Documents furnished to Commissioner open to public inspection. Powers of Commissioner. Limit to increases of villagers. Expulsion of villagers. Order of retirement of trustees. Village Settlements and Reduction of Rents Amendment Act.-1895. 5. Every memorandum to be filed for the purposes of forming an association, and every copy of the rules of the association referred to in section 44 of the said Act, and all the accounts of the association rendered to the Commissioner, shall be open to public inspection on payment of Two Shillings for every such inspection. 6. The Commissioner shall have the following powers with respect to Village Associations whilst any advances shall remain unpaid 1. He may expel from any association any villager who has advanced to associations: III. He may call upon any trustee of any association to retire from office in any case where, in his opinion, it is desirable for the welfare of the association that such trustee should so retire, and such trustee shall retire accordingly: IV. He may require any association to increase the number of villagers so that such number shall not be less than the number who signed the rules first registered in the office of the Commissioner, and, if any such requisition is not complied with within six calendar months after the date of service of such requisition upon the association, may cancel the lease to such association. 7. The total number of villagers shall not be increased at any time under the preceding section beyond five hundred. 8. A majority of the villagers present at any meeting held to consider any appeal by any villager against his expulsion by the Board of Trustees may annul such expulsion; but in the event of the expulsion not being annulled the villager may, within fourteen days from the date of the meeting, appeal to the Commissioner, who may annul or confirm such expulsion, and his decision shall be final. 9. One half only of the trustees of any Village Association shall retire from office every half-year where the number of trustees is even, and where the number is uneven a majority of one of such trustees only shall so retire. The trustees to so retire shall be those longest in office without re-election; and where the number cannot thus be made up lots shall be drawn between those who have been an equal time in office to decide which of them shall so retire, and the retirement shall take place accordingly. 10. The Village Settlements and Reduction of Rents Amendment Act.-1895. 10. The time for the repayment of the first instalment of First instalments. advances made to any association is extended to five years from the date of the advance. 11. The Governor may, by Proclamation published in the Govern- Cover of advances. ment Gazette, terminate the right of any association to any further advance: Provided that no such Proclamation shall issue unless a competent expert appointed by the Commissioner shall have certified in writing to the Commissioner that, after inspection of the village and inquiry into its assets and liabilities, no reasonable ground exists for believing that the association will eventually be able to satisfactorily discharge its obligations. reduce rents on 12. Applications for the reduction of rent under section 3 of Commissioner may "The Exchange of Lands and Reduction of Rents Act, 1894," shall recommendation of not be referred to the Land Board of the District, but, if the Surveyor-General. Surveyor-General shall in any case recommend the reduction of the rent, the Commissioner may make such reduction (not exceeding the reduction recommended by the Surveyor-General) in the rent as he shall think proper, and section 3 of the said Act is hereby amended accordingly. 13. The date before which the return of reductions under section 3 of the last-mentioned Act has to be laid before Parliament is hereby altered to the thirtieth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. Altering date before which return of before Parliament. reductions to be laid 14. The time within which applications for the reduction of rents Time for applications under section 3 of the last mentioned Act may be made is hereby extended. extended to the thirtieth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. Act No. 584. 15. The powers conferred by section 21 of the Act No. 584 of Amendment of sec1893 may be exercised by any person holding lands as stated in such tions 21 and 22 of section, although such lands were not held by such person at the passing of the said Act; and the powers conferred by section 22 of the said Act shall continue after the expiration of the period mentioned in the said section. money on recomen dation of Surveyor General. 16. Any lessee of land dealt with by any Land Board under any Commissioner may of the Crown Lands Acts may, before the thirtieth day of June, reduce purchaseone thousand eight hundred and ninety-six, apply to the Commissioner in writing to reduce the purchase-money of such land, and such application shall be referred by the Commissioner to the Surveyor-General for report, and if the Surveyor-General shall certify in writing to the Commissioner that in his opinion a reduction of the purchase-money of such land is necessary to secure the profitable occupation thereof the Commissioner may, if he shall think fit so to do, make such reduction (not exceeding the reduction recommended by the Surveyor-General) in the purchase-money as he shall think proper, and a memorandum of such reduction shall be annexed to or indorsed on the lease, and such reduced purchase-money shall be the purchase-money of the land. 17. The Holders of miscellaneous leases for grazing and cultiva tion may apply for reductions of rents. Village Settlements and Reduction of Rents Amendment Act.—1895. 17. The third section of the Exchange of Lands and Reduction of Rents Act of 1894 shall be read and construed to apply to miscellaneous leases for grazing and cultivation granted after December, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, but not by any Land Board: Provided that the holders of such leases may apply for reductions of rent on or before June thirtieth, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. In the name and on behalf of Her Majesty, I hereby assent to Adelaide By authority, C. E. BRISTOW, Government Printer, North-terrace. ANNO QUINQUAGESIMO OCTAVO ET QUINQUA- VICTORIÆ REGINE. A.D. 1895. No. 628. An Act to amend "The Northern Territory Gold Mining [Assented to, December 20th, 1895.] HEREAS it is expedient to amend the laws relating to gold Preamble. by the Governor of the Province of South Australia, with the 1. Section 1 of "The Gold Mining Act Amendment Act, 1886," Amendment of section is hereby amended by striking out the words "under section 10 of "The Gold Mining Act, 1885.' Act 353 of 1886. 2. Section 7 of the Gold Mining Act Amendment Act of 1886 Repeal of clause 7, is hereby repealed. 3. This Act shall be incorporated and read together with "The Incorporation. Northern Territory Gold Mining Act, 1873," and the Gold Mining Act Amendment Act of 1886, except so far as inconsistent there with. 4. This Act may be cited for all purposes as "The Northern Short title. Territory Gold Mining Amendment Act, 1895." fields. 5. It shall be lawful for the Governor, by Proclamation in the Proclamation of goldGovernment Gazette, to proclaim any portion of Crown lands to be a goldfield. 628 6. Such Description of goldfields. Goldfields subject to this Act and regulations. Provisional Proclamation of goldfields to protect discovery. Provisional Proclama The Northern Territory Gold Mining Amendment Act.—1895. 6. Such Proclamation shall describe by name and boundaries every goldfield proclaimed, and such Proclamation may from time to time be altered or cancelled by the Governor in like manner. 7. Every goldfield so proclaimed may be mined in, used, and occupied according to the provisions of this Act and the regulations thereunder. 8. Whensoever the discovery of payable gold on Crown lands shall have been reported in writing under the hand of and signed (or if such person shall be unable to write, by a writing attested by some Justice of the Peace, or warden) by the person claiming to have made such discovery to the warden of the goldfields nearest the situation of such discovery, or to the Minister in charge of goldfields, the notification of such discovery by such warden posted outside his office, or by such Minister in the Government Gazette, shall operate to proclaim the portion or portions of Crown lands to be a goldfield within the meaning and for the purposes of this Act, which shall be contained in a square the boundary lines of which shall be directed to the cardinal points, and the central point in each boundary line whereof shall be distant half a mile from such place of discovery. And such notification as aforesaid shall have the effect of a provisional Proclamation of the Crown lands within such area as a goldfield, to be in force until the same or any enlarged or diminished area shall be proclaimed under the provisions of this Act. 9. No notification under the last section shall be posted until the tion may be cancelled. warden or Minister shall have satisfied himself that payable gold has been actually discovered on such land. And such notification shall refer back to and operate from the day upon which the said discovery shall have been so reported, as aforesaid: Provided that if the warden of the mining district to whom such discovery as aforesaid shall have been reported, or if any officer authorised in that behalf by such Minister shall, at any time during the continuance of such provisional Proclamation, report to such Minister that the alleged discovery of payable gold does not, in his opinion, warrant the proclamation as a goldfield of the said area, then it shall be lawful for such Minister, by notice in the Government Gazette, to revoke and cancel the provisional Proclamation of such area. Currency of miner's right. Penalty for unlawfully mining. 10. Every miner's right issued after the coming into operation of this Act shall be current and remain in force for twelve months from the date of issue. 11. If any person, not holding a miner's right, licence, or lease under this Act, shall mine for gold on Crown lands, whether on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person, whether or not the lawful possessor of any claim, or as partner with any such person, he shall be liable, on conviction, to pay for each such offence a penalty not exceeding One Pound for every day he shall so mine; and the burden of proving that he is the holder of a miner's right, licence, or lease shall rest upon him. 12. It |