May 21.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1655

272. A Proclamation by the Governor-General that any land vested in the Crown is free from Native title shall in all Courts and in all proceedings be accepted as conclusive proof of the fact so proclaimed.

273. No Crown grant, Crown lease, or other alienation or disposition of land by the Crown shall in any Court or in any proceedings be questioned or invalidated or in any manner affected by reason of the fact that the Native title to that land has not been duly extinguished.

PART X.
MARRIAGE.

274. With respect to marriage the prohibited degrees of consanguinity and affinity shall be the same in Samoa as for the time being in New Zealand, and every marriage entered into between persons within those prohibited degrees shall be wholly void.

275. Every marriage in Samoa shall take place in the presence of a marriage officer as hereinafter defined, and of at least two other witnesses, and otherwise shall be wholly void.

276. The term “marriage officer” means a person licensed as a marriage officer under this Order.

277. (1.) The Administrator may, by warrant under his hand and the seal of Samoa, license as a marriage officer for Western Samoa any minister of religion or other person whom he believes to be a fit and proper person to be so appointed.

(2.) Any such license may be at any time revoked by the Administrator in like manner.

278. If any person solemnizes a marriage or otherwise acts as a marriage officer in Samoa without being licensed as a marriage officer under this Order, he shall be guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment for three years.

279. (1.) A marriage officer shall not solemnize or record any marriage unless notice in writing of the intention of the parties to enter into such marriage has been given to the marriage officer by one of the parties thereto at least two clear days before the day of the marriage.

(2.) On receipt of such notice the marriage officer shall publish the same in such manner as he thinks sufficient to give due publicity to the intended marriage.

(3.) On every such notice there shall be payable by the person giving the same such fee (if any) as may be prescribed by the Administrator, and all such fees shall be payable into the Samoan Treasury.

(4.) No marriage shall be invalidated by any breach of the requirements of this clause.

280. Every marriage shall, subject to the provisions of this Part of this Order, be solemnized in such manner as the marriage officer thinks fit.

281. Every marriage shall, at the time of the solemnization thereof, be recorded in writing by the marriage officer in the form and with the several particulars prescribed by the Administrator, but no marriage shall be invalidated by any error or defect in such form or in the particulars so required to be recorded.

282. The aforesaid record of every marriage shall be signed by the parties thereto, and by two witnesses, and by the marriage officer, all being present at the same time, and when the record has been so signed the marriage shall be deemed to be fully solemnized and shall take effect.

283. The record of every marriage shall be forthwith delivered by the marriage officer to the Registrar of the High Court, and shall be preserved by the Registrar in the same manner as if it was a record of the High Court.

284. A marriage officer shall not solemnize or record any marriage unless the husband is at least eighteen years of age and the wife is at least fourteen years of age, but no marriage shall be invalidated by a breach of the provisions of this clause.

285. (1.) A marriage officer shall not solemnize or record the marriage of any man under the age of twenty-one years or of any woman under the age of nineteen years without the consent of one of the parents of such man or woman, if either of those parents is alive and resident in Samoa.

Proclamation to be conclusive as to Native title.

No alienation of land by the Crown to be invalid by reason of Native title thereto not having been duly extinguished.

Prohibited degrees of consanguinity.

Marriages to take place before marriage officer.

“Marriage officer” defined.

Appointment of marriage officers.

Offence.

Notice of marriage.

Mode of solemnization.

Record of marriage.

Signature of record.

Transmission of record.

Minimum age of marriage.

Marriage of minors.