A.—l

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(3) Executive Councillors. —In addition to the Executive Councillors' oath, every person appointed to the Executive Council of New Zealand, as soon as may be after his acceptance of office, shall, in accordance with section 6 of the Promissory Oaths Act, 1908, take the prescribed Oath of Allegiance as follows : — " I, , do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the Fifth, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God." (4) The Chief Justice, the Judges of the Supreme Court, the Judge of the Court of Arbitration, Justices of the Peace, Coroners, Sheriffs, and Stipendiary Magistrates. — It is provided by section 7 of the Promissory Oaths Act, 1908, that each of these officers shall, as soon as may be after acceptance of office, take the Oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath. The Oath of Allegiance is in the form following " I, , do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the Fifth, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God." (5) Members of the Naval Forces. —Every person enlisting in the Naval Forces of the Dominion is required, in accordance with section 11 of the Naval Defence Act, 1913, to take either the following oath or affirmation. The oath is as follows :— "I, , sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the New Zealand Naval Forces, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors, and of the officers set over me, until I shall be lawfully discharged. So help me God." The affirmation is prescribed in the- following terms :— " I, , solemnly and sincerely promise and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the New Zealand Naval Forces, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors, and the officers set over me, until I shall be lawfully discharged.' (6) Members of the Senior Cadets and Defence Forces. —Section 11, Defence Act, 1909, as amended bv section 34, Defence Amendment Act, 1912, reads as follows "11. (1) E very person on becoming a member of the Senior Cadets, or the Defence Forces, or as soon thereafter as may be, shall take the Oath of Allegiance before a Justice of the Peace or a prescribed officer in the form set out in the Schedule hereto or to the like effect. " (2) No person who has, whether before or after the passing of this Act, taken an Oath of Allegiance in respect of his service as a Senior Cadet shall be required again to take any such oath on becoming a member of the Defence Forces." The Oath of Allegiance is prescribed (by schedule) at the end of the Defence Amendment Act, 1912, and reads as follows : — "I, -, do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the New Zealand Military Forces, according to my liability under the Defence Act, and that I will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors, and of the generals and officers set over me, until I shall be lawfully discharged. So help me God." Section 50, Defence Act, 1909, provides " 50. Every person who, being required by this Act to take the Oath of Allegiance, refuses so to do is liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds." It is provided by paragraphs 486 and 487 of the Regulations for the New Zealand Military Forces that all officers of the Permanent Forces and the Territorial Force shall be attesting officers for the purpose of administering the oath of allegiance. It is also provided by the Regulations for the New Zealand Military Forces that an affirmation may be made in lieu of taking the oath. This is in pursuance of section 50 of the Evidence Act, 1908.