STATES
GRANTS (DROUGHT RELIEF).
No. 43 of 1944.
An Act to grant and apply out of the
Consolidated Revenue Fund a Sum for the purpose of making Grants to certain
States for the purpose of Drought Relief.
[Assented
to 7th December, 1944.]
[Date
of commencement, 4th January, 1945.]
Preamble.
BE
it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of
Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, for the purpose of
appropriating the grant originated in the House of Representatives, as
follows:—
Short
title.
1. This Act may be cited as the States
Grants (Drought Relief) Act 1944.
Definition.
2. In this Act, “cereal crops” means crops of wheat, oats or barley
or wheaten or oaten hay.
Payment
for financial assistance to certain States.
3. There shall be payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which
is hereby appropriated accordingly, the amounts payable in accordance with this
Act, but not exceeding in the whole the sum of One million five hundred
thousand pounds, for the purpose of financial assistance to the States of New
South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, or such of those
States as the Governor-General, having regard to the effects of drought on
cereal crops in each of those States, determines.
Allocation
of grant.
4. The amount payable to each State under this Act shall be such
amount as the Governor-General determines, but no such determination shall be
made until after the Minister has conferred with the Premiers of each of the
States to which an amount is payable under this Act concerning the amounts to
be paid to those States.
Conditions
of grant.
5. Any amount granted and paid to a State under this Act shall he
paid to that State upon condition—
(a) that it is applied by that State, in
a manner approved by the Minister, for the purpose of the alleviation of
hardship suffered, in consequence of drought, by persons concerned in the
production of cereal crops; and
(b