Uncoined Gold Act 1852 (SA)

81 No. 14.

An Act to repeal pwE of an Act, A%. 1 of One T?iousarid Bight

- Hundred and Fif(y-two, " 7b provide ,#or the Asscging of ' Ut~coined Gold arrd to nzflke Budc Nofes, under c e r t k c o ~ -

ditions, a Legcl.! Tender," and t o provide that Stumped old

shall be a Legd Terrder.

[Assented to 23rd November, 1852.1

HEREAS it is expedient to repeal S ; much of m Act, No. preamble.

lv I of 1852, to provide for the assayins, of uncoined gdd	and to make Bank notes, under certain cond~tions, a legal tender
in certain particulars, as makes it compulsory upon the Baiiks thereiu
na~llcd to purcliase gold and to provide for the issue of gold tokens
which shall be a legal te~ider :
Be it therefore Enacted, by the Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia, witlr the advice and consent of the 1,egislative Council thereof, That from and after the passing of this Act, so much of the said Act to provide for the assaying of' uncoined gold, and to make Bank notes, under certain conditions, a legal tender, as provides that all persons should be entitled to denland from any one of the Banks therein named, notes of such Bank in exchange for gold bullion, at thc rate of Three Pounds Eleven Sldlings ounce of standard gold, shall Be, and the same is, hereby repealed.

2. And be it Enacted, That the Government Assayer in the said GOM to be redaced to

an uniform standard,

Act named, or t'lx Government Assayer for the time being, under and into

and subject to the regulations now in force, or to such regulationg tions, to be stamped

its after the expiration of the said Act, shall be from time to time wltk the value thereof.

issued for the guidance of the said Government Assayer by the

Lieu tenan t-Governor with the advice of the Executive Council,

shall, after he has assayed any gold brought to him, reduce the game to the firieness of standard gold, according to the standard

V of

of coined gold by the law of England, and shall thereafter cause tlie same to be divided into convenient portions, of the value, at the rate of Three Pounds Eleven Shillings per ounce of standard gold, of Five Pounds, Two Pounds, One Pound, or Ten Shillings, as soch Governnlent Assayer may deem fit, and shall stamp upon each such portion the precise weight and value thereof, with ~ u c h device as, being. approved by the Governor, shall be published in the South Austrulzan Governmerit Gazette.

Rmped gold to be a 3.

And be it Enacted, That all gold so stamped as herein aforesaid s 1 d be a lega,l tender, according to the value expressed upon the same, and shall be taken to be a valid tentlcr at such value, on all occasions on which a teuder of' money may legally be made.

legal tender.

If delit reriej of ROM 4. And be it Enacted, That if at any time after the twenty- tbousand eight hundred and fifty-three, the quantity of gold brought to the Assay Office for h e purpose of this Act shall, during any consecutive period of four weeks, amount to n less quantity than four thousand ounces, it shall be lawful for the

fall off, Office eighth day of January, which will be in thc year of our Lord one

rriay be clomcd.

Govenior, by proclamation in the South Australirrn G'ocernmcnt Gazette,

to fix n time, not bein6 less than fourteen days from the issuing of such proclamation, for the closing of' s r d obice, and such time of closing from time to time to enlarge by proclnunation as afore- said, and at the expiration of the time so fixed, or of ally elllarge- merit tllereof so proclaiirlcd as aforesaid, the said Assay Ofice shall close, and tlic functions thereof' slic?ll ccnse, either whollv, or during such time as the Governor may appoint, excepting as regards the assaying and stmiping of all gold received prior to the closirty I - thereof,

aaaiaonal marg. to 5. And be it Enacted, That if any gold shnll bc brought to the

be made in =sped of Assay Office to be staulped into tokens as llerein provided which gold bclow rtandard

shall be below t h standard of coined gold according to the law of England, it shnll be lawful for the Governmelit Assayer to deduct and retain therefrom one-half part ill cvecy huildred in addition to the one part ill every huudred by the said Act authorised to be deducted and retained.

Forgery of stamps,	6. And be it Enacted, Tllut if any person shall forge or dter, or cause to be forged or altered, or shall offer to dispose of, or put off, knowing the same to be forged or altered, any receipt
&C.
by the Government Assayer for any gold, or shall forge or couu-
terfeit, or cause or procure to be forged or counterfeited, any mark, stamp, or die which shall have been provided, made, or used in pursuance of this Act, for the purpose of ~nalring or stamp-
ing any such gold, or shall forge, counterfeit, or resemble, or cause
to be forged, comiterfeited, or resembled, the inlprcssiun of m y such
mark, stamp, or die upon any gold, or base, or mixed metal, or shall mark or stamp, or cause or procure to be marlied or stamped, arty gold, or base, or mixed metal, with any wxch forged or coutlterf'eited

mark,

mnrls, stamp, or die as aforesaid, or shall transfer or remove, or cause to be transferred or removed from one piece of gold to mother, or to any piece of base or mixed metal any impression made by any mark, stamp, or die, which shall have been made or used in pursuance of this Act, for the purpose of making or stamp- ing any such gold as ahesaid, or shall pay, offer, exchange, or dis- pose of any gold, mixed or base metal, bearing thereupon any forged or counterfeited, or transfemed or removed mark, stamp, or impres- sion as aforesaid, knowing thc same respectively to be forged, coun- terfeited, transferred, or removed as aforesaid, or if any person shall wilfully, or without lawful excuse, the proof whereof shall lie on the person accused, havc, or be possessed of any such foqed or countedeited stamp, mark, or die so provided, made, or used as aforesaid, any person so offending shall be judged guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof, shall Fe liable to imprisonment with hard labor for any period not exceeding fifteen years, nor less than

two years.

JOHN MORPHETT, Speaker.

Passed the Leyislatiue Council this eleventh day7

of November, m e thou.rand eiyltt hundred

andjf tp-two.

F. C. SINGLETON,

Clerk of the Legislative Council.

[n the name and on the behalf of Her Majesty I assent to this Act.

H. E. F. YOUNG,

Lieutenant-Governor.

Sovernment House, Adelaide,

23rd November, 1852.