honourable Members allowed, that I am called upon to try and deal with the various proposals in this Bill in any detail to-day. I would merely add in conclusion that it will be seen from clause 2 of the Bill that the Bill is divided into parts; that in the first part about 17 Ordinances are affected; and that only in regard to them will the amendments, if they are passed, take effect immediately upon the passing of the Ordinance. As to the rest, the items referred to in the second part, the coming into force will be postponed until the coming into force is proclaimed at a date which is assumed will be contemporaneous with the publication of the Revised Edition. In this way it will be possible to avoid the inconvenience and labour of effecting throughout the laws as they now appear the various amendments proposed by this Bill.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the Bill was read a First time.
OBJECTS AND REASONS.
The “Objects and Reasons” for the Bill were stated as follows: —
1. This Bill comprises a second collection of proposals for amendments to Ordinances which are considered to be necessary for the purposes of law revision. The proposals are not confined to mere matters of form and thus cannot be effected under general powers afforded by the Revised Edition of the Laws Ordinance, 1948.
2. The Law Revision (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance, 1950, (Ordinance No. 9 of 1950), contained amendments to fifty-two Ordinances. This Bill, which disposes of the greater part of the preparatory work for the revised edition of the laws so far as Ordinances are concerned, proposes to amend a further seventy-seven enactments. The amendments effected by Ordinance No. 9 of 1950 were in general necessary to provide for immediate rectification of existing Ordinances. Only a proportion of the amendments proposed by this Bill need to be immediately operative. In order therefore not to complicate by extensive amendment the present edition of Ordinances and annual volumes the Schedule of amendments is divided into two parts. The amendments made by both parts would be incorporated into the revised edition, but Part I alone would have immediate legislative effect upon enactment. Part II would take effect upon proclamation of the Governor, which, it is anticipated, would be made when the revised edition is ready for publication.
3. The following are the detailed reasons for the items of amendment proposed and correspondingly numbered in Part I and Part II of the Schedule—
[…]
PART II.
[…]
53. The Hong Kong Corps of Air Raid Wardens Ordinance, 1940, is repealed by this item, other arrangements having been made for carrying out the functions of the Ordinance insofar as they are now necessary.
54. This Ordinance which was enacted in the special circumstances prevailing in 1941, is no longer required.
[…]
ADJOURNMENT.
[…]
H.E. THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT: —Council will adjourn to this day week.
翻譯：
1950年8月9日
出席者：
護理總督閣下（列誥先生 CMG聖米迦勒及聖佐治同袍勳章 (Mr. John Fearns Nicoll)）
輔政司（尊敬的杜德(R.R.Todd)（署理））
律政司（尊敬的祁利芬 KC御用大律師 (J.B.Griffin)）
華民政務司（尊敬的麥道軻(J.C.McDouall)（署理））
財政司（尊敬的霍勞士 CMG聖米迦勒及聖佐治同袍勳章 (C.G.S.Follows)）
尊敬的牛頓醫生(Dr. I.Newton)（醫務衞生總監）
尊敬的菲利醫生 OBE大英帝國官佐勳章 (Dr. J.P.Fehily)（市政局主席）
尊敬的韋亞(A.P.Weir)（署理工務司）
尊敬的周埈年 CBE大英帝國司令勳章 (Chau Tsun Nin)
尊敬的周錫年醫生 CBE大英帝國司令勳章 (Dr. Chau Sik Nin)
尊敬的廖亞利孖打 KC御用大律師 (Leo D’almada E Castro)
尊敬的屈臣(M.M.Watson)
尊敬的賈薛地(P.S.Cassidy)
尊敬的羅文惠 OBE大英帝國官佐勳章 (Lo Man Wai)
尊敬的嘉多利(Lawrence Kadoorie)
咸美頓先生(Mr. G.C.Hamilton)（立法局秘書）
缺席者：
陸軍司令閣下（孟雪夫爵士 KBE大英帝國爵級司令勳章 CB巴斯同袍勳章 MC軍功十字章 (Lieutenant-General Sir E.C.R.Mansergh)）
[…]
1950年法律修訂(雜項修訂)(第2號)條例草案
律政司動議為以下條例草案進行首讀：「訂立條例以方便準備法例編正版而對雜項條例作出進一步修訂。」他表示：主席閣下，近月來我一直憂心着本局現正忙於處理對本地法律的修正案，以達成檢視編正現行實施的法律。相信各位議員記憶猶新的就是於5月頒布的《1950年法律修訂(雜項修訂)條例》。
現提交本局的條例草案亦有相似目標。其概括目標就是：藉檢視法律的機會令法律得以於現在繼續適用，並且在累積到一定程度前消除一切異常，以免對政府機關運作造成障礙。由是這項工作目標絕不是將多年來所立之法律連同各種異常及無效之處一併整合及重新印製。
較早前我提及於5月頌布的條例，涉及52條條例，而今次提交本會的條例草案，則涉及另外77條的條例修訂。
各位議員手中的條例草案附有詳盡的「目的及理由」，當中涉及對各條之修訂建議。本人認為即使各位議員有時間及耐性，也不會要求本人於今天嘗試處理條例草案的各項建議吧。我想補充的是，條例草案第2條所述，草案分為幾個部份：第1部份涉及的17條條例，一旦草案獲得通過，相關條例修訂就會即時生效；至於第2部份涉及的其他條例，即會推遲至法例編正版生效之時生效。這樣安排就可為本條例草案引起的各條例修正時，避免為法律的執行帶來不便及浪費人力。
輔政司和議，條例草案開始首讀。
目的及理由
條例草案制訂的「目的及理由」如下：
1. 本條例草案包括2個對法例編正版而言有所必要的修訂建議，這些建議不僅限於形式表面，故此不能以《1948年法例編正版條例》執行。
2. 1950年第9號條例《1950年法律修訂(雜項修訂)條例》載有對52條條例的修訂。而本條例草案，則承擔了法律編正版大部份準備工作，並建議對另外77條條例進行修訂。1950年第9號條例所進行的修訂具有立即實行的必要性，而本條例草案則只有部份修訂有立即實行之必要。故此，為免對現行法律版本及年度法律作出過多修訂變得雜亂，本修訂將分為2個部份，第1部份將於頒布後立即生效，第2部份則經總督宣布後生效，預料於法律編正版出版時同時宣布生效。
3. 以下為各項建議的詳細理由，分為2個部份：
[…]
第2部份
[…]
53. 《1940年香港防空救護隊條例》經本條例廢除，現正因該條例而履行的職能，需另作安排。
54. 這條例乃因應1941年之特殊情況而制訂，現今已不再需要。
[…]
休會
[…]
護理總督閣下：本會休會至下個星期。