Jan. 15.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 161

from the Public Trustee for the completion of Kutarere Wharf, buildings, and Kutarere Landing Road, including construction, fencing, and metalling (£2,000, less amount to be provided by the Opotiki County Council, viz., £800; total, £1,200), the number of votes recorded for the proposal was 53, and the number of votes recorded against the proposal was 0.

I therefore declare that the proposal was carried.

Dated this 24th day of December, 1919.

WALTER REID, County Chairman.

Result of Poll for Proposed Loan.

Wellington, 13th January, 1920.

THE following notice, received from the Chairman of the Council of the County of Whangarei, is published in accordance with the provisions of the Local Bodies’ Loans Act, 1913.

J. ALLEN,
Minister of Finance.

WHANGAREI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Result of Poll on Proposal to raise a Loan.

In pursuance of section 12 of the Local Bodies’ Loans Act, 1908, and its amendments, public notice is hereby given that a poll of ratepayers of the special loan area known as the “Hikurangi No. 2 Special Rating Area” was held on Wednesday, the 17th day of December, 1919, on the proposal to borrow the sum of £6,000 for the purpose of—

(a.) Forming, constructing, and metalling of roads within the said Hikurangi No. 2 Special Loan Area: £5,050.

(b.) Repayment of existing loan, Hikurangi No. 1 (approximate): £950

and resulted as follows: Total number of votes recorded, 82; total number of votes in favour of proposal, 45; total number of votes against the proposal, 37; informal, nil.

I therefore declare that the proposal was rejected (the number of votes in favour of the proposal not being three-fifths of the total valid votes recorded at the poll).

W. JONES, Chairman.

H. C. HEMPHILL,
County Returning Officer.

Dated at Whangarei this 18th day of December, 1919.

Amended Statutes of the Order of the British Empire.

Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs,
Wellington, 9th January, 1920.

THE undernoted amended Statutes of the Order of the British Empire, dated 28th March, 1919, and a notification issued by the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood with regard to promotions from the Civil to the Military Division or from the Military to the Civil Division of the Order, are hereby published for general information.

F. H. D. BELL,
For Minister of Internal Affairs.

GEORGE, R. & I.

CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD.

St. James’s Palace, S.W.

FURTHER AMENDED STATUTES OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

GEORGE THE FIFTH, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these Presents shall come: Greeting.

WHEREAS by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster the fourth day of June, 1917, in the Eighth year of Our Reign, We have thought fit and been pleased to institute, erect, constitute, and create an Order of Knighthood, to be called and known for ever hereafter by the name, style, and designation of “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire,” whereof We, Our heirs and successors for ever shall be Sovereigns:

And whereas by Our aforesaid Letters Patent We did ordain that the said Order should be governed by Statutes and Ordinances and that the Statutes to be observed within the said Order should be established by Us and sealed by the Seal of the said Order which Statutes so given and in future to be given by Us, Our heirs and successors, to which the said Seal shall be affixed, should be of the same validity and taken and read as if the same and every Article of them had been verbatim recited in the said Letters Patent and passed under the Great Seal of Our said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

And whereas in conformity with the said Letters Patent of the fourth day of June, 1917, We did enact and issue certain Statutes and Ordinances to be observed within the said Order bearing the same date wherein a power was reserved to Us, Our heirs and successors of annulling, altering, augmenting, interpreting or dispensing with these Statutes and Regulations or any part thereof by a notification under the Sign Manual of the Sovereign of the Order:

And whereas we deemed it expedient that alterations should be made in the Statutes of the said Order. We therefore in pursuance of the power vested in Us by the said Letters Patent did make, ordain and establish certain amended Statutes bearing date the twelfth day of April, 1918:

And whereas it is expedient that certain further alterations should be made in the existing Statutes of the said Order:

Now know ye that in pursuance and in exercise of the power vested in Us by the said Letters Patent We have abrogated and annulled and do hereby abrogate and repeal the said Statutes:

And further know all ye to whom these Presents shall come that in substitution thereof We have made, ordained and established, and by these Presents, sealed with the Seal of the said Order, do make, ordain and establish the following Statutes and Ordinances, namely:—

1. It is ordained and enjoined that this Order of Chivalry shall be styled and designated in all Acts, proceedings, and pleadings “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” as in Our said Letters Patent is directed, and by no other designation.

2. It is ordained that the said Order shall consist of the Sovereign and a Grand Master and of five several classes:— I. “Knights Grand Cross” and “Dames Grand Cross.” II. “Knights Commanders” and “Dames Commanders.” III. “Commanders.” IV. “Officers.” V. “Members.” And it is further ordained that each and every of these five Classes shall likewise contain two sub-divisions whereof the first shall be styled “Military,” and the second “Civil,” each of which sub-divisions shall be composed partly of Ordinary and partly of Honorary Members.

3. It is ordained that We, Our heirs and successors, Kings or Queens Regnant of Our said United Kingdom, are and for ever shall be Sovereigns of this Order, to whom doth and shall belong all power of annulling, interpreting, explaining, or augmenting these and every part of these Statutes.

4. We do hereby ordain, direct and appoint that a Prince of the Blood Royal or such other exalted personage as We, Our heirs and successors shall hereafter appoint shall be Grand Master of the said Order, and shall in virtue thereof be the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of the said Order, to whose custody shall be confided the Great Seal of the Order, which he shall affix to all Statutes, Ordinances, and Instruments according to the regulations touching the issues of every of the said Instruments; and it is further ordained that it shall be his special duty to enforce the due observance of the Statutes and Ordinances of this Order, and that he shall likewise direct the issue of all letters of Summons whenever the Sovereign shall be pleased to command an Investiture of the said Most Excellent Order.

5. It is ordained that all commissioned, warrant and subordinate Officers subject to the Naval Discipline Act or employed under the Order of the Admiralty, and all commissioned and warrant Officers recommended by any Commander-in-Chief in the field or elsewhere, or by the General Officer Commanding, Independent Force, Royal Air Force, or employed under the War Office or Air Ministry, or under the Administrative Headquarters of Dominions or Overseas Forces, or employed under the Ministry of Munitions or the Ministry of National Service on work which, but for the creation of those Departments, would have been performed by the War Office; and all members of the Naval, Army, Dominions, or Overseas Nursing Services, or officials of the Women’s Royal Naval Service, Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps, or the Women’s Royal Air Force, and such commandants of the Women’s Legion or similar organizations as are under contract with or employed by the Admiralty, War Office or Air Ministry shall be eligible for appointment to the Military Division of this Order.

6. It is ordained that the persons to be admitted to the Civil Division of the said Order shall be such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to our Empire.

7. It is ordained that foreign persons upon whom We may think fit to confer the honour of being received into this Order shall be deemed to be, and described as, Honorary Knights Grand Cross or Honorary Dames Grand Cross, Honorary Knights Commanders or Honorary Dames Commanders,