assistant-registrar of friendly societies for Ireland. (herein termed "assistant-registrar for Ireland"). (2.) Every chief registrar and assistant-registrar shall be appointed by, and shall hold his office during the pleasure of, the Treasury. (3.) Every chief registrar shall be a barrister of not less than twelve years' standing, and one at least of the assistant-registrars for England and every assistant-registrar for Ireland shall be a barrister or solicitor of not less than seven years standing, and every assistant-registrar for Scotland an advocate, writer to the signet, or solicitor of not less than seven years' standing. The central office may also, with the approval of the Treasury, have attached to it such assistants skilled in the business of an actuary and an accountant as shall from time to time be required for discharging the duties imposed on the office by this Act. (4.) The central office shall exercise all the functions and powers which are now by law vested in the registrar of friendly societies or the registrar of building societies for England, or, as respects loan societies, building societies,† and societies instituted for purposes of science, literature, or the fine arts,‡ in the barrister appointed to certify the rules of savings banks or friendly societies, and shall be entitled to receive all statutory fees payable to such registrar or barrister, and all enactments relating to such registrar or barrister, so far as respects such societies as aforesaid, shall be construed as applying to the central office. (5.) The central office shall, with the approval of the Treasury, from time to time- * 3 & 4 Vict. c. 110; and 26 & 27 Vict. c. 56. 37 & 38 Vict. c. 42. 17 & 18 Vict. c. 112. (a.) Prepare and cause to be circulated, for the (b.) Collect from the returns under this Act, and (6.) The chief registrar shall every year lay before Parliament a report of his proceedings and of those of the assistant-registrars, and of the principal matters transacted by him and them, and of the valuations returned to, or caused to be made by, the registrar during the year preceding. (7.) The assistant-registrars shall, except as after provided, be subordinate to the chief registrar. They shall, within the countries for which they are respec tively appointed, exercise all functions and powers by this Act given to the registrar, and may also, by the written authority of the chief registrar, exercise such of the functions and powers by this Act given to the chief registrar as he shall from time to time delegate to them. (8.) Subject to any regulations to be made under this Act, the assistant-registrars for Scotland and Ireland respectively (a.) Exercise all the functions and powers now vested in the registrars of friendly or building societies for Scotland and Ireland respectively, or as respects building societies, and societies instituted for purposes of science, literature, or the fine arts, vested in Scotland in the Lord Advocate, or his depute appointed to certify the rules of friendly societies there, or in Ireland in the barrister appointed to certify the rules of friendly societies there, and shall be entitled to receive all fees payable to such registrar, Lord Advocate or his depute, or barrister respectively, and so that all provisions in any Acts of Parliament not hereby repealed relating to such registrar, Lord Advocate or his depute, or barrister respectively, shall be construed as applying to such assistantregistrars respectively: (b.) Send to the central office copies of all such documents registered or recorded by them as the chief registrar shall from time to time direct: (c.) Record all such documents and matters as shall be sent to them for record from the central office, and such other documents and matters as herein provided: (d.) Circulate and publish, or transmit to or from societies registered within their respective countries, from or to the central office, such information and documents relating to the purposes of this Act as the chief registrar, with the approval of the Treasury, shall from time to time direct: (e.) Report from time to time their proceedings to the chief registrar as he shall direct. (9.) No assistant-registrar for Scotland or Ireland shall refuse to record any rules or amendments of rules which have been registered by the central office. 11. Registry of societies. With respect to the registry of societies, the following provisions shall have effect : (1.) No society can be registered under this Act which does not consist of seven persons at least. (2.) For the purpose of registry, an application to register the society, signed by seven members and the secretary, and written or printed copies of the rules, together with a list of the names of the secretary and of every trustee or other officer authorized to sue and be sued on behalf of the society, shall be sent to the registrar. (3.) No society shall be registered under a name identical with that under which any other existing society is registered, or so nearly resembling such name as to be likely, or in any name likely, in the opinion of the registrar, to deceive the members or the public as to its identity, and no society shall change its name without the sanction of the chief or an assistant registrar as after provided. (4.) A society (other than a benevolent society or working men's club) shall not be disentitled to registry by reason of any rule for or practice of dividing any part of the funds thereof, if the rules thereof contain distinct provision for meeting all claims upon the society existing at the time of division, before any such division takes place. (5.) No society assuring to any member a certain annuity shall be entitled to registry, unless the tables of contributions for such assurance, certified by the actuary to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, or by some actuary approved by the Treasury, who has exercised the profession of actuary for at least five years, be sent to the registrar with the application for registry. (6.) Societies carrying or intending to carry on business in more than one country shall be registered in the country in which their registered office, as herein mentioned, is situate ;* but copies of the rules of such societies, and of all amendments of the same, shall, when registered, be sent to the registrar of each of the other countries, to be recorded by him; and until such rules be so recorded the society shall not be entitled to any of the privileges of this Act in the country in which such rules have not been recorded, and until such amendments of rules be recorded the same shall not take effect in such country. (7.) The registrar, on being satisfied that a society has complied with the provisions as to registry in force under this Act, shall issue to such society an acknowledgment of registry, which shall specify the designation of the society, according to the classification. herein set forth. (8.) If any registrar refuse to register the society or any rules, the society may appeal from such refusal, as follows: *Under the interpretation clause (ante, p. 39), "country" means England, Scotland, or Ireland, as the case may be. |