DOCUMENTS (UNIFORMITY OF NAMES) ORDINANCE (Statement by the Chief Minister)

The Chief Minister: If it please you, Mr Speaker, Sir, I should like your indulgence to make a very brief statement on an Ordinance known as the Documents (Uniformity of Names) Ordinance which was passed by the previous Government in November 1952, as a result of representations that the register of business names was rendered inaccurate and unreliable because of the Chinese custom of using different names for the same person in different businesses, and it was considered that the practice was leading to widespread evasion of income tax. The Ordinance was passed, and it provided that it should not come into force for the first six months, and thereafter it could come into force only on a date to be fixed by the Governor in Council.

Nothing has been done since 1952, and as it happened to be in my Ministry when I went there, I have since made enquiries. I am satisfied, Sir, that the Ordinance, as framed, will not adequately meet the position that it seeks to rectify and that it could be a cause of irritation with no resultant benefit to the welfare of the territory. In the circumstances, I wish to inform the Assembly that my Government will not bring into force the Documents (Uniformity of Names) Ordinance.