F1the Authority, on being satisfied that any amendment of a society’s rules is not contrary to the provisions of this Act, shall issue to the society in respect of that amendment an acknowledgment of registration F4bearing the Authority’s seal

The rules of a society registered or to be registered under this Act may make provision for the setting up and administration by the society of a fund for the purchase on behalf of members contributing to the fund of defence bonds or national saving certificates or such other securities of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom as may for the time being be prescribed under F5section 47(1) of the M1Friendly Societies Act 1974 by the F6Treasury; and any such rules may make provision for enabling persons to become members of the society for the purpose only of contributing to that fund and without being entitled to any rights as members other than rights as contributors to that fund.

Any rule which, immediately before the commencement of this Act, was included among the registered rules of a registered society by virtue of section 8(3) of the F7M2Societies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1940 shall have effect as if it had been duly passed by the society.

The rules of a registered society or any schedule thereto may specify the form of any instrument necessary for carrying the purposes of the society into effect.

The rules of a registered society may impose reasonable fines on persons who contravene or fail to comply with any of those rules.

Any fine imposed by the rules of a registered society shall be recoverable on the summary conviction of the offender.

Any provision of, or of any instrument made under, this or any other Act requiring or authorising the rules of a registered society to deal with particular matters shall be without prejudice to the power of such a society to make rules with respect to any other matter which are not inconsistent with any such provision or with any other provision of this or any other Act and which are not otherwise unlawful.

Subject to subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the registered rules of a registered society shall bind the society and all members thereof and all persons claiming through them respectively to the same extent as if each member had subscribed his name and affixed his seal thereto and there were contained in those rules a covenant on the part of each member and any person claiming through him to conform thereto subject to the provisions of this Act.

A member of a registered society shall not, without his consent in writing having been first obtained, be bound by any amendment of the society’s rules registered after he became a member, being an amendment registered after 27th March 1928, if and so far as that amendment requires him to take or subscribe for more shares than the number held by him at the date of registration of the amendment, or to pay upon the shares so held any sum exceeding the amount unpaid upon them at that date, or in any other way increases the liability of that member to contribute to the share or loan capital of the society.

In the case of a society to which section 4 of this Act applies which was a registered society under the Act of 1893 on 1st January 1894, the society or the members thereof may respectively exercise any power given by this Act and not made to depend on the provisions of the society’s rules notwithstanding anything in any of those rules registered before 12th September 1893.

In its application to Scotland, subsection (1) of this section shall have effect as if the words “and affixed his seal” were omitted.

A copy of the registered rules of any registered society shall be delivered by the society to any person who demands it, subject to payment by that person of such sum not exceeding two shillings as the society may see fit to charge.