Amends Form 27,
Sch.

the counterfoil, and shall put the ballot without being opened into a ballot-box to be used for the purpose of counting absent voters' ballots, and shall note on the list of voters against the number of the voter the fact that he has voted as an absent voter. If the Returning Officer finds that the name of the deponent does not appear on the list of voters for the electoral district named in the affidavit, or that some person has in fact voted as such voter at the poll held in the electoral district, or if the signatures do not appear to the Returning Officer to be identical, he shall retain the whole ballot-paper unseparated as to any part thereof and unopened as to that portion of the ballot-paper containing the candidates' names. After all absent voters' ballot-papers from a polling division have been dealt with, the ballot-box shall be opened and the Returning Officer shall proceed to count the votes given for each candidate in like manner as that provided for the counting of votes by a Presiding Officer at the close of a poll, and shall make a written statement showing the result in respect to each polling division from which votes have been received, and shall seal up in separate parcels marked, so as to indicate their contents, the counted and the rejected ballots and the unopened absent voters' ballot-papers (if any), and also that portion of each ballot-paper containing the counterfoil, and the affidavit of the voter."

21. The Schedule of said chapter 76 is amended by striking out in Form 27 the words "in full" where they occur in the sentence (Signature in full of Applicant).

VICTORIA, B.C.:

Printed by CHARLES F. BANFIELD, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

1925.

An Act respecting certain Appointments to the Executive Council and Departments of the Executive Government of the Province.

H1

[Assented to 26th November, 1925.]

IS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

1. This Act may be cited as the " Executive Appointments Valida- Short title. tion Act."

2. No act, proceeding, or thing heretofore done, taken, or made, or purporting to have been done, taken, or made, by any person as a member of the Executive Council of British Columbia, or as the Minister presiding over any department of the Executive Government of the Province, shall be declared or held to be invalid or ineffectual by reason of the fact that no Commission under the Great Seal of the Province had been theretofore issued appointing that person a member of the Executive Council of British Columbia or Minister to preside over a department of the Executive Government of the Province; and it shall not be competent for any Court to quash, set aside, or otherwise refuse to recognize the validity of any such act, proceeding, or thing by reason of the fact that no such Commission had been issued as aforesaid.

3. All persons now holding office as members of the Executive Council of British Columbia shall for all purposes be deemed to have been duly appointed prior to the tenth day of May, 1924, and to have held office as members of the Executive Council of British Columbia continuously since that time.

Validation of acts
Crown notwith-

of Ministers of the

issue Commission of appointment.

standing failure to

Declaration as to

appointments of

present members of

Executive Council.

VICTORIA, B.C.:

Printed by CHARLES F. BANFIELD, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

1925.

H1

CHAPTER 12.

[Assented to 19th December, 1925.]

IS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

R.S.B.C. 1924, c. 93; 1924, c. 20.

1. This Act may be cited as the "Forest Act Amendment Act, Short title. 1925."

2. The "Forest Act," being chapter 93 of the "Revised Statutes Enacts s. 30A. of British Columbia, 1924," is amended by inserting in Part III. the following section:

"30A. (1.) For the purpose of meeting the cost of the development and protection of forest reserves, and the planting of denuded areas and maintaining the growth of continuous crops of timber in forest reserves, there shall be established in the Treasury an account to be known as the Forest Reserve Account.'

"(2.) Before closing the books of the Treasury at the end of each fiscal year there shall be paid into the Forest Reserve Account from the Consolidated Revenue Fund an amount equal to three per centum of the gross receipts for that year from timber royalty or tax and stumpage.

"(3.) The Minister of Finance shall make payments out of the Forest Reserve Account for the purpose of subsection (1) upon vouchers certified by the Minister of Lands."

3. Section 112 of said chapter 93 is amended by inserting after Amends s. 112. the word "in," in the second line, the words "or within one-half of

a mile from."

4. Section 114 of said chapter 93 is amended by striking out the Amends s. 114. words "wilfully neglects" in the seventh line, and substituting

therefor the word "fails."

Amends s. 119.

Amends s. 128.

5. Section 119 of said chapter 93 is amended by striking out all the words of subsection (3) after the word "section" in the seventh and eighth lines.

6. Section 128 of said chapter 93 is amended by striking out subsection (1), and substituting therefor the following:

"128. (1.) It shall be lawful for any railway company, in respect of timber purchased by it, and for any person owning or operating any mill, in respect of timber purchased by him or brought to his mill, to collect the stumpage and timber royalty or tax due to the Crown, and to give receipts therefor. All moneys so received shall be accounted for and paid over to the Minister."

VICTORIA, B.C.:

Printed by CHARLES F. BANFIELD, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

1925.