Public Bodies Private Bill Procedure Act [Chapter 2:09]

PUBLIC BODIES PRIVATE BILL PROCEDURE ACT
Acts 35/1885, 24/1962 (s. 2); R.G.N. 387/1971.
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
1. Short title.
2. Interpretation.
3. Public meeting to be convened to consider introducing or opposing private Bills.
4. Public meeting, how convened and publication of notice required.
5. Meeting assembled elects chairman, but may adjourn.
6. Resolution carried by two-thirds of meeting.
7. Voting by show of hands or upon demand by signature of list.
8. Lists to lie open for signature by rate payers.
9. Scrutiny of lists by chairman; result to be published at expense of public body.
10. Costs of introducing or opposing private Bill.
AN ACT to authorize certain public bodies to introduce into and promote or to oppose in Parliament
certain private Bills, and to legalize expenses incurred by such bodies in respect of the introduction and
promotion of or the opposition to such private Bills.
[Date of commencement: 10th June, 1891.]
1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the Public Bodies Private Bill Procedure Act [Chapter 2:09].
2 Interpretation
In this Act—
“local newspaper’’, in relation to any public body, means any newspaper circulating in the neighbourhood
wherein all or most of the persons reside who are liable to pay rates to a public body;
“public body’’ means any public body empowered to levy rates;
“public meeting” means a public meeting summoned or convened in terms of section three;
“ratepayer” means any person liable to the payment of rates to or qualified to vote in the election of members of
a public body.
3 Public meeting to be convened to consider introducing or opposing private Bills
When any public body deems it expedient and necessary to introduce into Parliament and there promote any private
Bill in furtherance of, or to oppose in Parliament any private Bill inconsistent or conflicting with, the interests of
the general body of ratepayers upon whom such public body is by law empowered to levy rates, it shall be lawful for
such public body to convene a public meeting of such ratepayers in accordance with this Act, for the purpose of
laying before such meeting resolutions in favour of the introduction and promotion of or in favour of opposition to
such private Bill, as the case may be.
4 Public meeting, how convened and publication of notice required
Every public meeting shall be convened to assemble at some convenient time and place and upon a day to be
stated in a notice of such meeting, and the notice shall be published not less than four times in any one or more local
newspapers or, in default of any local newspaper, in every issue of the Gazette during a period of not less than two
weeks before the stated day, and shall refer to this Act and shall contain as nearly as may be the words of the resolution
or resolutions to be proposed for the consideration of the public meeting, and also a clear general statement of
the object and purpose of the public meeting.
5 Meeting assembled elects chairman, but may adjourn
At the time and place and on the day specified in the notice the public meeting shall assemble, and a chairman
shall be forthwith elected by a vote of the majority of ratepayers present and voting at such meeting by show of
hands, but thereafter the said meeting may, by resolution of the majority of ratepayers present and voting, be adjourned
for any period not longer than one week to re-assemble at such time and place and on such day as by such
resolution shall be determined.
6 Resolution carried by two-thirds of meeting
At any public meeting, or at any adjourned meeting thereof, as the case may be, the resolution or resolutions published
in the notice of the meeting shall be submitted to the ratepayers thereat assembled, and if, by a vote of a majority
of two-thirds of the ratepayers then present and voting, any such resolution to introduce and promote or to oppose
any private Bill is carried, the public body which has convened the meeting shall be deemed and taken for all legal
intents and purposes to be authorized to introduce and promote or to oppose such private Bill.
7 Voting by show of hands or upon demand by signature of list
The voting at any public meeting on the resolutions published in the notice of such meeting shall in the first place
be by show of hands to be declared by the chairman, and the declaration of the chairman shall be final and conclusive,
unless not less than twenty ratepayers present demand that the voting shall be by signature, and whenever any
such demand is made the voting on the resolution in question shall be determined by signatures to be affixed by each
ratepayer signing his name in full upon one of certain lists to be ready for the purpose at the meeting, and such lists
shall be two in number for each resolution, and the signatures to the one list shall be in affirmation and to the other in
negation of the resolution in question.
8 Lists to lie open for signature by rate payers
The lists referred to in section seven shall, at a place or places to be notified from the chair at such meeting, lie
open on a day to be named by the chairman, being not less than seven and not more than fourteen days from the date
of meeting, and between the hours of ten o’clock in the morning and four o’clock in the afternoon on such day, and
may be signed by any ratepayer during the said period and hours.
9 Scrutiny of lists by chairman; result to be published at expense of public body
Every list referred to in section seven shall, after the termination of the period it lies open, be scrutinized by the
chairman elected by the meeting, together with such assistants as the public body concerned may appoint, and the
result of the voting shall be declared by the chairman by advertisement to be published at least twice in one or more
local newspapers, or in the Gazette, at the expense of the ordinary revenue of the public body.
10 Costs of introducing or opposing private Bill
When any resolution is carried in favour of the introduction and promotion of, or in favour of opposition to, any
private Bill in terms of this Act, all necessary costs, charges and expenses incurred by the public body concerned in
and about the convening of the meeting and the introduction and promotion of or opposition to the private Bill, shall
be payable out of the ordinary revenue derived by such public body from rates levied on the ratepayers, notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in any enactment