National Relief Fund Act 1914 (NSW)

NATIONAL RELIEF FUND ACT.

Act No. 19, 1914.

An Act to constitute a general relief fund; to pro­ vide for its administration ; and for purposes consequent thereon or incidental thereto. [Assented to, 25th August, 1914.]

T) . L it enacted by the King ' s Must Excel lent Majes ty ,

by and with the advice and consent of the Legis­ lative Council and Legislat ive .Assembly of New South Wales iii Pa r l i ament assembled, and by the au thor i ty of the same, as follows :

t

This Ac t m a y be cited as t he " Na t iona l Relief of the Colonial Secretary, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, and the Pub l i c Trus tee and six other member s to be

1 .

F u n d Act , 1914."

2 .      (1) There is hereby const i tu ted a board consist ing

appo in ted	by the Governor .
(2) The said board shall be a body corporate; under t h e n a m e of the " Na t iona l Relief	Board of N e w Sou th

W a l e s , " and by t h a t name; shall have pe rpe tua l succes­

sion and a common seal, and may sue and he sued. All

cour t s , judges , and persons ac t ing judic ia l ly shall t ake judicial notice of such seal, and shall p resume t h a t such seal, w h e n affixed to any document , was properly so affixed.

(3) The Colonial Secre tary shal l be president of t he board. I n his absence t he Lord Mayor shall act as president , and in t h e absence of the Colonial Secretary and the L o r d Mayor , t h e Pub l i c Trus tee shall ac t as president .

( - 1 1 Live m e m b e r s shall be a q u o r u m of the board

for the exercise of its powers . A t any m e e t i n g of t he board, the pres ident or t he person ac t ing as pres ident shall have an original , and where t he votes are equal ,

a cas t ing vote . (5)

(5) No act of the board shall be invalid by reason

only that the number of members of the board was not complete at the time when such act was done, or by

reason of any defect in the appointment of any such

member.

(6) No member of the board shall be liable for

any act of the board, but the board shall alone be

liable.

(7) Any member of the board may resign and the

Governor may appoint any person to fill any vacancy in the board.

(8) The Governor may revoke the appointment of

any member.
(9) The members of the board shall receive no remuneration for their services.

The Public Trustee shall be the trustee of the fund to be constituted as hereinafter provided.

3.

4. All the real and personal property, including

moneys, and securities for moneys, forming the funds specified in the Schedule hereto shall, as soon as

practicable after the commencement of this Act, be
vested by proper transfers and assurances in the trustee
and form one fund to be called the " National Relief Fund of New South Wales," hereinafter referred to as "the fund."

5. The board is hereby empowered to call for sub­ scriptions to the fund, and may accept any gift or bequest whatsoever to the fund.
Any person who solicits subscriptions to the fund

unless authorised to do so by the board shall be liable to
a penalty not exceeding one hundred pounds.

6. The trustee shall invest the moneys in the fund in securities of the Government of New South Wales or

of the Commonwealth of Australia, or on deposit with
the Colonial Treasurer, or with any bank doing the

Government business, and may vary or realise any

such investment: Provided that it shall not be necessary

for the trustee to realise any securities transferred or

assured to him in pursuance of section four.

7.     (1) The moneys at credit of the fund shall, in the

sole discretion of the board, be expended for the relief

of persons injured in war or public disasters or those
dependent on persons killed or injured in war or public

disasters. The

The board shall be the sole judge as to what constitutes a public disaster for the purposes of this section, and its determination in that matter shall be conclusive : Pro­

vided that the board may, in its discretion, continue; in whole or in part, and subject to such conditions as it

may think fit to impose, any allowances which at the commencement of this Act were made out of the funds

specified in the Schedule hereto.

(2) Where any subscription is donated for any

specific purpose the board shall, as far as practicable,

allocate that subscription to that purpose.

8. The board shall, in the month of January in each year, prepare and send to the Colonial Treasurer an account of the moneys received and expended by it during the last preceding year, and a statement of the moneys and securities in its possession on the thirty-first day of December then last preceding. Such account and statement shall be audited by the Auditor-General, and
laid before both Houses of Parliament without delay.

1. (1) The board may make by-laws—

(a)	regulating the making of claims for allowances under this Act ;
(b)	prescribing the amounts of such allowances, and the persons to whom they may be paid ;
(c)	regulating the allotting and paying of such

allowances ; and

(d) prescribing the procedure at meetings of the board; and

(e) generally for carrying out the provisions of this

Act.

(2) Such by-laws shall—

(i) be published in the Gazette;

(ii)   take effect from the date of publication, or

from a later date; to be specified in such by­
laws ; and

(iii)   be laid before both Houses of Parliament

within fourteen days after publication, if Par­

liament is in session, and, if not, then within fourteen days after the commencement of the next session. I f either House of Parliament

passes

passes a resolution at any time within fifteen sitting days after such by-laws have been laid before such House disallowing any by-law, such by-law shall thereupon cease to have effect.

SCHEDULE.

The Patriotic Fund.
The New South Wales Public Disaster Relief Fund.
The Bulli Colliery Disaster Fund.
The Education Department Relief Fund.

And any other Fund which the Governor may by proclamation

on resolution of both Houses of Parliament add to the

Schedule.