Feb. 19.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 501

(a.) A statutory declaration made by any clergyman, Justice, Postmaster, or other reputable person, who therein declares to what he either knows of his own knowledge to be true, or from inquiries made by him believes to be true; or
(b.) Any other documentary evidence, whether strictly legal evidence or not; or
(c.) The sworn spoken evidence of any reputable person who deposes to what, from inquiries made by him, he believes to be true; or
(d.) The knowledge or observation of the Magistrate himself.

(6.) The valuations for the time being appearing in the general valuation roll under “The Government Valuation of Land Act, 1896,” shall, so far as the same are applicable, be used for the purpose of assessing the net capital value of the accumulated property of claimants for pensions. A life tenant of any land must be treated as the owner.

17. It shall be the duty of all Government officers and members of the Police Force to assist claimants in the preparation and investigation of their pension-claims.

PENSION-CLAIMS UNDER SECTION 8 OF THE AMENDMENT ACT, 1902.

18. Any claimant or pensioner wishing to avail himself of the provisions of this section shall, in addition to making a claim on Form 1, likewise make application on the form numbered 1B in the Schedule hereto. After satisfying himself so far as he is able that the applicant is otherwise qualified to receive a pension, the Deputy Registrar shall forward Form 1B to the Registrar, who shall procure all possible information from the books of the Valuer-General as to the value of the dwelling and the freehold land upon which such dwelling is situated, and forward the same to the Public Trustee.

When the Public Trustee has agreed to accept the transfer or conveyance of the property the application shall be returned to the Deputy Registrar, who will at once proceed with the investigation of the claim in the ordinary way.

If the Magistrate’s decision is that the claim is established, he shall, in lieu of the certificate on form numbered 6, sign the certificate on the said application.

Forthwith upon receipt of the certificate the Deputy Registrar shall note the purport thereof in his Old-age Pension Register, and, after giving it the next available number therein, forward it by registered letter to the Registrar, who shall issue a pension-certificate as provided by Regulation 12.

In the event of the applicant for a pension under this section being already an old-age pensioner, the application must be treated as a new claim, and given a new number, and shall not take effect until the expiry of the pension then existing, which shall be cancelled at the said date of expiry.

On the death of any pensioner or survivor of a pensioner under this section, the Registrar, on receipt of the notice of death, shall notify the same to the Public Trustee, who shall proceed to act as provided by subsection (5) of the aforesaid section. All moneys payable by way of refund shall be paid into the Public Account to the credit of “The Old-age Pensions Act, 1898,” and the bank receipt forwarded to the Registrar.

Where the Registrar has reason to believe that the premises are not being maintained in good order and substantial repair, or the rates and the assessments payable thereon are not being paid, he shall withhold payment of the instalments, and shall, if necessary, apply such instalments to meet the cost of repairs that may be deemed to be necessary, or to pay the aforesaid rates and assessments.

OLD-AGE PENSION REGISTER.

19. The Old-age Pension Register shall contain particulars of each Magistrate’s certificate received, whether it be a certificate of establishment or of renewal; and likewise particulars of each transfer warrant received by the Deputy Registrar, and shall be in the form numbered 7 in the Schedule hereto.

20. In addition to the particulars prescribed in section 32 of the principal Act, the Old-age Pension Register shall contain a “Remarks” column, in which shall be recorded the transfer of a pension-certificate to the Register of another district, the change of office of payment, the issue of a duplicate pension-certificate, the issue of a warrant or of an order of a Court, the cancellation of a warrant or certificate, the forfeiture of a pension or of any instalment, the death of a pensioner, the alteration in the amount of a pension, and any other circumstance affecting the payment of a pension. And the Deputy Registrar shall, in respect of every such record, forthwith advise the Registrar thereof by telegraph, or by notice in the form numbered 8 in the Schedule hereto; provided that any record made on or after the 20th day of the month relating to the payment

of the instalment payable on the 1st day of the subsequent month shall be advised by telegraph.

PENSION-CERTIFICATES.

21. The pension-certificate shall set out the date on which the pension commences, which in the case of the first year’s pension shall be the first day of the calendar month next after the date of the Magistrate’s certificate, and in the case of renewal the same date in each year thereafter.

22. If a pensioner loses his pension-certificate he may make application, by statutory declaration, in the form numbered 9 in the Schedule hereto, to the Deputy Registrar for the district of registry of the lost certificate, for a duplicate certificate; and the Deputy Registrar, if satisfied that the original certificate has been lost, shall forward the application to the Registrar for the issue of the said duplicate.

23. Such duplicate shall be a duplicate original of the lost certificate, and shall bear across its face the word “Duplicate,” together with a note in writing under the hand of the Registrar, or such person as he may appoint, stating the date on which the duplicate is issued, and the Post Office shall be instructed to pay on duplicate only:

Provided that no authority shall be given for the payment on said duplicate of any instalment which at the date of application has become forfeited. (See also Regulation 32.)

TRANSFERS.

24. The application for transfer of a pension-certificate from the Register in one district to the Register in another shall be in the form numbered 10 in the Schedule hereto, and with respect thereto the following provisions shall apply:—
    (1.) It shall not be granted unless the Deputy Registrar to whom the application is made is satisfied that the applicant is about to change or has permanently changed his residence to the new district, nor unless the pension-certificate is lodged with the application.
    (2.) For the purpose of effecting the transfer the Deputy Registrar shall issue a transfer warrant in the form numbered 11 in the Schedule hereto, and transmit the same, together with the pension-certificate, to the Deputy Registrar of the new district, giving the new address of the pensioner.
    (3.) The Deputy Registrar shall also transmit or cause to be transmitted all Court papers relating to the original granting of the pension, and any renewal thereof, to the Magistrate’s Court nearest to the residence of the pensioner.
    (4.) The Deputy Registrar issuing the warrant shall note the transfer in his Old-age Pension Register, and shall forthwith advise the Registrar of all particulars of the change, as provided in Regulation 20, giving the date of the first instalment payable in the new district.
    (5.) The Deputy Registrar receiving the aforesaid warrant and pension-certificate shall note the contents of the warrant in his Old-age Pension Register, and, after supplying the new number by which it is recorded, forward it by first mail to the Registrar, and shall deliver the pension-certificate to the pensioner, having first noted thereon the new number and the names of the new district and paying office.
    (6.) No transfer warrant shall be made to date back to cover an instalment already forfeited.

25. If the pensioner or other person entitled to receive payment of the instalments of a pension desires that the office of payment be changed, he shall make application in the form numbered 12 in the Schedule hereto to the Deputy Registrar of the old-age pension district in which the pension-certificate is registered, and shall produce to the Deputy Registrar the pension-certificate, whereupon the Deputy Registrar shall record the change thereon, and also in the Old-age Pension Register, and shall also notify the Registrar as provided by Regulation 20: Provided that no change shall be made to date back to cover an instalment already forfeited.

PAYMENT OF PENSIONS, AND MATTERS RELATING THERETO.

26. The Registrar shall furnish to the Postmaster-General, before the commencement of each year, a schedule setting out the names of all pensioners in each district, together with their respective numbers, the money-order offices at which instalments are payable, the month of expiry, and the amount of instalment in each case, and these schedules shall be supplemented from time to time by schedules containing similar particulars relating to new pensions granted and pensions transferred.

27. The Postmaster-General shall, in respect of each such pension scheduled, provided it has not previously been struck out, or payment stopped thereon by order of the Registrar, transmit to the paying office in every month a form of advice of payment of the instalment due on the 1st of the following