STATUTORY RULES.

1917. No. 306.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE WAR PRECAUTIONS ACT 1914-16.

I, SIR ARTHUR LYULPH STANLEY, Governor of the State of Victoria and its Dependencies, acting as the Deputy of the Governor-General in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the War Precautions Act 1914-16 to come into operation forthwith.

Dated this 23rd day of November, One thousand nine hundred and seventeen.

A. L. STANLEY,

Deputy of the Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

G. F. PEARCE,

Minister of State for Defence.

Amendment of the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations.

(Statutory Rules 1917, No. 290, as amended by Statutory Rules 1917 No. 304.)

1. After Regulation 19 of the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations, the following Regulation is inserted: —

“19a.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in these Regulations, any person resident in the Territory for the Seat of Government.—

(a) whose name is on the electoral list compiled for the purpose by the prescribed officer or a person thereto authorized by him; and

(b) who has reason to believe that he will not on polling day be within the Territory,

may, subject to this Regulation, vote upon attending before any Commonwealth Electoral Registrar appointed or authorized for the purpose by the Commonwealth Returning Officer for the Territory at such place and at such time (after the issue of the writ for the Referendum, and, not later than 6 o’clock on the afternoon of the day immediately preceding polling day) as are fixed for the purpose by the Commonwealth Electoral Registrar.

“(2) Before any person is permitted to vote in pursuance of this Regulation he must complete an absent voter’s declaration to be supplied for the purpose by the Commonwealth Electoral Registrar.

C.15690.—Price 3d.

“(3) The form of absent voter’s declaration used by any person voting under this Regulation may be in accordance with the form of declaration used by an elector of the Commonwealth voting before a Commonwealth Electoral Registrar before polling day, with such modifications, variations, and adaptations as the Chief Electoral Officer thinks necessary.”

2. The proviso to Sub-regulation (2) of Regulation 22 of the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917 is amended—

(a) by omitting the words “claiming to vote”; and

(b) by omitting the word “if” and inserting in its stead the words “but shall not be allowed to vote unless”.

3. Regulation 25 of the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917 is amended—

(a) by omitting from Sub-regulation (4) thereof the words “but does not satisfy the Presiding Officer that he is one of the persons specified in the proviso to Sub-regulation (2) or paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of Sub-regulation (4) of Regulation 22 of these Regulations; and

(b) by adding at the end of Sub-regulation (9) the words “as nearly as possible in the same manner as absent voters’ ballot-papers”.

4. After Regulation 42 of the War Precautions (Military Service Referendum) Regulations 1917 the following Regulations are inserted:—

Injuring posters, &c., re Referendum.

“43. Any person who without authority (proof whereof shall lie upon him) destroys, injures, disfigures or removes any poster, proclamation or official notice relating to the Referendum which purports to have been printed by a Government Printer, or which have been issued by or with the authority of the Chief Electoral Officer, shall be guilty of an offence.

Disturbing meetings.

“44.—(1) Any person who, at any public meeting held in relation to the Referendum, acts in a disorderly manner or wilfully disturbs the meeting, shall be guilty of an offence.

“(2) Any member of the Police Force of a State may, of his own motion, and any person may, at the direction of the Chairman of any such meeting or the person addressing the meeting, remove from the meeting any person who has acted in a disorderly manner at the meeting or has disturbed the meeting, and any person who resists removal from the meeting in accordance with this Sub-regulation shall be guilty of an offence.

Procedure upon offences against Regulations 43 and 44.

“45.—(1) Any person who has committed an offence against the provisions of either of the last two preceding Regulations may be arrested without warrant by any member of the Police Force of a State.

“(2) The provisions of Sub-regulations (2) and (3) of Regulation 42 of these Regulations shall apply in relation to offences committed against the provisions of the last two preceding Regulations in like manner as they apply to offences against the provisions of that Regulation.”

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.