REGISTRATION ORDINANCE. [Concluded from No. 262.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 265, 12 February 1848, Page 4

REGISTRATION ORDINANCE. [Concluded from No. 262.]

IV. REGISTER BOOKS. 27. Every person, and every Deputy Registrar, who shall have the keeping for the time being, of any Register Book of Births, Deaths, or Marriages, shall, at all reasonable times, allow searches to be made of any Register Book in bis keeping, and shall give a copy certified under his hand, of any entry or entries in the same, on payment of the fee hereinafter mentioned, (that is to say) for every search extending over a period not more than one year, the sum of One Shilling, and Sixpence for every single certificate ; Provided always, that when such certified copy is given under the seal of the Deputy Registrar, he shall be entitled to receive the sum of Five Shillings. 28. Every Deputy Registrar shall cause Indices of the Register Books in his office, to be made and kept with the other records of his office, and any person shall be entitled at all reasonable hours, to search the said Indices, and to have a certified copy of any entry or entries in the said Register Books, under the hand of the Deputy Registrar, on payment of the fees hereinafter mentioned, (that is to say), for any general search, Five Shillings, and for any particular search, the sum of One Shilling, and for every certified copy, the sum of Two Shillings and Sixpence. 29. The Registrar General shall cause indices of all the certified copies of the registers of the Deputy Registrars to be made and kept in the General Register Office. And every person shall be entitled on payment of the fees hereinafter mentioned, to search the said indices, between the hours of 10 in the morning, and 4 in the afternoon, of every day except Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday, and the Queen's birthday, and to have a certified copy of every entry, in the said certified copies of the registers. And for every general search of the said indices, shall be paid the sum of Five Shillings, and for every particular search, the sum of One Shilling. And for every such certified copy the sum of Two Shillings and Sixpence, and no more shall be paid to the Registrar General, or such other officer as shall be appointed for that purpose on his account. 30. All certified copies of entries purporting to be made under the hand aud seal of the Registrar General, or of any such Deputy Registrar as aforesaid, shall be received as evidence in any Court of Justice, within the colony, of the Birth, Death, or Marriage, to which the same relates, without any further or other proof of such entry. And upon a certificate >eing made by the Registrar General, that^the register of Births, Deaths, or "Marriages for any specified period, and for any particular district, is lost or « destroyed, then and in all such cases, the certificate of such Registrar General under his hand and seal shall be received as evidence in any Court oi Justice within the colony, of the matter to which the same relates, without further proof being required. And upon the issue of such certificate, there shall be paid to the Registrar General a fee of Five Shillings. ,31. No person charged with the duty of registering any birth or death or of registering any marriage, who shall discover any error to have been committed, in the form or substance of any such entry shall be therefore liable to any of the penalties hereby imposed, if within one calendar month next after the discovery of such error, in the presence of the parents of the child, whose birth may have been so registered, or of the parties married, or of the inmates of the house or tenement where the death registered may have occurred, or in case of the death or absence of the respective parties aforesaid, then in the presence of the Deputy Registrar, and of two

credible witnesses, who shall respectively attest the same, he shall correct the erroneous entry in the margin without any alteration of the original entry, and shall sign the marginal entry, and add thereunto the day of the month and year, when such correction shall be made. Provided also, that in the case of a marriage register, he shall make the like marginal entry attested in like manner in the Marriage Register Book, and in every case shall make the like alteration in the certified copy of the Register book, to be made by him as aforesaid, or in case such certified copy shall have been already made, provided he shall make and deliver in like manner, a separate certified copy of the original erroneous entry, aad of the marginal corrections therein made.

V. PENALTIES. 82. Every person who shall wilfully make or cause to be made, for the purpose of being inserted in any Register of Births, Deaths, or Marriages, any false statement, touching any of the particulars herein required to be known and registered, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 33. Every person who shall refuse, or without reasonable cause omit to register any Marriage solemnised by him, or in his presence, or which he ought to register, and every deputy registrar who shall refuse or without reasonable cause, omit to register any Birth, or Death, or Marriage, of which he shall have had due notice as aforesaid ; and every person having the custody of any Register Book, or certified copy thereof, or of any part thereof, who shall carelessly lose, or injure the same, or carelessly allow the same to be injured whilst in his keeping, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding (£5O), for every such offence, to be recovered in a summary way. 34. Every person who shall wilfully destroy, or injure, or cause to be destroyed, or injured, any such Register Book, or any part, or certified copy of any part thereof, or shall falsely make or counterfeit, or cause to be falsely made, or counterfeited, any part of any such register book, or certified copy thereof, or shall wilfully insert, or cause to be inserted in any register book, or certified copy thereof, any false entry of any Birth, Death, or Marriage, or shall wilfully give any false certificate, or shall certify any writing to be a copy or extract of any register book, knowing the same register to be false in any part thereof, or shall forge, or counterfeit the seal of the Registrar General, or of any Deputy Registrar, shall be deemed and adjudged to be guilty of felony, and shall be transported for the term of 14 years. 35. Every person who is hereby required to make and deliver to the Registrar General, a certified copy of the entries of any Births, Deaths, or Marriages, registered by him, or the certificate herein required, that there have been no entries since the last certificate, and who after being duly required to deliver such certified copy, or such certificate as aforesaid, shall refuse, or during one calendar month, neglect so to do, shall be liable for every such offence, to forfeit a sum not exceeding £10, to be recovered in a summary way.

VI. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. 36. All Fees collected under the authority of this Ordinance, or of the Ordinance for regulating Marriages in the colony of New Zealand, by any Registrar General, or Deputy Registrar, shall be accounted for quarterly, and paid over to the Colonial Treasurer, or the Treasurer of the district, for the public uses of the colony, and for the support of the Government thereof. 37. Nothing herein contained shall apply to the registration of the Births, Deaths, or Marriages of persons of the native race. Provided that this Ordinance shall come into operation in respect of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages, of such persons, in such districts, and at such times,- as the Governor shall by proclamation from time to time appoint. 38. This Ordinance shall come into operation on the first day of January, 1848. 39. For the purposes of this Ordinance, the word " Governor," shall be taken to include the Lieutenant-Governor, or other the Officer administering the government for the time being.