War Relief Funds Act 1926 (WA)

No. 54.] War Relief Funds. [1926.

WAR RELIEF FUNDS.

17° GEO. V., No. LTV.

No. 54 of 1926.

AN ACT to provide for the administration and application of the funds which are now held by or vested in various persons, bodies, and organisations within the State, and which were collected during the recent War against Germany and its allies, for the purpose of assisting within the State soldiers engaged in such War and their dependants.

[Assented to 24th December, 1926.]

Council and Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, in

BE it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, byand with the advice and consent of the Legislative

this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority

of the same, as follows :—

Short title, 1. This Act may be cited as the War Relief _Funds Act,

1926, and shall have and be deemed to have had effect

from the first day of November, 1926.

Interpretation. 2. In this Act, subject to the context- " City, town, or district " means a city, town, or

district the boundaries whereof have been defined

by the Minister by notice in the Gazette for the

purposes of this Act.

" Council " means the council appointed for the par.

poses of this Act ;

" Dependant " means any person wholly or partially dependent upon the earnings of any deceased soldier at any time during the period beginning twelve months before the appointment or enlist- ment of such soldier, and ending with

(a) the termination of his appointment or his

discharge ;

1926.] }gar Relief Ands: [No. 54.

(b) his death in case (whether before or after the termination of his appointment or his discharge) he has lost his life directly or indirectly in or in connection with the War.

" Soldier " means any member of the Australian Imperial Forces who was resident in the State at the time of his appointment or enlistment ;

" Trustees " includes any person, body, or organisa- tion in whom or which is vested, or who or which has the control of, any war relief fund, and in- cludes, when the trustees cannot be found or ascertained, any bank or person having the con- trol or custody of the fund ; the term does not include the Red Cross Society.

" War " means the recent war against Germany and

its allies ;

" War relief fund " means and includes any fund or property of any kind which is now held by or vested in any trustees within the State and which was collected or donated during or since the War for the purpose of assisting, within the State, sol- diers engaged in the War and/or any dependants and to which the Governor has declared by proclamation that this Act shall apply.

3. (1.) The Governor may appoint a council of three persons, one of whom shall be appointed on the nomination of the State Executive of the Western Australian branch of the Returned Soldiers' League, and another on the nomination of the Ugly Men's Voluntary Workers' Associa- tion.	Council.
(2.) The Governer may at any time remove any mem- ber from the Council, and may on such removal or on any vacancy from any cause occurring in the Council, fill any vacancy by the appointment of another person, but the place of any member who was appointed on the nomina- tion of any body shall be filled only on the like nomination.
(3.) The decision of a majority of the Council shall be deemed to be the decision of the Council.

(4.) The Council shall have power

(a) to decide in what city, town, or district any war relief fund was wholly or mainly col- lected ;

No. 54.] War Relief Funds. [1926.

(b) to provide, in cases in which more than one war relief fund has been wholly or mainly collected in the same city, town, or district, that such funds shall be amalgamated and form one fund ;

(c) to collect and receive any war relief fund which the Council decides was not wholly or mainly collected in any particular city, town, or district ;

(d) to provide for the appointment, subject to this Act, in any city, town, or district of a committee in whom shall be vested any or every fund collected or mainly collected in such city, town, or district ;

(e) to order that any war relief fund deposited in any bank or under the control or in the custody of any trustees or any person shall be handed over to the committee in whom it is vested under this Act, or to the Council in case it is not vested in any such committee ;

(1) to administer and apply, in such manner as the Council shall think fit, for the relief of neces- sitous soldiers and dependants, such war relief funds as are not under this Act to be administered by any committee ;

(g) with the consent of the Governor to make such regulations as may be necessary or con- venient for carrying into effect any of the powers aforesaid, and enforcing any order made by the Council.

APPoiotmeut of

Committee. 4. (1.) A Committee for any city, town, or district shall consist of an uneven number of persons and shall be appointed by the Council after ascertaining, in such manner as the Minister shall in each case direct, and (as far as practicable) giving effect to, the views as to the personnel of the Committee of

(a) the adult residents in the city, town, or dis-

trict ;

(b) the executive of any subbranch of the Western Australian branch of the Returned Soldiers' League which may be operating in the locality.

1926.] War Relief Funds. [No. 54.

(2.) A member of any Committee shall be removable by the Council with the consent of the Minister.

(3.) The decision of a majority of any committee shall be deemed to be the decision of the Committee.

(4.) Any vacancy on a Committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

5.

A Committee shall have power to administer a war relief fund vested in it and to apply such fund for the	Powers of Wm.
mittees.
relief, in such manner as the Committee shall judge best, of necessitous soldiers or dependants who are resident in or in the vicinity of the city, town, or district for which the Committee was appointed.

6.

The Council and every Committee shall be a body corporate with pefpetual succession and a common seal,

Incorporation of Council and Com-

mittees.

and shall have power to hold real and personal property

and to sue and be sued.

7.

(1.) The Governor may make any regulations which may be necessary or convenient for carrying this Act into effect or facilitating the administration thereof : Provided that this power shall not extend to any matter as to which regulations may be made under the powers defined in paragraph (g) of section three.	Regulations.
(2.) Any regulation which is made under section three or section seven may impose a penalty not exceeding five pounds for the breach of any regulation.