1352

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

No. 43

may lawfully be taken or killed under a license in the district
within the boundaries of which such land is situated. The
skins of all opossums so killed may only be disposed of as
provided by regulation 7 hereof.

5. It shall be the duty of every person desiring to take or
   kill opossums in any State forest, provisional State forest,
   forest reserve, forest plantation reserve, bush reserve, timber
   reserve, reserve for the growth and preservation of timber,
   to obtain the written consent of a Conservator of Forests
   or of a responsible officer of the State Forest service having
   control thereof; or in any Crown lands, scenic reserve, or
   any public reserve, to obtain the written consent of the Com-
   missioner of Crown Lands or of any Board having control
   thereof. Notification of consent must be endorsed on the
   license by the issuing officer. This authority must be pre-
   sented when applying for the issue of a license to take or
   kill opossums in any area mentioned in this regulation, and
   no license shall be issued without the production of such
   written authority.

6. The holder of any such license is not entitled by virtue
   of such license to enter upon any private land without the
   consent of the owner or occupier thereof; or upon any State
   forest, provisional State forest, forest reserve, forest planta-
   tion reserve, bush reserve, timber reserve, or reserve for the
   growth and preservation of timber, without the written
   authority of a Conservator of Forests or of a responsible
   officer of the State Forest service having control thereof;
   or upon any Crown land, scenic reserve, or any public reserve
   without the written authority of a Commissioner of Crown
   Lands or of any Board having control thereof.

7. No person shall dispose of opossum skins by gift, sale,
   or otherwise howsoever unless such skins bear the official
   mark, and no person shall dispose of opossum skins for gain
   unless sold to or by a licensed broker.

This regulation shall not apply to skins which have already
been sold through a licensed broker and are stamped to in-
dicate royalty has been paid, and such skins may be disposed
of by the purchaser in such manner as he sees fit:

8. A person consigning or delivering skins of opossums to
   a licensed broker for sale must send therewith a true and
   correct statement in writing, in the form No. 2 in the
   First Schedule hereto, signed by him, specifying the nature
   and number of skins, and certifying that such skins were
   obtained from animals taken or killed in a district for which
   an open season prevailed during the time such animals
   were taken or killed, and such skins must be produced to
   the secretary or to the ranger of the acclimatization society
   in whose district the skins were taken, or to a Postmaster
   in that district, in order that such person may place his
   certificate at the foot of such statement. No person shall
   accept delivery of such skins unless accompanied by such
   statement and certificate. Any person committing a breach
   of this regulation shall for every such offence be liable to a
   penalty not exceeding £20.

Such statement shall be made in duplicate, one copy to
accompany the skins forwarded for sale, and the other copy
to be forwarded direct to the Under-Secretary, Department of
Internal Affairs.

9. No person shall act as a broker under these regulations
   without first taking out an annual license, to be called a
   broker's license, in the form No. 3 in the First Schedule
   hereto. Such license may be obtained from the Under-
   Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs, on application in
   the form No. 4 in the First Schedule hereto, upon pay-
   ment of a fee of 21s., and shall expire on the 30th day of
   April following the date thereof:

Provided that a separate license must be taken out in
respect of every branch of any business.

10. It shall be the duty of every licensed broker to collect
    from the vendor a royalty of ls. on every skin sold to or by
    him, upon which he shall be allowed a commission of £5 per
    cent., payable after his returns have been sent in as provided
    in regulation 14. Such royalty shall be paid to the authorized
    officer before the royalty-paid stamp is affixed by him.

11. No skins shall be delivered by a licensed broker unless
    they have been stamped to show that the royalty has been
    paid:

Provided that skins in possession of a broker which have
not been stamped, and upon which royalty has not been paid,
may be delivered to the buyer or returned to the seller
where authority to do so has been granted by the Under-
Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs; and such autho-
rity may be granted on such conditions as the said Under-
Secretary thinks fit to impose.

12. For the purpose of complying with these regulations,
    the licensed broker shall notify the officer appointed to
    stamp skins and collect royalty from brokers at least three
    days before any auction sale of skins takes place; and in
    case of a private sale, such notification must be given
    immediately the sale is effected,

Notwithstanding anything contained herein, the royalty
may be paid after the sale takes place, on the condition
that the broker will be responsible for such royalty.

13. Every licensed broker shall keep a register in the form
    No. 5 in the First Schedule hereto, and shall on receipt
    of any opossum skins enter therein the correct name, address,
    and occupation of each company, firm, or person from whom
    such skins are obtained for sale, indicating the locality where
    the opossums were taken and to whom such skins are sold.
    Such register shall be produced for inspection on demand by
    any constable, officer of an acclimatization society, ranger, or
    authorized officer.

14. Every licensed broker shall, immediately the sale of any
    opossum skins takes place, forward to the secretary of the
    acclimatization society in whose district the opossums were
    taken a catalogue of such sale, giving the names of the sellers
    and buyers; and, immediately after the last day of each
    month, shall forward to the Under-Secretary, Department of
    Internal Affairs, a certified copy of the entries made during
    the month in the register referred to in regulation 13, noting
    thereon the number of opossum skins then in his possession.

15. Any person who retains opossum skins for his own
    use, or for the purpose of preserving and manufacturing into
    rugs, coats, or other articles, shall pay a royalty of ls. per
    skin as provided in the foregoing regulations, and such skins
    must have the royalty-paid stamp affixed by the authorized
    officer before such skins are tanned or prepared for tanning
    or other method of preservation.

16. Except as provided in these regulations, every owner
    of an opossum skin not bearing the official mark shall pay to
    an authorized officer a royalty of one shilling (ls.) in respect
    thereof within one month from the date of these regulations
    or within one month from the date of the skin coming into his
    possession, whichever is the later. It shall be the duty of
    such authorized officer to have the said skin stamped with
    the appropriate official mark immediately such royalty is paid.

17. All opossum skins in the possession of any person
    shall, on demand by any constable, officer of an acclimatization
    society, ranger, or authorized officer, be produced for inspec-
    tion; and any person illegally in possession of skins is liable,
    on conviction, to a fine of £10, and to a further fine of £5
    for each skin found in his possession, and such skins shall be
    forfeited and become the property of the Crown.

18. No person shall at any time have possession of any
    opossum skin which does not bear an official mark thereon;
    provided, however, that it shall not be a breach of this regula-
    tion to have possession of any such skin-

(a.) Within one month from the date on which the same
was taken, if the same is lawfully taken in any of
the places mentioned in regulation 25; or

(b.) At any time within one month from the close of the
open season, if the same is lawfully taken during the
-open season in any other place in New Zealand; or

(c.) At any time within one month from the date of im-
portation if the same is imported;

and provided also that the Under-Secretary, Department of
Internal Affairs, may extend such periods subject to such
conditions as he thinks fit to impose.

19. It shall be an offence for any person to perforate or
    otherwise stamp or mark an opossum skin in such a way as
    to suggest that the appropriate official mark has been affixed
    by an authorized officer, and the offence shall be punishable
    by a fine of £50 in addition to forfeiture of the skin or skins
    concerned, and such skins shall, upon the conviction of such
    person, be forfeited to His Majesty.

20. All opossum skins imported into the Dominion, other
    than those in a manufactured state, must be stamped by an
    authorized officer with the appropriate official mark as proof
    of importation; and every person importing skins must,
    within three days after the receipt of such skins, notify that
    officer. No royalty shall be payable in respect of any such
    skins :

Provided that no opossum skins imported into the Dominion
shall be disposed of for gain unless they are sold in the manner
provided by regulation 7 and have been stamped with the
appropriate official mark to indicate that royalty has been
paid.

21. (1.) No person shall export or attempt to export
    opossum skins without the consent in writing of the Under-
    Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs:

Provided that this shall not apply to skins made up as
coats, rugs, muffs, or articles of personal or domestic or
household use or ornament.

(2.) No person shall export or attempt to export opossum
skins unless they have been stamped with the appropriate
official mark.

22. There shall be paid to the acclimatization society in
    whose districts opossums were taken or killed such propor-
    tion of the fees, fines, and royalties in respect thereof as may
    be decided by the Governor-General in Council.