Page:Public General Statutes 1896.djvu/318

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298
Ch. 26.
Friendly Societiea Act, 1896.
59 & 60 Vict.

order to the central office within seven days after the order has been made.

Offences, Penalties, and Legal Proceedings.

Offences. 84. It shall be an offence under this Act if—

(a) a registered society or branch or an officer or member thereof fails to give any notice, send any return or document, do or allow to be done any thing which the society, branch officer, or person is by this Act required to give, send, do, or allow to be done: or

(b) a registered society or branch or an officer or member thereof wilfully neglects or refuses to do any act or to furnish any information required for the purposes of this Act by the chief or other registrar or by any other person authorised under this Act, or does anything forbidden by this Act: or

(c) a registered society or branch or an officer or member thereof makes a return or wilfully furnishes information in any respect false or insufficient: or

{d) an officer or member of a body which, having been a branch of a society, has wholly seceded or been expelled from that society, thereafter uses the name of that society or any name implying that the body is a branch of that society or the number by which that body was designated as such branch: or

(e) where a dispute is referred under this Act to the chief or other registrar, a person refuses to attend or to produce any documents, or to give evidence before the chief or other registrar: or

(f) a society or branch whether registered or unregistered pays money on the death of a child under ten years of age otherwise than is provided by this Act: or

(g) a parent or personal representative of a parent claiming money on the death of a child produces a certificate of the death other than is in this Act provided to the society or branch from which the money is claimed, or produces a false certificate, or one fraudulently obtained, or in any way attempts to defeat the provisions of this Act with respect to payments upon the death of children.

Offences by societies to be also offences by officers, &c.85. Where a registered society or branch is guilty of an offence societies to be under this Act every officer of the society or branch bound by the rules thereof to fulfil any duty whereof the offence is a breach, or if there is no such officer, then every member of the committee, unless that member is proved to have been ignorant of or to have attempted to prevent the commission of the offence, shall be liable to the same penalty as if he had committed the offence.

Continuing offences86. Every default under this Act constituting an offence, if continued, shall constitute a new offence in every week during which the default continues.

Punishment of fraud, false declarations,87.—(1.) If any person, with intent to mislead or defraud, gives to any other person a copy of any rules, laws, regulations, or other