45

A—2

Enclosures. By the King.—A Proclamation for Postponing the Payment of certain Bills of Exchange. George, R.I. Whereas, in. view of the critical situation in Europe and the financial difficulties caused thereby, it is expedient that the payment of certain bills of exchange should be postponed as appears in this Proclamation : Now, therefore, We have thought fit, by and With the advice of Our Privy Council, to issue this Our' Royal Proclamation, and We do hereby proclaim, direct, and ordain as follows: — If on the presentation for payment of a bill of exchange, other than a cheque or bill on demand, which has been accepted before the beginning of the fourth day of August, nineteen hundred and fourteen, the acceptor reaccepts the bill by a declaration on the face of the bill in the form set out hereunder, that bill shall, for all purposes, including the liability of any drawer or endorser or any other party thereto, be deemed to be due and be payable on a date one calendar month after the date of its original maturity instead of on the date of its original maturity, and to be a bill for the original amount thereof increased by the amount of interest thereon calculated from the date of reacceptance to the new date of payment at the Bank of England rate current on the date of the reacceptance of the Bill. Form of Reacceptance. Reaccepted under Proclamation for £ [Insert increased sum]. Signature Date Given at Our Court at Buckingham Palace, this second day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fourteen, and in the fifth year of Our Reign. God save the King! Postponement of Payments Act, 1914. Chapter 11. An Act to authorize His Majesty by Proclamation to suspend temporarily the Payment of Bills of Exchange and Payments in Pursuance of other Obligations. [3rd August, 1914.] Be it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows : — 1. (1.) His Majesty may by Proclamation authorize the postponement of the payment of any bill of exchange, or of any negotiable instrument, or any other payment in pursuance of any contract, to such extent, for such time, and subject to such conditions or other provisions as may be specified in the Proclamation. (2.) No additional stamp duty shall be payable in respect of any instrument as a consequence of any postponement of payment in pursuance of a Proclamation under this Act unless the Proclamation otherwise directs. (3.) Any such Proclamation may be varied, extended, or revoked by any subsequent Proclamation, and separate Proclamations may be made dealing with separate subjects. (4.) The Proclamation dated the third day of August, nineteen hundred and fourteen, relating to the postponement of payment of certain bills of exchange, is hereby confirmed, and shall be deemed to have been made under this Act. 2. (1.) This Act may be cited as the Postponement of Payments Act, 1914. (2.) This Act shall remain in force for a period of six months from the date of the passing thereof.

No. 52. New Zealand, No. 345. My Lord, — Downing Street, 12th August, 1914. With reference to my despatch, No. 11, of the 9th January last, I have the honour to request Your Excellency to inform your Ministers that certain questions have arisen with regard to the meaning of Article 10 of the Foreign Marriages Order in Council, 1913, copies of which accompanied that despatch. 2. I am advised that the provisions marked as (a) and (b) in that article are alternative, and that advantage may be taken of the provision marked (b), although there may be in existence a special law of the kind contemplated by that marked (a). 3. I am further advised that it is not necessary, in order to enable advantage to be taken of provision (b) in the same article, that there should be

A.-l, 1915, No. 48.