1919.] 



107 



HABITUAL IDLERS ORDINANCE. 



TEINIDAD AND TOBAGO. 



No. 7.- 



[L.S.1 



-1918. 



I ASSENT, 



J. R. CHANCELLOR, 



Governor. 



27th April, 1918. 



AN ORDINANCE to provide for the disciphne and reformation of 



habitual idlers. 



[By Proclamation.] 



Be it enacted by the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago with the advice 

 and consent of the Legislative Council thereof as follows : — 



1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Habitual Idlers' Ordinance, 

 1918. 



'2. In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires : ■ 

 "Habitual idler" means any male person who has no visible 

 lawful means of subsistence and who, being able to labour, 

 habitually abstains from work. 

 'Habitually abstairs from work," and cognate expressions, as 

 applied in this Ordinance to any person, means that such 

 person, during the 7 days immediately preceding the laying of 

 a complaint against him, or his arrest, under this Ordinance, 

 has not worked for a period of 4 hours during each of 3 such 

 days or for a period of 14 hours during such period of 7 days ; 

 " Constable " means a member of the Constabulary Force. 



3. A constable may sue out a summons from a Magistrate or Justice 

 calling upon any person whom he has reasonable cause to suspect of 

 being a habitual idler to appear before a Magistrate to answer why he 

 should not be dealt with as a habitual idler. 



4. A constable may demand the name and address of any person 

 whom he has reasonable cause to suspect of being a habitual idler ; and 

 if such person neglects or refuses to give his name or address as afore- 

 said or gives a name or address which the constable has reasonable 



[ grounds for believing is incon-ect, the constable may arrest such person 

 and take him before a Magistrate or Justice to be dealt with according 

 to law. 



5. — (1.) On the appearance before a Magistrate of any person who is 

 charged with being a habitual idler, such Magistrate shall hear and 

 determine the charge. 



(2.) The|prosecutor shall not be bound to prove that such person 

 has no visible lawful means of subsistence or habitually abstains from 

 work, but it shall be for such person to prove that he has Lwful means 

 of subsistence or that he doe^ not habitually abstain from wcrk. 



Short Title. 



Interpreta- 

 tion. 



Summons to 

 suspected 

 habitual idler. 



Constable n,ay 

 demand name 

 and address. 



Determination 

 of whether 

 person is 

 habitual idler. 



