(7.) The acknowledgment of registry.] 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.

(8.) Appeals from refusal to register.] If any registrar refuse to register the society or any rules, the society may appeal from such refusal, as follows:

(a.) If the assistant registrar for Scotland refuse to register, to cither division of the Inner House of the Court of Session:

(b.) If the assistant registrar for Ireland refuse to register, to the Court of Queen's Bench at Dublin :

(c.) If the central office or the chief registrar refuse to register, to the Court of Queen's Bench in England:

(d.) The Court of Session, the Court of Queen's Bench at Dublin, and the Judges of the Court of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court in England respectively, may make rules or orders as to the form of appeals and the trying thereof and otherwise relating thereto.

(9.) If refusal overruled, acknowledgment to be given.] If the refusal of registry be overruled on appeal, an acknowledgment of registry shall thereupon be given to the society by the registrar.

(10.) Effect of acknowledgment of registry.] The acknowledgment of registry shall be conclusive evidence that the society therein mentioned is duly registered, unless it be proved that the registry of the society has been suspended or cancelled.

8. Cancelling and suspension of registry.] With respect to the cancel ling or suspension of registry the following provisions shall have effect:

(1.) Cancelling.] The chief registrar, or, in the case of societies registered and doing business in Scotland or Ireland exclusively, the assistant registrar for Scotland or Ireland respectively, may cancel the registry of a society by writing under his hand,

(a.) If he thinks fit, at the request of a society, to be evidenced in such manner as he shall from time to time direct. (b.) With the approval of the Treasury, on proof to his satisfaction that an acknowledgment of registry has been obtained by fraud or mistake, or that a society exists for an illegal purpose, or has wilfully and after notice from a registrar whom it may concern violated any of the provisions of this Act, or has ceased to exist.

(2.) Suspension.] The chief or assistant registrar, in any case in which he might, with the approval of the Treasury, cancel the registry of a society, may suspend the same, by writing under his hand, for any term not exceeding three months, and may, with the approval of the Treasury, renew such suspension from time to time for the like period.

(3.) Notice of cancelling or suspension.] Not less than two months previous notice in writing, specifying briefly the ground of any proposed cancelling or suspension of registry, shall be given by the chief or

assistant registrar to a society before the registry of the same can be cancelled (except at its request) or suspended; and notice of every cancelling or suspension shall be published in the Gazette, and in some newspaper circulating in the county in which the registered office of the society is situated, as soon as practicable after the same takes place.

(4.) Appeal from cancelling or suspension.] A society may appeal from the cancelling of its registry, or from any suspension of the same which is renewed after six months, in manner herein provided for appeals from the chief registrar's, or the registrar's refusal to register respectively.

(5.) Effect of cancelling or suspension.] A society whose registry has been suspended or cancelled shall from the time of such suspension or cancelling (but if suspended, only whilst such suspension lasts, and subject also to the right of appeal hereby given) absolutely cease to enjoy as such the privileges of a registered society, but without prejudice to any liability actually incurred by such society, which may be enforced against the same as if such suspension or cancelling had not taken place.

9. Rules and amendments.] With respect to the rules of societics the following provisions shall have effect:

(1.) Provisions to be contained in rules.] The rules of every society sent for registry shall contain provisions in respect of the several matters mentioned in the second schedule to this Act.

(2.) Amendments to be registered.] No amendment of a rule made by a registered society shall be valid until the same has been registered under this Act, for which purpose copies of the same, signed by three members and the secretary, shall be sent to the registrar.

(3.) Provision applicable to amendments.] The provision herein contained as to appeals from a refusal of registry shall apply to amendments of rules.

(4.) Acknowledgment of registry of amendments.] The registrar shall, on being satisfied that any amendment of a rule is not contrary to the provisions of this Act, issue to the society an acknowledgment of registry of the same, which shall be conclusive evidence that the same is duly registered.

(5.) Copies of rules to be delivered on demand.] A copy of the rules of a registered society shall be delivered by the society to every person on demand, on payment of a sum not exceeding one shilling.

(6). Delivery of untrue rules.] If any person, with intent to mislead or defraud, gives to any other person a copy of any rules, laws, regulations, or other documents, other than the rules for the time being registered under this Act, on the pretence that the same are existing rules of a registered society, or that there are no other rules of such society, or gives to any person a copy of any rules on the pretence that such rules are the rules of a registered society when the society is not registered, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

10. Duties and obligations of societies.] With respect to the duties and obligations of registered societies the following provisions shall have effect: (1.) Every society shall

(a.) Registered office.] Have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed, and send to the registrar notice of the situation of such office, and of every change therein:

(b.) Publication of name.] Paint or affix, and keep painted or affixed, its name on the outside of every office or place in which the business of the society is carried on, in a conspicuous position, in letters easily legible, and have its name engraven in legible characters on its seal, and have its name mentioned in legible characters in all notices, advertisements, and other official publications of the society, and in all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques, and orders for money or goods, purporting to be signed by or on behalf of such society, and in all bills of parcels, invoices, receipts, and letters of credit of the society: (c.) Audit.] Once at least in every year submit its accounts for audit either to one of the public auditors appointed as herein mentioned, or to two or more persons appointed as the rules of the society provide, who shall have access to all the books and accounts of the society, and shall examine the general statements of the receipts and expenditure, funds and effects of the society, and verify the same with the accounts and vouchers relating thereto, and shall either sign the same as found by them to be correct, duly vouched, and in accordance with law, or specially report to the society in what respects they find it incorrect, unvouched, or not in accordance with law:

(d.) Annual returns.] Once in every year before the first day of June send to the registrar a general statement (to be called the annual return) of the receipts and expenditure, funds and effects of the society as audited, which shall show separately the expenditure in respect of the several objects of the society, and shall be made out to the thirty-first December then last inclusively, and shall state whether the audit has been conducted by a public auditor appointed as by this Act is provided, and by whom, and if by any person other than a public auditor, shall state the name, address, and calling or profession of each such person, and the manner in which and the authority under which he is appointed, and together therewith shall send a copy of the auditor's report:

(e.) Inspection of books.] Allow any member or person having an interest in the funds of the society to inspect the books and the names of the members at all reasonable hours at the registered office of the society, or at any place where the same are kept; subject to such regulations as to the time and manner of such inspection as may be made from time to time by the

general meetings of the society, except that no such member or person, unless he be an officer of the society, or be specially authorised by a resolution thereof, shall have the right to inspect a loan or deposit account of any other member without the written consent of such member:

(f.) Supplying copies of annual returns.] Supply gratuitously to every member or person interested in the funds of the society, on his application, a copy of the last annual return of the society for the time being:

(g.) Balance sheet, dc. to be hung up at office.] Keep a copy of the last balance sheet for the time being, together with the report of the auditors, always hung up in a conspicuous place at the registered office of the society.

(2.) Provisions as to banking.] The following provisions shall apply to the business of banking by societies-

(a.) No society which has any withdrawable share capital shall carry on the business of banking:

(b.) Every society which carries on the business of banking shall, on the first Mondays in February and August in each year, make out and keep conspicuously hung up in its registered office, and every other place of business belonging to it, a statement in the form in the third schedule hereto annexed, or as near thereto as the circumstances admit :

(c.) The taking deposits of not more than five shillings in any one payment, nor more than twenty pounds for any one depositor, payable on not less than two clear days notice, shall not be included in the business of banking within the meaning of this Act; but no society which takes such deposits shall make any payment of withdrawable capital while any claim due on account of any such deposit is unsatisfied.

(3.) Offences.] It shall be an offence under this Act if any registered society

(a.) Fails to give any notice, send any return or document, or do or allow to be done any act or thing which the society is by this Act required to give, send, do, or allow to be done :

(b.) Wilfully neglects or refuses to do any act or to furnish any information required for the purposes of this Act by the chief or any other registrar or other person authorised under this Act, or does any act or thing forbidden by this Act:

(c.) Makes a return or wilfully furnishes information in any respect

false or insufficient:

(d) Carries on the business of banking having any withdrawable share capital, or in carrying on such business does not make out and keep conspicuously hung up such statement as is herein before required, or makes any payment of withdrawable capital contrary to the provision hereinbefore contained. (4.) Offences by societies to be also offences by officers, &c.] Every offence by a society under this Act shall be deemed to have been also

committed by every officer of the same bound by the rules thereof to fulfil the duty whereof such offence is a breach, or if there be no such officer, then by every member of the committee of the same, unless such member be proved to have been ignorant of or to have attempted to prevent the commission of such offence; and every act or default under this Act constituting an offence, if continued, shall constitute a new offence in every week during which the same continues.

(5.) Returns to be in prescribed form.] Every return and other document required for the purposes of this Act shall be made in such form and shall contain such particulars as the chief registrar prescribes.

(6.) Recording of documents.] All documents by this section required to be sent to the registrar shall be deposited with the rules of the societies to which the same respectively relate, and shall be registered or recorded by the registrar, with such observations thereon, if any, as the chief registrar shall direct.

11. Privileges of societies.] Registered societies shall be entitled to the following privileges:

(1.) Incorporation of society with limited liability.] The registration of a society shall render it a body corporate by the name described in the acknowledgment of registry by which it may sue and be sued, with perpetual succession and a common seal, and with limited liability; and shall vest in the society all property for the time being vested in any person in trust for the society; and all legal proceedings pending by or against the trustees of any such society may be prosecuted by or against the society in its registered name without abatement.

(2.) Rules to bind the members.] The rules of the society shall bind the society and all members thereof and all persons claiming through them respectively to the same extent as if each member had subscribed his name and affixed his seal thereto, and there were contained in such rules a covenant on the part of himself, his heirs, executors, and administrators, to conform thereto, subject to the provisions of this Act: Provided that a society registered at the time when this Act comes into operation, or the members thereof, may respectively exercise any power given by this Act, and not made to depend on the provisions of its rules, notwithstanding any provision contained in any rule thereof certified before this Act was passed.

(3.) Moneys due from members to be a debt recoverable from them.] All moneys payable by a member to the society shall be a debt due from such member to the society, and shall be recoverable as such either in the county court of the district in which the registered office of the society is situate, or that of the district in which such member resides, at the option of the society.

(4.) Exemption from income tax.] The society shall not be chargeable under Schedule (C.) or Schedule (D.) of the Income Tax Acts, but no member of or person employed by the same to whom any profits are paid shall be exempted from any assessment to the said duties to which he would otherwise be liable. [See Digest, p. 12, as to a modification herein made by Statute, 1880.]