May 10.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1257

(8.) On payment of royalty by any person other than a licensed broker, both copies of such statement so certified shall be delivered to the officer authorized to receive royalty, and shall be forwarded by him to the Under-Secretary with his monthly return referred to in clause (13) of Regulation 8 hereof.

6. BROKERS’ LICENSES.

(1.) No person, firm, or corporation shall act as a broker within the meaning of these regulations without being the holder of an annual license, to be called a broker’s license, in the Form No. 4 in the First Schedule hereto.

(2.) Application for a broker’s license shall be made in writing to the Under-Secretary in the Form No. 3 in the First Schedule hereto, and shall be signed by the applicant in person or by some member of a firm, or by a manager or other responsible officer of a company, as the case may require; and in the case of a broker’s license to be issued to a partnership firm or a member thereof the application shall set out the full name and address of every partner in that firm.

(3.) A broker’s license shall be issued by the Under-Secretary, and shall expire on the 30th day of April following the date thereof and there shall be payable on the issue thereof of a fee of 21s.

(4.) It shall be sufficient compliance with this regulation on the part of a partnership firm or company if one or two or more persons carrying on business in partnership or if the manager or other person nominated in writing by the general manager of a company (as the case may be) is the holder of a broker’s license under this regulation, and in such case it shall be in the discretion of the Under-Secretary whether a broker’s license shall be issued to such firm or company or to a partner in the firm or a nominee of the company, as the case may be.

(5.) A separate broker’s license must be taken out in respect of every branch of any business.

(6.) The Under-Secretary, if he thinks that any applicant is not a fit and proper person, firm, or company to be the holder of a broker’s license, may, in his discretion, refuse to issue a license in respect of such application, whether to the person, firm, or company, or to any partner of the firm or nominee of the company in respect of such application, and shall not be required to state the grounds for such refusal.

(7.) The Under-Secretary may, on the like grounds and in the like discretion, by notice in the Gazette suspend or revoke any broker’s license already issued.

7. DUTIES OF LICENSED BROKERS.

(1.) 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 person, firm or, company from whom such skins are obtained for sale, indicating whether such skins are imported skins or the locality where the opossums were taken (as the case may be), and on the sale of any skins shall enter therein the name, address, and occupation of each person, firm, or company 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.

(2.) 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 a certified copy of the entries made during the month in the register referred to in clause (1) of this regulation, noting thereon the number of opossum-skins then in his possession.

(3.) 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; and such authority may be granted on such conditions as the Under-Secretary thinks fit to impose.

(4.) 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 any auction sale takes place on the condition that the broker gives an undertaking to the stamping officer that royalty will be paid within twenty-four hours after the sale takes place.

8. ROYALTIES.

(1.) In respect of the skin of every opossum taken or killed in New Zealand and in respect of every opossum-skin (as hereinbefore defined) imported into New Zealand, there shall be payable the sum of 1s. by way of royalty.

(2.) The said royalty shall be paid to the nearest officer authorized to receive the same, and there shall be produced to him upon payment every skin in respect of which royalty is tendered and, if the case so requires, the statement referring to such skin mentioned in clause (4) of this regulation, and such officer shall thereupon mark every such skin with the appropriate official mark.

(3.) No authorized officer having the custody or possession of the skin of any opossum taken or killed in New Zealand and not bearing the official mark shall part with the custody or possession thereof until the said royalty has been duly paid and the skin marked accordingly.

(4.) In no case shall any authorized officer affix the official mark to any skin until there has been produced to and checked by him a duly certified statement in the Form No. 2 in the First Schedule to these regulations as prescribed by regulation 5 hereof relating to such skin, unless he is satisfied by such evidence as he may require that such skin is of an opossum not taken or killed in New Zealand.

(5.) In the case of opossums taken or killed in New Zealand the said royalty shall be paid by the person taking or killing the same, and shall be paid—

(a.) Within one month from the date on which the same was taken if the same was taken in any of the places referred to in clause (7) of Regulation 2 hereof or taken pursuant to clause (6) or clause (8) of Regulation 2 hereof; or

(b.) Within one month from the closing date of the open season in that part of New Zealand in which the open season closes latest, provided the same was lawfully taken in the same year during an open season in any part of New Zealand.

(6.) In the case of opossum-skins imported into New Zealand the said royalty shall be paid by the person importing the same, and shall be payable on the importation thereof.

(7.) The Under-Secretary may extend the periods referred to in clauses (5) and (6) of this regulation, subject to such conditions as he thinks fit to impose.

(8.) Except as otherwise provided in these regulations, every person being the owner or in possession of an opossum-skin not bearing the official mark shall pay to an authorized officer the said royalty 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.

(9.) It shall be a sufficient compliance with this regulation on the part of any person taking or killing opossums in New Zealand if he delivers the skins thereof to a licensed broker and authorizes such broker to pay the royalty on his behalf.

(10.) The liability of every person being a licensed broker and being in possession of a skin not bearing an official mark to pay royalty thereon as aforesaid shall exist irrespective of any right of the broker to recover the royalty from any other person under clause (9) of this regulation or otherwise, and irrespective of the liability of any other person to pay such royalty.

(11.) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this regulation, if on the importation of any skins into New Zealand and production thereof to an officer authorized to receive royalty it is shown to the satisfaction of such officer that such skins are not intended to be disposed of for gain or to be made up or manufactured as coats, rugs, muffs, or other articles of personal or domestic or household use or ornament, then no royalty shall be payable in respect of such skins, but the same shall be marked with an appropriate official mark to denote that they are imported skins on which no royalty has been paid.

(12.) No person shall thereafter dispose of for gain any such skin as is referred to in the last preceding clause hereof otherwise than to or through a licensed broker and on the disposal of any such skin for gain or if the same is at any time made up or manufactured as aforesaid the royalty hereinbefore provided shall immediately become due and payable.

(13.) Every officer appointed to receive royalty shall at the end of every month (whether any royalties have been paid to him during the month or not) forward to the Under-Secretary a return in the Form No. 7 in the First Schedule hereto.

9. DISPOSAL OF SKINS.

(1.) Any person may dispose of opossum-skins by gift, sale, or otherwise howsoever if such skins bear the official mark denoting that royalty has been paid thereon.

(2.) Skins which do not bear such official mark may be disposed of to or by a licensed broker only.