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Law library · Sierra Leone · Acts of Parliament

The Lodgers (Registration in Hotels) Ordinance

Cap. 74

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Added to the library by Umaru Afiz SESAY on Oct 25, 2026

Open the original document (PDF)Source: Law Reform Commission of Sierra Leone

Contents
  1. Preamble
  2. Section 1 — Short title and application.
  3. Section 2 — Interpretation.
  4. Section 3 — Register of lodgers to be kept.
  5. Section 4 — Particulars relating to registrable lodgers to be entered in register.
  6. Section 5 — Registrable lodgers to furnish true statements of particulars.
  7. Section 6 — Inspection of registers.
  8. Section 7 — Penalty.
  9. Section 8 — Village committees.
  10. Section 9 — President to be Chairman of Rural Area Council and a Justice.
  11. Section 10 — Appointment of deputies.
  12. Section 11 — Qualifications etc., of members of local authority.
  13. Section 13 — Defaulting local authorities.
  14. Section 14 — Powers of Governor in Council.
  15. Section 15 — Village headmen.
  16. Section 16 — Assessment of premises.
  17. Section 17 — Appointment of valuers and assessment committee.
  18. Section 18
  19. Section 19 — Deposit of Valuation Roll.
  20. Section 20 — Objections to Valuation List.
  21. Section 21 — Valuation Roll to subsist until deposit of new roll.
  22. Section 22 — Qualifications of voters.
  23. Section 23 — (1) Appointment of Registration Officers and Revising Officer~.
  24. Section 24 — General elections to be held every third year.
  25. Section 25 — Regulations as to elections.
  26. Section 26 — Tenure of office of members.
  27. Section 27
  28. Section 28 — (1) Prevention of election by force.
  29. Section 29 — Offences in respect of nomination papers, etc.
  30. Section 30 — Penalty for false answer.
  31. Section 31 — Falsification of return at election.
  32. Section 32 — Personation.
  33. Section 33 — Treating.
  34. Section 34 — Undue influence.
  35. Section 35 — Bribery.
  36. Section 36 — Disqmdification for personation etc.
  37. Section 37 — Penalty for certain illegal practices.
  38. Section 38 — Fraudulent transfers of property.
  39. Section 39 — Infringement of secrecy.
  40. Section 40 — Property of election material vested in Chairman of local authority.
  41. Section 41 — Presentation of election petition.
  42. Section 42 — Trial of election petition.
  43. Section 43 — Corrupt practice.
  44. Section 44 — Standing Orders.
  45. Section 45 — Minutes of Council prima facie evidence.
  46. Section 46 — Acts of local authority valid despite vacancies.
  47. Section 47 — Member interested not to take part in proceedings.
  48. Section 48 — Disclosure of interest.
  49. Section 49 — Proceedings in respect of qualification.
  50. Section 50 — Appointment of officers.
  51. Section 51 — Responsibility for records.
  52. Section 52 — Rural Area Bailiff.
  53. Section 53 — Security.
  54. Section 54 — Accounts.
  55. Section 55 — Appointment of Government officer to an office under the Rural
  56. Section 56 — Accounts and audit.
  57. Section 58 — Power of Auditor to surcharge illegal payments.
  58. Section 59 — Functions of Rural Area Council.
  59. Section 60
  60. Section 61 — Village committee estimates.
  61. Section 62 — Rural district council estimates.
  62. Section 63 — Rate.
  63. Section 64 — Rural Area Council Estimates.
  64. Section 65 — Duties and powers of Rural Area Council.
  65. Section 66 — Powers of Rural Area Council to promote building.
  66. Section 67 — Duties and powers of rural district councils.
  67. Section 68 — Duties and powers of village committees.
  68. Section 69 — Power of local authority to issue directions.
  69. Section 70 — Vesting vf property in Rural Area Council.
  70. Section 71 — Local authority may acquire property.
  71. Section 72 — Compulsory acquisition of land.
  72. Section 73 — Borrowing at interest.
  73. Section 74
  74. Section 75 — Provisions as to sinking fund. .
  75. Section 76 — Provisions for replacing purchase or compensation money.
  76. Section 77 — Investment of proceeds of sale or exchange.
  77. Section 78 — Power to make contracts.
  78. Section 79 — Contracts by local authority.
  79. Section 80 — Licences.
  80. Section 81 — Licences obtainable from proper officer.
  81. Section 82 — Application of licence fees.
  82. Section 83 — Penalties.
  83. Section 84 — Vesting of funds of Rural Areas Council.
  84. Section 85 — Revenue of Rural Area Council.
  85. Section 86 — Application of revenue of Rural Area Council.
  86. Section 87
  87. Section 88 — Order for payment of money.
  88. Section 89 — Monies to be paid into a bank.
  89. Section 90 — Revenues of rural district councils.
  90. Section 91 — Application of revenues of rural district councils.
  91. Section 92 — Custody of district funds.
  92. Section 93 — Revenues of village committees.
  93. Section 94 — Application of revenue of village committees.
  94. Section 95 — Writing off of arrears of revenue.
  95. Section 96 — The rate.
  96. Section 97 — Notice of imposition of rate.
  97. Section 98 — Rate Book.
  98. Section 99 — Rate to be a charge on premises.
  99. Section 100 — Levy on owner's goods on non-payment of rate.
  100. Section 101 — Poundage.
  101. Section 102 — Levy on occupier's goods on non-payment of rate.
  102. Section 103 — Levy on lands and premises on non-payment after two years.
  103. Section 104 — President may issue one warrant for each rural district.
  104. Section 105 — Warrants to be signed and sealed.
  105. Section 106 — Absentee owner to appoint agent for payment of rate.
  106. Section 107 — Unoccupied premises.
  107. Section 108 — Notice of non-occupation and reoccupation.
  108. Section 109 — Premises demolished or removed.
  109. Section 110 — Premises exempt from rates.
  110. Section 111 — Agreement betweenlandlord and tenant.
  111. Section 112 — Exemption from payment of rate owing to poverty.
  112. Section 113 — Village Improvement Cess.
  113. Section 114 — Appearance of local authority in legal proceedings.
  114. Section 115 — Form of title deeds.
  115. Section 116 — Proof in legal proceedings.
  116. Section 117 — Documents to be prima facie evidence.
  117. Section 118 — Description of property of local authority.
  118. Section 119 — Publication of notices.
  119. Section 120 — Service of notice.
  120. Section 121 — Hindering publication of notices, etc.
  121. Section 122 — Inspection of documents.
  122. Section 123 — Obstruction, etc., of inspection.
  123. Section 124 — Obstruction of execution of Ordinance.
  124. Section 125 — Entry on premises for purpose of Ordinance.
  125. Section 126 — Power to administer oaths, etc.
  126. Section 127
  127. Section 128 — Notice of application to Governor in Council.
  128. Section 129 — Amendment of schedules.
  129. Section 130 — General penalty.
  130. Section 131 — Rules.
  131. Section 132 — Bye-laws.
  132. Section 133 — Cessation of Rural Areas Ordinance.
  133. Section 134 — Savings of Crown rights.
  134. Fourth Schedule.

Preamble

ll of 1947 Short title and applicati<m. * Interpretation. Cap. 74] Lodgers (Registration in Hotels) CHAPTER 74. LODGERS (REGISTRATION IN HOTELS). ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS.

Section 7 — Penalty.

CHAPTER 74. LODGERS (REGISTRATION IN HOTELS). An Ordinance to Provide for the Registration of Lodgers. (13TH JUNE, 1947.] 1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Lodgers (Registration in Hotels) Ordinance, and shall apply to the Freetown Police District of the Colony and to such other places in the Colony as the Governor may by notice in the Gazette from time to time direct. 2. In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires- " lodging house " means any premises whether furnished or unfurnished, where lodging or sleeping accommodation is provided for reward and includes an hotel; "lodging-house keeper" means any person who for reward receives any other person to lodge in such premises, either on his own behalf or as manager or otherwise on behalf of any other person; " native foreigner " means any person, other than a native of Sierra Leone, whose parents were members of a tribe or tribes indigenous to British West Africa, French West Africa, the Republic of Guinea, Spanish West Africa, Portuguese West Africa, the Belgian Congo, the mandated territories in West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Portuguese Guinea, *Not yet applied anywhere else. Lodgers (Registration in Hotels) [Cap. 74 Principe, Spanish Guinea, Annobon, Liberia, Fernando Po or San Thome, and the descendants of such persons, and shall include any person one of whose parents was a member of such tribe; "registrable lodger" means any person other than a person born in Sierra Leone or a native foreigner. 3. Every lodging-house keeper shall keep a register of all registrable lodgers to whom accommodation is afforded at such lodging house. 4. Every lodging-house keeper shall before accommodating a registrable lodger in his lodging house, ascertain and enter or cause to be entered in the register kept for the purpose, the full name, nationality, age and occupation of the registrable lodger who is seeking accommodation together with the date of his arrival, his last place of residence and the address from which he last came; and on the departure of a registrable lodger who has been accommodated at a lodging house, the lodging-house keeper shall enter or cause to be entered in the register the date of departure and destination on departure of such registrable lodger, and, if required by the Commissioner of Police, he shall also ascertain and enter in the register from time to time such other particulars relating to the registrable lodger as the Commissioner of Police may direct. 5. It shall be the duty of every registrable lodger accommodated at a lodging house to furnish true statements of the particulars required by this Ordinance, and the lodging-house keeper may require any registrable lodger to whom he has afforded accommodation to sign a statement verifying the truth of the particulars so furnished. Register of lodgers to be kept. Particulars relating to registrable lodgers to be entered in register. Registrable lodgers to furnish true statements of particulars. 6. Every register kept in accordance with the provisions of Inspection of this Ordinance shall at all reasonable hours be open for inspec- registers. tion by any member of the Police Force or by any person duly authorised by the Commissioner of Police to inspect such registers. 7. If any person acts in contravention of, or fails to comply Penalty. with any provision of, this Ordinance, he shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months. 700 Cap. 75] Rural Area CHAPTER 75. RURAL AREA. ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS. PART I.-PRELIMINARY. 1. Short title and commencement. 2. Interpretation. PART H.-CoNSTITUTION AND GovERNMENT OF THE RuRAL AREA. 3. Constitution of the Rural Area. PART IlL-EsTABLISHMENT AND CoNSTITUTION OF LocAL AuTHORITIES. 4. Establishment of local authorities. 5. Incorporation of local authorities. 6. Composition of Rural Area Council. 7. Rural district councils.

Section 18

Director of Public Works to transmit particulars given undersections 14 and 19 of Cap. 66.

Section 27

Election valid unless questioned within fifteen days of publicationof result. PART VIL-ELECTION OFFENCES.

Section 60

Powers of Governor and public officers under Ordinance may bevested in a local authority.

Section 74

Powers of Governor in Council to impose conditions as to repaymentof money borrowed.

Section 87

Revenues of councii may be charged with interest on the capitalcost and with the cost of maintenance of works or services constructed or maintained by Government.

Section 127

Protection of local authorities and their officers from personalliability.

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