PART I Constitution and Incorporation.

Prohibition of Large Partnerships.

1 Prohibition of partnerships exceeding certain number.
(1) No company, association, or partnership consisting of more than ten persons shall be formed for the purpose of carrying on the business of banking, unless it is registered as a company under this Act, or is formed in pursuance of some other Act of Parliament, or of letters patent.
(2) No company, association, or partnership consisting of more than twenty persons shall be formed for the purpose of carrying on any other business that has for its object the acquisition of gain by the company, association, or partnership, or by the individual members thereof, unless it is registered as a company under this Act, or is formed in pursuance of some other Act of Parliament, or of letters patent, or is a company engaged in working mines within the stannaries and subject to the jurisdiction of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction.

Memorandum of Association.

2 Mode of forming incorporated company.
Any seven or more persons (or, where the company to be formed will be a private company within the meaning of this Act, any two or more persons) associated for any lawful purpose may, by subscribing their names to a memorandum of association and otherwise complying with the requirements of this Act in respect of registration, form an incorporated company, with or without limited liability (that is to say), either—
(i) A company having the liability of its members limited by the memorandum to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them (in this Act termed a company limited by shares); or
(ii) A company having the liability of its members limited by the memorandum to such amount as the members may respectively thereby undertake to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up (in this Act termed a company limited by guarantee); or
(iii) A company not having any limit on the liability of its members (in this Act termed an unlimited company).

3 Memorandum of company limited by shares.
In the case of a company limited by shares—
(1) The memorandum must state—
(i) The name of the company, with ". Limited " as the last word in its name ;
(ii) The part of the United Kingdom, whether England, Scotland, or Ireland, in which the registered office of the company is to be situate;
(iii) The objects of the company;
(iv) That the liability of the members is limited ;
(v) The amount of share capital with which the company proposes to be registered, and the division thereof into shares of a fixed amount :
(2) No subscriber of the memorandum may take less than one share :
(3) Each subscriber must write opposite to his name the number of shares he takes.

4 Memorandum of company limited by guarantee.
In the case of a company limited by guarantee—
(1) The memorandum must state—
(i) The name of the company, with “Limited ” as the last word in its name ;
(ii) The part of the United Kingdom, whether England, Scotland, or Ireland, in which the registered office of the company is to be situate ;
(iii) The objects of the company ;
(iv) That the liability of the members is limited;
(v) That each member undertakes to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up while he is a member, or within one year afterwards, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before he ceases to be a member, and of the costs, charges, and expenses of winding up, and for adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding a specified amount.
(2) If the company has a share capital—
(i) The memorandum must also state the amount of share capital with which the company proposes to be registered and the division thereof into shares of a fixed amount;
(ii) No subscriber of the memorandum may take less than one share ;
(iii) Each subscriber must write opposite to his name the number of shares he takes.

5 Memorandum of unlimited company.
In the case of an unlimited company—
(1) The memorandum must state—
(i) The name of the company;
(ii) The part of the United Kingdom, whether England, Scotland, or Ireland, in which the registered office of the company is to be situate ;
(iii) The objects of the company.
(2) If the company has a share capital—
(i) No subscriber of the memorandum may take less than one share ;
(ii) Each subscriber must write opposite to his name the number of shares he takes.

6 Stamp and signature of memorandum.
The memorandum must bear the same stamp as if it were a deed, and must be signed by each subscriber in the presence of at least one witness who must attest the signature, and that attestation shall be sufficient in Scotland as well as in England and Ireland.

7 Restriction on alteration of memorandum.
A company may not alter the conditions contained in its memorandum except in the cases and in the mode and to the extent for which express provision is made in this Act.

8 Name of company and change of name.
(1) A company may not be registered by a name identical with that by which a company in existence is already registered, or so nearly resembling that name as to be calculated to deceive, except where the company in existence is in the course of being dissolved and signifies its consent in such manner as the registrar requires.
(2) If a company, through inadvertence or otherwise, is, without such consent as aforesaid, registered by a name identical with that by which a company in existence is previously registered, or so nearly resembling it as to be calculated to deceive, the first-mentioned company may, with the sanction of the registrar, change its name.
(3) Any company may, by special resolution and with the approval of the Board of Trade signified in writing, change its name.
(4) Where a company changes its name, the registrar, shall enter the new name on the register in place of the former name, and shall issue a certificate of incorporation altered to meet the circumstances of the case.
(5) The change of name shall not affect any rights or obligations of the company, or render defective any legal proceedings by or against the company, and any legal proceedings that might have been continued or commenced against it by its former name may be continued or commenced against it by its new name.

9 Alteration of objects of company.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section a company ' may, by special resolution, alter the provisions of its memorandum with respect to the objects of the company, so far as may be required to enable it—
(a) to carry on its business more economically or more efficiently ; or
(b) to attain its main purpose by new or improved means ; or
(c) to enlarge or change the local area of its operations ; or
(d) to carry on some business which under existing cir circumstances may conveniently or advantageously be combined with the business of the company ; or
(e) to restrict or abandon any of the objects specified in the memorandum.
(2) The alteration shall not take effect until and except in so far as it is confirmed on petition by the court.
(3) Before confirming the alteration the court must be satisfied—
(a) that sufficient notice has been given to every holder of debentures of the company, and to any persons or class of persons whose interests will, in the opinion of the court, be affected by the alteration ; and
(b) that, with respect to every creditor who in the opinion of the court is entitled to object, and who signifies his objection in manner directed by the court, either his consent to the alteration has been obtained or his debt or claim has been discharged or has determined, or has been secured to the satisfaction of the court:
Provided that the court may, in the case of any person or class, for special reasons, dispense with the notice required by this section.
(4) The court may make an order confirming the alteration either wholly or in part, and on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, and may make such order as to costs as it thinks proper.
(5) The court shall, in exercising its discretion under this section, have regard to the rights and interests of the members of the company or of any class of them, as well as to the rights and interests of the creditors, and may, if it thinks fit, adjourn the proceedings in order that an arrangement may be made to the satisfaction of the court for the purchase of the interests of dissentient members ; and may give such directions and make such orders as it may think expedient for facilitating or carrying into effect any such arrangement: Provided that no part of the capital of the company may be expended in any such purchase.
(6) An office copy of the order confirming the alteration, together with a printed copy of the memorandum as altered, shall, within fifteen days from the date of the order, be delivered by the company to the registrar of companies, and he shall register the same, and shall certify the registration under his hand, and the certificate shall be conclusive evidence that all the requirements of this Act with respect to the alteration and the confirmation thereof have been complied with, and thenceforth the memorandum so altered shall be the memorandum of the company.
The court may by order at any time extend the time for the. delivery of documents to the registrar under this section for such period as the court may think proper.
(7) If a company makes default in delivering to the registrar of companies any .document required by this section to be delivered to him, the company shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds for every day during which it is in default.

Articles of Association.

10 Registration of articles.
(1) There may, in the case of a company limited by shares, and there shall in the case of a company limited by guarantee or unlimited, be registered with the memorandum articles of association signed by the subscribers to the memorandum and prescribing regulations for the company.
(2) Articles of Association may adopt all or any of the regulations contained in Table A. in the First Schedule to this Act.
(3) In the case of an unlimited company or a company limited by guarantee the articles, if the company has a share capital, must state the amount of share capital with which the company proposes to be registered.
(4) In the case of an unlimited company or a company limited by guarantee, if the company has not a share capital, the articles must state the number of members with which the company proposes to be registered, for the purpose of enabling the registrar to determine the fees payable on registration.

11 Application of Table A.
In the case of a company limited by shares and registered after the commencement of this Act, if articles are not registered, or, if articles are registered, in so far as the articles do not exclude or modify the regulations in Table A. in the First Schedule to this Act, those regulations shall, so far as applicable, be the regulations of the company in the same manner and to the same extent as if they were contained in duly registered articles.

12 Form stamp and signature of articles.
Articles must—
(a) be printed ;
(b) be divided into paragraphs numbered consecutively ;
(c) bear the same stamp as if they were contained in a deed; and
(d) be signed by each subscriber of the memorandum of association in the presence of at least one witness who must attest the signature, and that attestation shall be sufficient in Scotland as well as in England and Ireland.

13 Alteration of articles by special resolution.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act and to the conditions contained in its memorandum, a company may by special resolution alter or add to its articles; and any alteration or addition so made shall be as valid as if originally contained in the articles, and be subject in like manner to alteration by special resolution.
(2) The power of altering articles under this section shall, in the case of an unlimited company formed and registered under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, extend to altering any regulations relating to the amount of capital or its distribution into shares, notwithstanding that those regulations are contained in the memorandum.

General Provisions.

14 Effect of memorandum and articles.
(1) The memorandum and articles shall, when registered, bind the company and the members thereof to the same extent as if they respectively had been signed and sealed by each member, and contained covenants on the part of each member, his heirs, executors, and administrators, to observe all the provisions of the memorandum and of the articles, subject to the provisions of this Act.
(2) All money payable by any member to the company under the memorandum or articles shall be a debt due from him to the company, and in England and Ireland be of the nature of a specialty debt.

15 Registration of memorandum and articles.
The memorandum and the articles (if any) shall be delivered to the registrar of companies for that part of the United Kingdom in which the registered office of the company is stated by the memorandum to be situate, and he shall retain and register them.

16 Effect of registration.
(1) On the registration of the memorandum of a company the registrar shall certify under his hand that the company is incorporated, and in the case of a limited company that the company is limited.
(2) From the date of incorporation mentioned in the certificate of incorporation, the subscribers of the memorandum together with such other persons as may from time to time become members of the company, shall be a body corporate by the name contained in the memorandum, capable forthwith of exercising all the functions of an incorporated company, and having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to hold lands, but with such liability on the part of the members to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up as is mentioned in this Act.

17 Conclusiveness of certificate of incorporation.
(1) A certificate of incorporation given by the registrar in respect of any association shall be conclusive evidence that all the requirements of this Act in respect of registration and of matters precedent and incidental thereto have been complied with, and that the association is a company authorised to be registered and duly registered under this Act.
(2) A statutory declaration by a solicitor of the High Court, and in Scotland by an enrolled law agent, engaged in the formation of the company, or by a person named in the articles as a director or secretary of the company, of compliance with all or any of the said requirements shall be produced to the registrar, and the registrar may accept such a declaration as sufficient evidence of compliance.

18 Copies of memorandum and articles to be given to members.
(1) Every company shall send to every member, at his request, and on payment of one shilling or such less sum as the company may prescribe, a copy of the memorandum and of the articles (if any).
(2) If a company makes default in complying with the requirements of this section, it shall be liable for each offence to a fine not exceeding one pound.

Associations not for Profit.

19 Restriction on charitable and other companies holding land.
A company formed for the purpose of promoting art, science, religion, charity, or any other like object, not involving the acquisition of gain by the company or by its individual members, shall not, without the licence of the Board of Trade, hold more than two acres of land ; but the Board may by licence empower any such company to hold lands in such quantity, and subject to such conditions, as the Board think fit.

20 Power to dispense with “limited ” in name of charitable and other companies.
(1) Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Board of Trade that an association about to be formed as a limited company is to be formed for promoting commerce, art, science, religion, charity, or any other useful object, and intends to apply its profits (if any) or other income in promoting its objects, and to prohibit the payment of any dividend to its members, the Board may by licence direct that the association be registered as a company with limited liability, without the addition of the word “Limited ” to its name, and the association may be registered accordingly.
(2) A licence by the Board of Trade under this section may be granted on such conditions and subject to such regulations as the Board think fit, and those conditions and regulations shall be binding on the association, and shall, if the Board so direct, be inserted in the memorandum and articles, or in one of those documents.
(3) The association shall on registration enjoy all the privileges of limited companies, and be subject to all their obligations, except those of using the word “Limited” as any part of its name, and of publishing its name, and of sending lists of members and directors and managers to the registrar of companies.
(4) A licence-under this section may at any time be revoked by the Board of Trade, and upon revocation the registrar shall enter the word “Limited ” at the end of the name of the association upon the register, and the association shall cease to enjoy the exemptions and privileges granted by this section :
Provided that before a licence is so revoked the Board shall give to the association notice in writing of their intention, and shall afford the association an opportunity of being heard in opposition to the revocation.

Companies limited by Guarantee.

21 Provision as to companies limited by guarantee.
(1) In the case of a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital, and registered on or after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and one, every provision in the memorandum or articles or in any resolution of the company purporting to give any person a right to participate in the divisible profits of the company otherwise than as a member shall be void.
(2) For the purpose of the provisions of this Act relating to the memorandum of a company limited by guarantee and of this section, every provision in the memorandum or articles, or in any resolution, of any company limited by guarantee and registered on or after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and one, purporting to divide the undertaking of the company into shares or interests shall be treated as a provision for a share capital, notwithstanding that the nominal amount or number of the shares or interests is not specified thereby.

PART II Distribution and Reduction of Share Capital, Registration of Unlimited Company as Limited, and Unlimited Liability of Directors.

Distribution of Share Capital.

22 Nature of shares.
(1) The shares or other interest of any member in a company shall be personal estate, transferable in manner provided by the articles of the company, and shall not be of the nature of real estate.
(2) Each share in a company having a share capital shall be distinguished by its appropriate number.

23 Certificate of shares or stock.
A certificate, under the common seal of the company, specifying any shares or stock held by any member, shall be prima facie evidence of the title of the member to the shares or stock.

24 Definition of member.
(1) The subscribers of the memorandum of a company shall be- deemed to have agreed to become members of the company, and on its registration shall be entered as members in its register of members.
(2) Every other person who agrees to become a member of a company, and whose name is entered in its register of members, shall be a member of the company.

25 Register of members.
(1) Every company shall keep in one or more books a register of its members, and enter therein the following particulars :—
(i) The names and addresses, and the occupations, if any, of the members, and in the case of a company having a share capital a statement of the shares held by each member, distinguishing each share by its number, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid on the shares of each member ;
(ii) The date at which each person was entered in the register as a member ;
(iii) The date at which any person ceased to be a member.
(2) If a company fails to comply with this section it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues; and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises, or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.

26 Annual list of members and summary.
(1) Every company having a share capital shall once at least in every year make a list of all persons who, on the fourteenth day after the first or only ordinary general meeting in the year, are members of the company, and of all,persons who have ceased to be members since the date of the last return or (in the case of the first return) of the incorporation of the company.
(2) The list must state the names, addresses, and occupations of all the past and present members therein mentioned, and the number of shares held by each of the existing members at the date of the return, specifying shares transferred since the date of the last return or (in the case of the first return) of the incorporation of the company by persons who are still members and have ceased to be members respectively and the dates of registration of the transfers, and must contain a summary distinguishing between shares issued for cash and shares issued as fully or partly paid up otherwise than in cash, and specifying the following particulars :—
(a) The amount of the share capital of the company, and the number of the shares into which it is divided;
(b) The. number of shares taken from the commencement of the company up to the date of the return;
(c) The amount called up on each share ;
(d) The total amount of calls received ;
(e) The total amount of calls unpaid;
(f) The total amount of the sums (if any) paid by way of commission in respect of any shares or debentures, or allowed by way of discount in respect of any debentures, since the date of the last return;
(g) The total number of shares forfeited ;
(h) The total amount of shares or stock for which share warrants are outstanding at the date of the return ;
(i) The total amount of share warrants issued and surrendered respectively since the date of the last return ;
(k) The number of shares or amount of stock comprised in each share warrant;
(l) The names and addresses of the persons who at the date of the return are the directors of the company, or occupy the position of directors, by whatever name called; and
(m) The total amount of debt due from the company in respect of all mortgages and charges which are required (or, in the case of a company registered in Scotland, which, if the company had been registered in England, would be required) to be registered with the registrar of companies under this Act, or which would have been required so to be registered if created after the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight.
(3) The summary must also (except where the company is a private company) include a statement, made up to such date as may be specified in the statement, in the form of a balance sheet, audited by the company's auditors, and containing a summary of its share capital, its liabilities, and its assets, giving such particulars as will disclose the general nature of those liabilities and assets, and how the values of the fixed assets have been arrived at, but the balance sheet need not include a statement of profit and loss.
(4) The above list and summary must be contained in a separate part of the register of members, and must be completed within seven days after the fourteenth day aforesaid, and the company must forthwith forward to the registrar of companies a copy signed by the manager or by the secretary of the company.
(5) If a company makes default in complying with the requirements of this section it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues, and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.

27 Trusts not to be entered on register.
No notice of any trust, expressed, implied, or constructive, shall be entered on the register, or be receivable by the registrar, in the case of companies registered in England or Ireland.

28 Registration of transfer at request of transferor.
On the application of the transferor of any share or interest in a company, the company shall enter in its register of members the name of the transferee in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as if the application for the entry-were made by the transferee.

29 Transfer by personal representative.
A transfer of the share or other interest of a deceased member of a company made by his personal representative shall, although the personal representative is not himself a member, be as valid as if he had been a member at the time of the execution of the instrument of transfer.

30 Inspection of register of members.
(1) The register of members, commencing from the date of the registration of the company, shall be kept at the registered office of the company, and, except when closed under the provisions of this Act, shall during business hours (subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company in general meeting may impose, so that not less than two hours in each day be allowed for inspection) be open to the inspection of any member gratis, and to the inspection of any other person on payment of one shilling, or such less sum as the company may prescribe, for each inspection.
(2) Any member or other person may require a copy of the register, or of any part thereof, or of the list and summary required by this Act, or any part thereof, on payment of sixpence, or such less sum as the company may prescribe, for every hundred words or fractional part thereof required to be copied.
(3) If any inspection or copy required under this section is refused, the company shall be liable for each refusal to a fine not exceeding two pounds, and to a further fine not exceeding two pounds for every day during which the refusal continues, and every director and manager of the company who knowingly authorises or permits the refusal shall be liable to the like penalty ; and, as respects companies registered in England or Ireland, any judge of the High Court, or the judge of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction in the case of companies subject to that jurisdiction, may by order compel an immediate inspection of the register.

31 Power to close register.
A company may, on giving notice by advertisement in some newspaper circulating in the district in which the registered office of the company is situate, close the register of members for any time or times not exceeding in the whole thirty days in each year.

32 Power of court to rectify register.
(1) If—
(a) the name of any person is, without sufficient cause, entered in or omitted from the register of members of a company ; or
(b) default is made or unnecessary delay takes place in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a member,
the person aggrieved, or any member of the company, or the company, may apply to the court for rectification of the register.
(2) The application may be made, as respects companies registered' in England or Ireland, by motion in the High Court, or by application to a judge of the High Court sitting in chambers, or by application to the judge of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction in the case of companies subject to that jurisdiction, and, as respects companies registered in Scotland, by summary petition to the Court of Session, or in such other manner as the said courts may respectively direct; and the court may either refuse the application, or may order rectification of the register, and payment by the company of any damages sustained by any party aggrieved.
(3) On any application under this section the court may. decide any question relating to the title of any person who is a party to the application to have his name entered in or omitted from the register, whether the question arises between members, or alleged members, or between members or alleged members on the one hand and the company on the other hand ; and generally may decide any question necessary or expedient to be decided; for rectification of the register.
(4) In the case of a company required by this Act to send a list of its members to the registrar of companies, the court, when, making an order for rectification of the register, shall by its order direct notice of the rectification to be given to the registrar.

33 Register to be evidence.
The register of members shall be prima facie evidence of any matters by this Act directed or authorised to be inserted therein.

34 Power for company to keep colonial register.
(1) A company having a share capital, whose objects comprise the transaction of business in a colony, may, if so authorised by its articles, cause to be kept in any colony in which it transacts business a branch register of members resident in that colony (in this Act called a colonial register).
(2) The company shall give to the registrar of companies notice of the situation of the office where any colonial register is kept, and of any change in. its situation, and of the discontinuance of the office in the event of its being discontinued.
(3) For the purpose of the provisions of this Act relating to colonial registers the term “colony” includes British India and the Commonwealth of Australia.

35 Regulations as to colonial register.
(1) A colonial register shall be deemed to be part of the company's register of members (in this and the next following section called the principal register).
(2) It shall be kept in the same manner in which the principal register is by this Act required to be kept, except that the advertisement before closing the register shall be inserted in some newspaper circulating in the district wherein the colonial register is kept, and that any competent court in the colony may exercise the same jurisdiction of rectifying the register as is under this Act exerciseable by the High Court, and that the offences of refusing inspection or copies of a colonial register, and of authorising or permitting the refusal may he prosecuted summarily before any tribunal in the colony having summary criminal jurisdiction.
(3) The company shall transmit to its registered office a copy of every entry in its colonial register as soon as may be after the entry is made ; and shall cause to be kept at its registered office, duly entered up from time to time, a duplicate of its colonial register, and the duplicate shall, for all the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be part of the principal register,
(4) Subject to the provisions of this section with respect to the duplicate register, the shares registered in a colonial register shall be distinguished from the shares registered in the principal register, and no transaction with respect to any shares registered in a colonial register shall, during the continuance of that registration, be registered in any other register.
(5) The company may discontinue to keep any colonial register, and thereupon all entries in that register shall be transferred to some other colonial register kept by the company in the same colony, or to the principal register.
(6) Subject to the provisions of this Act, any .company may, by its articles, make such provisions as it may think fit respecting the keeping of colonial registers.

36 Stamp duties in case of shares registered in colonial registers.
In relation to stamp duties the following provisions shall have effect:—
(a) An instrument of transfer of a share registered in a colonial register shall be deemed to be a transfer of property situate out of the United Kingdom, and, unless executed in any part of the United Kingdom, shall be exempt from British stamp duty :
(b) On the death of a member registered in. a colonial register, the shares of the deceased member shall, if he died domiciled in the United Kingdom, but not otherwise, be deemed, so far as relates to British duties, to be part of his estate and effects situate in the United Kingdom for or in respect of which probate or letters of administration is or are to be granted, or whereof an inventory is to be exhibited and recorded, in like manner as if he were registered in the principal register.

37 Issue and effect of share warrants to bearer.
(1) A company limited by shares, if so authorised by its articles, may, with respect to any fully paid-up shares, or to stock, issue under its common seal a warrant stating that the bearer of the warrant is entitled to the shares or stock therein specified, and may provide, by coupons or otherwise, for the payment of the future dividends on the shares or stock included in the warrant, in this Act termed a share warrant.
(2) A share warrant shall entitle the bearer thereof to the shares or stock therein specified, and the shares or stock may be transferred by delivery of the warrant.
(3) The bearer of a share warrant shall, subject to the articles of the company, be entitled, on surrendering it for cancellation, to have his name entered as a member in the register of members ; and the company shall be responsible for any loss incurred by any person by reason of the company entering in its register the name of a bearer of a share warrant in respect of the shares or stock therein specified without the warrant being surrendered and cancelled.
(4) The bearer of a share warrant may, if the articles of the company so provide, be deemed to be a member of the company within the meaning of this Act, either to the full extent or for any purposes defined in the articles ; except that he shall not be qualified in respect of the shares or stock specified in the warrant for being a director or manager of the company, in cases where such a qualification is required by the articles.
(5) On the issue of a share warrant the company shall strike out of its register of members the name of the member then entered therein as holding the shares or stock specified in the warrant as if he had ceased to be a member, and shall enter in the register the following particulars, namely :—
(i) The fact of the issue of the warrant ;
(ii) A statement of the shares or stock included in the warrant, distinguishing each share by its number; and
(iii) The date of the issue of the warrant.
(6) Until the warrant is surrendered, the above particulars shall be deemed to be the particulars required by this Act to be entered in the register of members ; and, on the surrender, the date of the surrender must be entered as if it were the date at which a person ceased to be a member.

38 Forgery, personation, unlawfully engraving plates, &c.
(1) If any person—
(i) with intent to defraud, forges or alters, or offers, utters, disposes of, or puts off, knowing the same to be forged or altered, any share warrant or coupon, or any document purporting to be a share warrant or coupon, issued in pursuance of this Act ; or by means of any such forged or altered share warrant, coupon, or document, purporting as aforesaid, demands or endeavours to obtain or receive any share or interest in any company under this Act, or to receive any dividend or money payable in respect thereof, knowing the warrant, coupon, or document to be forged or altered ; or
(ii) falsely and deceitfully personates any owner of any share or interest in any company, or of any share warrant or coupon, issued in pursuance of this Act, and thereby obtains or endeavours to obtain any such share or interest or share warrant or coupon, or receives or endeavours to receive any money due to any such owner, as if the offender were the true and lawful owner,
he shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be kept in penal servitude for life or for any term not less than three years.
(2) If any person without lawful authority or excuse, proof whereof shall lie on him, engraves or makes on any plate, wood, stone, or other material any share warrant or coupon purporting to be a share warrant or coupon issued or made by any particular company in pursuance of this Act, or to be a blank share warrant or coupon so issued or made, or to be a part of such a share warrant or coupon, or uses any such plate, wood, stone, or other material for the making or printing of any such share warrant or coupon, or of any such blank share warrant or coupon, or any part thereof respectively, or knowingly has in his custody or possession any such plate, wood, stone, or other material, he shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be kept in penal servitude for any term not exceeding fourteen years and not less than three years.

39 Power of company to arrange for different amounts being paid on shares.
A company, if so authorised by its articles, may do any one or more of the following things ; namely,—
(1) Make arrangements on the issue of .shares for a difference between the shareholders in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their shares :
(2) Accept from any member who assents thereto the whole or a part of the amount remaining unpaid on any shares held by him, although no part of that amount has been called up :
(3) Pay dividend in proportion to the amount paid up on each share where a larger amount is paid up on some shares than on others.

40 Power to return accumulated profits in reduction of paid-up share capital.
(1) When a company has accumulated a sum of undivided profits, which with the sanction of the shareholders may be distributed among the shareholders in the form of a dividend or bonus, it may, by special resolution, return the same, or any part thereof, to the shareholders in reduction of the paid-up capital of the company, the unpaid capital being thereby increased by a similar amount.
(2) The resolution shall not take effect until a memorandum, showing the particulars required by this Act in the case of a reduction of share capital, has been produced to and registered by the registrar of companies, but the other provisions of this Act with respect to reduction of share capital shall not apply to a reduction of paid-up share capital under this section.
(3) On a reduction of paid-up capital in pursuance of this section any shareholder, or any one or more of several joint shareholders, may within one month after the passing of the resolution for the reduction, require the company to retain, and the company shall retain accordingly, the whole of the money actually paid on tire shares held by him. either alone or jointly with any other person, which, in consequence of the reduction, would otherwise" be returned to him or them, and thereupon those shares shall, as regards the payment of dividend, be deemed to be paid up to the same extent only as the shares on which payment has been accepted by the shareholders in reduction of paid-up capital, and the company shall invest and keep invested the money so retained in such securities authorised for investment by trustees as the company may determine, and on the money so invested or on so much thereof as from time to time exceeds the amount of calls subsequently made on the shares in respect of which it has been retained, the company shall pay the interest received from time to time on the securities.
(4) The amount retained and invested shall be held to represent the future calls which may be made to replace the share capital so reduced on those shares, whether the amount obtained on sale of the whole or such proportion thereof as represents the amount of any call when made produces more or less than the amount of the call.
(5) On a reduction of paid-up share capital in pursuance of this section, the powers vested in the directors of making calls on shareholders in respect of the amount unpaid on their shares shall extend to the amount of the unpaid share capital as augmented by the reduction.
(6) After any reduction of share capital under this section the company shall specify in the annual list of members required by this Act the amounts retained at the request of any of the shareholders in pursuance of this section, and shall specify in the statements of account laid before any general meeting of the company the amount of undivided profits returned in reduction of paid-up share capital under this section.

41 Power of company limited by shares to alter its share capital.
(1) A company limited by shares, if so authorised by its articles, may alter the conditions of its memorandum as follows (that is to say), it may—
(a) increase its share capital by the issue of new shares of such amount as it thinks expedient;
(b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares ;
(c) convert all or any of its paid-up shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid-up shares of any denomination; :
(d) subdivide its shares, or any of them, into shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the memorandum so, however, that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in the case of the share from which the reduced share is derived ;
(e) cancel shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution in that behalf, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of its share capital' by the amount of the shares so cancelled.
(2) The powers conferred by this section with respect to subdivision of shares must be exercised by special resolution.
(3) Where any alteration has been made under this section in the memorandum of a company, every copy of the memorandum issued after the date of the alteration shall be in accordance with the alteration.
If a company makes default in complying with this provision it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one pound for each copy in respect of which default is made ; and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and-wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.
(4) A cancellation of shares in pursuance of this section shall not be deemed to be a reduction of share capital within the meaning of this Act.

42 Notice to registrar of consolidation of share capital, conversion of shares into stock, &c.
Where a company having a share capital has consolidated and divided its share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares, or converted any of its shares into stock, or reconverted stock into shares, it shall give notice to the registrar of companies of the consolidation, division, conversion, or reconversion specifying the shares-consolidated, divided, or converted, or the stock reconverted.

43 Effect of conversion of shares into stock.
Where a company having a share capital has converted any of its shares into stock, and given notice of the conversion to the registrar of companies, all the provisions of this Act which are applicable to shares only shall cease as to so much of the share capital as is converted into stock; and the register of members of the company, and the list of members to be forwarded to the registrar, shall show the amount of stock held by each member instead of the amount of shares and the particulars relating to shares hereinbefore required by this Act.

44 Notice of increase of share capital or of members.
(1) Where a company having a share capital, whether its shares have or have not been converted into stock, has increased its share capital beyond the registered capital, and where ii company not having a share capital has increased the number of its members beyond the registered number, it shall give to the registrar of companies, in the case of an increase of share capital, within fifteen days after the passing, or in the case of a special resolution the confirmation, of the resolution authorising the increase, and in the case of an increase of members within fifteen days after the increase was resolved on or took place, notice of the increase of capital or members, and the registrar shall record the increase.
(2) If a company makes default in complying with the requirements of this section it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues, and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.

45 Re-organisation of share capital.
(1) A company limited by shares may, by special resolution confirmed by an order of the court, modify the conditions contained in its memorandum so as to reorganise its share capital, whether by the consolidation of shares of different classes or by the division of its shares into shares of different classes :
Provided that no preference or special privilege attached to or belonging to any class of shares shall be interfered with except by a resolution passed by a majority in number of shareholders of that class holding three-fourths of the share capital of that class and confirmed at a meeting of shareholders of that class in the same manner as a special resolution' of the company is required to be confirmed, and every resolution so passed shall bind all shareholders of the class.
(2) Where an order is made under this section an office copy thereof shall be filed with the registrar of companies within seven days after the making of the order, or within such further time as the court may allow, and the resolution shall not take effect until such a copy has been so filed.

Reduction of Share Capital.

46 Special resolution for reduction of share capital.
(1) Subject to confirmation by the court, a company limited by shares, if so authorised by its articles, may by special resolution reduce its share capital in any way, and in particular (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power) may—
(a) Extinguish or reduce the liability on any of its shares in respect of share capital not paid up ; or
(b) Either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability on any of its shares, cancel any paid-up share capital which is lost or unrepresented by available assets ; or
(c) Either with or without extinguishing or reducing liability on any of its shares, pay off any paid-up share capital which is in excess of the wants of the company,
and may, if and so far as is necessary, alter its memorandum by reducing the amount of its share capital and of its shares accordingly.
(2) A special resolution under this section is in this Act called a resolution for reducing share capital.

47 Application to court for confirming order.
Where a company has passed and confirmed a resolution for reducing share capital it may apply by petition to the court for an order confirming the reduction.

48 Addition to name of company of " and reduced.".
On and from the confirmation by a company of a resolution for reducing share capital, or where the reduction does not involve either the diminution of any liability in respect of unpaid share capital or the payment to any shareholder of any paid-up share capital, then on and from the presentation of the petition for confirming the reduction, the company shall add to its name, until such date as the court may fix, the words " and reduced, as the last words in its name, and those words shall, until that date, be deemed to be part of the name of the company :
Provided that, where the reduction does not involve either the diminution of any liability in respect of unpaid share capital or the payment to any shareholder of any paid-up share capital, the court may, if it thinks expedient, dispense altogether with the addition of the words " and reduced."

49 Objections by creditors and settlement of list of objecting creditors.
(1) Where the proposed reduction of share capital involves either diminution of liability in respect of unpaid share capital or the payment to any shareholder of any paid-up share capital, and in any other case if the court so directs, every creditor of the company who at the date fixed by the court is entitled to any debt or claim which, if that date were the commencement of the winding up of the company, would be admissible in proof against the company, shall be entitled to object to the reduction.
(2) The court shall settle a list of creditors so entitled to object, and for that purpose shall ascertain, as far as possible without requiring an application from any creditor, the names of those creditors and the nature and amount of their debts or claims, and may publish notices fixing a day or days within which creditors not entered on the list are to claim to be so entered or are to be excluded from the right of objecting to the reduction.
(3) Where a creditor entered on the list whose debt or claim is not discharged or determined does not consent to the reduction, the court may, if it thinks fit, dispense with the consent of that creditor, on the company securing payment of his debt or claim by appropriating, as the court may direct, the following amount; (that is to say,)—
(i) If the company admits the full amount of his debt or claim, or, though not admitting it, is willing to provide for it, then the full amount of the debt or claim ;
(ii) If the company does not admit or is not willing to provide for the full amount of the debt or claim, or if the amount is contingent or not ascertained, then an amount fixed by the court after the like inquiry and adjudication as if the company were being wound up by the court.

50 Order confirming reduction.
The court, if satisfied, with respect to every creditor of the company who under this Act is entitled to object to the reduction, that either his consent to the reduction has been obtained or his debt or claim has been discharged or has determined, or has been secured, may make an order confirming the reduction on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit.

51 Registration of order and minute of reduction.
(1) The registrar of companies on production to him of an order of the court confirming the reduction of the share capital of a company, and the delivery to him of a copy of the order and of a minute (approved by the court), showing with respect to the share capital of the company, as altered by the order, the amount of the share capital, the number of shares into which it is to be divided, and the amount of each share, and the amount (if any) at the date of the registration deemed to be paid up on each share, shall register the order and minute.
(2) On the registration, and not before, the resolution for reducing share capital as confirmed by the order so registered shall take effect.
(3) Notice of the registration shall be published in such manner as the court may direct.
(4) The registrar shall certify under his hand the registration of the order and minute, and his certificate shall be conclusive evidence that all the requirements of this Act with respect to reduction of share capital have been complied with, and that the share capital of the company is such as is stated in the minute.

52 Minute to form part of memorandum.
(1) The minute when registered shall be deemed to be substituted for the corresponding part of the memorandum of the company, and shall be valid and alterable as if it had been originally contained therein ; and must be embodied in every copy of the memorandum issued after its registration.
(2) If a company makes default in complying with the requirements of this section it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one. pound for each copy in respect of which default is made, and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the. like penalty.

53 Liability of members in respect of reduced shares.
A member of the company, past or present, shall not be liable in respect of any share to any call or contribution exceeding in amount the difference (if any) between the amount paid, or (as the case may be) the reduced amount, if any, which is to be deemed to have been paid, on the share and the amount of the share as fixed by the minute :
Provided that if any creditor, entitled in respect of any debt or claim to object to the reduction of share capital, is, by reason of his ignorance of the proceedings for reduction, or of their nature and effect with respect to his claim, not entered on the list of creditors, and, after the reduction, the company is unable, within the meaning of the provisions of this Act with respect to winding up by the court, to pay the amount of his debt or claim, then—
(i) every person who was a member of the company at the date of the registration of the order for reduction and minute, shall be liable to contribute for the payment of that debt or claim an amount not exceeding the amount which he would have been liable to contribute if the company had commenced to he wound up on the day before that registration ; and
(ii) if the company is wound up, the court, on the application of any such creditor, and proof of his ignorance as aforesaid may, if it thinks fit, settle accordingly a list of persons so liable to contribute, and make and enforce calls and orders on the contributories settled on the list as if they were ordinary contributories in a winding up.
Nothing in this section shall affect the rights of the contributories among themselves.

54 Penalty on concealment of name of creditor.
If any director, manager, or officer of the company wilfully conceals the name of any creditor entitled to object to the reduction, or wilfully misrepresents the nature or amount of the debt or claim of any creditor, or if any director or manager of the company aids or abets in or is privy to any such concealment or misrepresentation as aforesaid, every such director, manager, or officer shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

55 Publication of reasons for reduction.
In any case of reduction of share capital, the court may require the company to publish as the court directs the reasons for reduction, or such other information in regard thereto as the court may think expedient with a view to give proper information to the public, and, if the court thinks fit, the causes which, led to the reduction.

56 Increase and reduction of share capital in case of a company limited by guarantee having a share capital.
A company limited by guarantee and registered on or after the first day of January nineteen hundred and one, may, if it has a share capital, and is so authorised by its articles, increase or reduce its share capital in the same manner and subject to the same conditions in and subject to which a company limited by shares may increase or reduce its share capital under the provisions of this Act.

Registration of Unlimited Company as Limited.

57 Registration of unlimited company as limited.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, any company registered as unlimited may register under this Act as limited, or any company already registered as a limited company, may re-register under this Act, but the registration of an unlimited company as a limited company shall not affect any debts, liabilities, obligations, or contracts incurred or entered into by, to, with, or on behalf of the company before the registration, and those debts, liabilities, obligations, and contracts may be enforced in manner provided by Part VII. of this Act in the case of a company registered in pursuance of that Part.
(2) On registration in pursuance of this section the registrar shall close the former registration of the company, and may dispense with the delivery to him of copies of any documents with copies of which he was furnished on the occasion of the original registration of the company, but, save as aforesaid, the registration shall take place in the same manner and shall have effect as if it were the first registration of the company under this Act, and as if the provisions of the Acts under which the company was previously registered and regulated had been contained in different Acts of Parliament from those under which the company is registered as a limited company.

58 Power of unlimited company to provide for reserve share capital on re-registration.
An unlimited company having a share capital may, by its resolution for registration as a limited company in pursuance of this Act, do either or both of the following things, namely :—
(a) Increase the nominal amount of its share capital by increasing the nominal amount of each of its shares, but subject to the condition that no part of the increased capital shall be capable of being called up except in the event and for the purposes of the company being wound up ;
(b) Provide that a specified portion of its uncalled share capital shall not be capable of being called up except in the event and for the purposes of the company being-wound up.—

Reserve Liability of Limited Company.

59 Reserve liability of limited company.
A limited company may by special resolution determine that any portion of its share capital which has not been already called up shall not be capable of being called up, except in the event and for the purposes of the company being wound up, and thereupon that portion of its share capital shall not be capable of being called up except in the event and for the purposes aforesaid.

Unlimited Liability of Directors.

60 Limited company may have directors with unlimited liability.
(1) In a limited company the liability of the directors or managers, or of the managing director, may, if so provided by the memorandum, be unlimited.
(2) In a limited company in which the liability of a director or manager is unlimited, the directors or managers of the company (if any), and the member who proposes a person for election or appointment to the office of director or manager, shall add to that proposal a statement that the liability of the person holding that office will be unlimited, and the promoters, directors, managers, and secretary (if any) of the company, or one of them, shall, before the person accepts the office or acts therein, give him notice in writing that his liability will be unlimited.
(3) If any director, manager, or proposer makes default in adding such a statement, or if any promoter, director, manager, or secretary makes default in giving such a notice, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and shall also be liable for any damage which the person so elected or appointed may sustain from the default, but the liability of the person elected or appointed shall not be affected by the default.

61 Special resolution of limited company making liability of directors unlimited.
(1) A limited company, if so authorised by its articles, may, by special resolution, alter its memorandum so as to render unlimited the liability of its directors, or managers, or of any managing director.
(2) Upon the confirmation of any such special resolution the provisions thereof shall be as valid as if they had been originally contained in the memorandum ; and a copy thereof shall be embodied in or annexed to every copy of the memorandum issued after the confirmation of the resolution.
(3) If a company makes default in complying with the requirements of this section, it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one pound for each copy in respect of which default is made ; and every director or manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.

PART III Management and Administration.

Office and Name.

62 Registered office of company.
(1) Every company shall have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed.
(2) Notice of the situation of the registered office, and of any change therein, shall be given to the registrar of companies, who shall record the same.
(3) If a company carries on business without complying with the requirements of this section it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which it so carries on business.

63 Publication of name by a limited company.
(1) Every limited company—
(a) shall paint or affix, and keep painted or affixed, its name on the outside of every office or place in which its business is carried on, in a conspicuous position, in letters easily legible :
(b) shall have its name engraven in legible characters on its seal :
(c) shall have its name mentioned in legible characters in all notices, advertisements, and other official publications of the company, and in all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques, and orders for money or goods purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the company, and in all bills of parcels, invoices, receipts, and letters of credit of the company.
(2) If a limited company does not paint or affix, and keep painted or affixed, its name in manner directed by this Act, it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for not so painting or affixing its name, and for every day during which its name is not so kept painted or affixed, and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.
(3) If any director, manager, or officer of a limited company, or any person on its behalf, uses or authorises the use of any seal purporting to be a seal of the company whereon its name is. not so engraven as aforesaid, or issues or authorises the issue of any notice, advertisement, or other official publication of the company, or signs or authorises to be signed on behalf of the company any bill of exchange, promissory note, endorsement, cheque, order for money or goods, or issues or authorises to be issued any bill of parcels, invoice, receipt, or letter of credit of the company, wherein its name is not mentioned in manner aforesaid, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, and shall further be personally liable to the holder of any such bill of exchange, promissory note, cheque, or order for money or goods, for the amount thereof, unless the same is duly paid by the company.

Meetings and Proceedings.

64 Annual general meeting.
(1) A general meeting of every company shall be held once at the least in every calendar year, and not more than fifteen months after the holding of the last preceding general meeting, and, if not so held, the company and every director, manager, secretary, and other officer of the company, who is knowingly a party to the default, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
(2) When default has been made in holding a meeting of the company in accordance with the provisions of this section, the court may; on the application of any member of the company, call or direct the calling of a general meeting of the company.

65 First statutory meeting of company.
(1) Every company limited by shares and registered on or after the first day of January nineteen hundred and one shall, within a period of not less than one month nor more than three months from the date at which the company is entitled to-commence business, hold a general meeting of the members of the company which shall be called the statutory meeting.
(2) The directors shall, at least seven days before the day on which the meeting is held, forward a report (in this Act called “the statutory report”) to every member of the company and to every other person entitled under this Act to receive it.
(3) The statutory report shall be certified by not less than two directors of the company, or, where there are less than two-directors, by the sole director and manager, and shall state—
(a) the total number of shares allotted, distinguishing shares allotted as fully or partly paid up otherwise than in cash, and stating in the case of shares partly paid up the extent to which they are so paid up, and in either case the consideration for which they have been allotted ;
(b) the total amount of cash received by the company in respect of all the shares allotted, distinguished as aforesaid ;
(c) an abstract of the receipts of the company on account of its capital, whether from shares or debentures, and of the payments made thereout, up to a date within seven days of the date of the report, exhibiting under distinctive headings the receipts of the company from shares and debentures and other sources, the payments made thereout, and particulars concerning the balance remaining in hand, and an account or estimate of the preliminary expenses of the company ;
(d) the names, addresses, and descriptions of the directors, auditors (if any), managers (if any), and secretary of the company; and
(e) the particulars of any contract, the modification of which is to be submitted to the meeting for its approval together with the particulars of the modification or proposed modification.
(4) The statutory report shall, so far as it relates to the shares allotted by the company, and to the cash received in respect of such shares, and to the receipts and payments of the company on capital account, be certified as correct by the auditors, if any, of the company.
(5) The directors shall cause a copy of the statutory report, certified as by this section required, to be filed with the registrar of companies forthwith after the sending thereof to the members of the company.
(6) The directors shall cause a list showing the names, descriptions, and addresses of the members of the company, and the number of shares held by them respectively, to be produced at the commencement of the meeting, and to remain open and accessible to any member of the company during the continuance of the meeting.
(7) The members of the company present at the meeting-shall be at liberty to discuss any matter relating to the formation of the company, or arising out of the statutory report, whether previous notice has been given or not, but no resolution of which notice has not been given in accordance with the articles may be passed.
(8) The meeting may adjourn from time to time, and at any adjourned meeting any resolution of which notice has been given in accordance with the articles, either before or subsequently to the former meeting, maybe passed, and the adjourned meeting shall have the same powers as an original meeting.
(9) If a petition is presented to the court in manner provided by Part IV. of this Act for winding up the company on the ground of default in filing the statutory report or in holding the statutory meeting, the court may, instead of directing that the company be wound up, give directions for the statutory report to be filed or a meeting to be held, or make such other order as may be just.
(10) The provisions of this section as to the forwarding and filing of the statutory report shall not apply in the case of a private company.

66 Convening of extraordinary general meeting on requisition.
(1) Notwithstanding anything in the articles of a company, the directors of a company shall, on the requisition of the holders of not less than one-tenth of the issued share capital of the company upon which all calls or other sums then clue have been paid, forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the company.
(2) The requisition must state the objects of the meeting, and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the registered office of the company, and may consist of several documents in like form, each signed by one or more requisitionists.
(3) If the directors do not proceed to cause a meeting to be held within twenty-one days from the date of the requisition being so deposited, the requisitionists, or a majority of them in value, may themselves convene the meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after three months from the date of the deposit.
(4) If at any such meeting a resolution requiring confirmation at another meeting is passed, the directors shall forthwith convene a further extraordinary general meeting for the purpose of considering the resolution and, if thought fit, of confirming it as a special resolution; and, if the directors do not convene the meeting within seven days from the date of the passing of the first resolution, the requisitionists, or a majority of them in value, may themselves convene the meeting.
(5) Any meeting convened under this section by the requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner, as nearly as possible, as that in which meetings are to be convened by-directors.

67 Provisions as to meetings and votes.
In default of, and subject to, any regulations in the articles—
(i) A meeting of a company may be called by seven days' notice in writing, served on every member in manner in which notices are required to be served by Table A, in the First Schedule to this Act :
(ii) Five members may call a meeting :
(iii) Any person elected by the members present at a meeting may be chairman thereof :
(iv) Every member shall have one vote.

68 Representation of companies at meetings of other companies of which they are members.
A company which is a member of another company may, by resolution of the directors, authorise any of its officials or any other person to act as its representative at any meeting of that other company, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to-exercise the same powers on behalf of the company which he represents as if he were an individual shareholder of that other company.

69 Definitions of extraordinary and special resolution.
(1) A resolution shall he an extraordinary resolution when it has been passed by a majority of not less than three fourths of such members entitled to vote as are present in person or by proxy (where proxies are allowed) at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as an extraordinary resolution has been duly given.
(2) A resolution shall be a special resolution when it has been—
(a) passed in manner required for the passing of an extra ordinary resolution ; and
(b) confirmed by a majority of such members entitled to vote as are present in person or by proxy (where proxies are allowed) at a subsequent general meeting, of which notice has been duly given, and held after an interval of not less than fourteen days, nor more than one month, from the date of the first meeting.
(3) At any meeting at which an extraordinary resolution is submitted to be passed or a special resolution is submitted to be passed or confirmed, a declaration of the chairman that the resolution is carried shall, unless a poll is demanded, be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution.
(4) At any meeting at which an extraordinary resolution is submitted to be passed or a special resolution is submitted to be passed or confirmed a poll may be demanded, if demanded by three persons for the time being entitled according to the articles to vote, unless the articles of the company require a demand by such number of such persons, not in any case exceeding five, as may be specified in the articles.
(5) When a poll is demanded in accordance with this section, in computing the majority on the poll reference shall be had to the number of votes to which each member is entitled by the articles of the company.
(6) For the purposes of this section notice of a meeting shall be deemed to be duly given and the meeting to be duly held when the notice is given and the meeting held in manner provided by the articles.

70 Registration and copies of special resolutions.
(1) A copy of every special and extraordinary resolution shall within fifteen days from the confirmation of the special resolution, or from the passing of the extraordinary resolution, as the case may be, be printed and forwarded to the registrar of companies, who shall record the same.
(2) Where articles have been registered, a copy of every special resolution for the time being in force shall be embodied in or annexed to every copy of the articles issued after the confirmation of the resolution.
(3) Where articles have not been registered, a copy of every special resolution shall be forwarded in print to any member at his request, on payment of one shilling or such less sum as the company may direct.
(4) If a company makes default in printing or forwarding a copy of a special or extraordinary resolution to the registrar it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding two pounds for every day during which the default continues.
(5) If a company makes default in embodying in or annexing to a copy of its articles or in forwarding in print to a member when required by this section a copy of a special resolution, it shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one pound for each copy in respect of which default is made.
(6) Every director and manager of a company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits any default by the company in complying with the requirements of this section shall be liable to the like penalty as is imposed by this section on the company for that default.

71 Minutes of proceedings of meetings and directors.
(1) Every company shall cause minutes of all proceedings of general meetings and (where there are directors or managers) of its directors or managers to be entered in books kept for that purpose.
(2) Any such minute if purporting to be signed by the chairman of the meeting at which the proceedings were had, or by the chairman of the next succeeding meeting, shall be evidence of the proceedings.
(3) Until the contrary is proved, every general meeting of the company or meeting of directors or managers in respect of the proceedings whereof minutes have been so made shall be deemed to have been duly held and convened, and all proceedings had thereat to have been duly had, and all appointments of directors, managers, or liquidators, shall be deemed to be valid.

Appointment, Qualification, &c. of Directors.

72 Restrictions on appointment or advertisement of director.
(1) A person shall not be capable of being appointed director of a company by the articles, and shall not be named as a director or proposed director of a company in any prospectus issued by or on behalf of the company, or in any statement in lieu of prospectus filed by or on behalf of a company, unless, before the registration of the articles or the publication of the prospectus, or the filing of the statement in lieu of prospectus, as the case may be, he has by himself or by his agent authorised in writing—
(i) Signed and filed with the registrar of companies a consent in writing to act as such director ; and
(ii) Either signed the memorandum for a number of shares not less than his qualification (if any), or signed and filed with the registrar a contract in writing to take from the company and pay for his qualification shares (if any).
(2) On the application for registration of the memorandum and articles of a company the applicant shall deliver to the registrar a list of the persons who have consented to be directors of the company, and, if this list contains the name of any person who has not so consented, the applicant shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
(3) This section shall not apply to a private company nor to a prospectus issued by or on behalf of a company after the expiration of one year from the date at which the company is entitled to commence business.

73 Qualification of director.
(1) Without prejudice to the restrictions imposed by the last foregoing section, it shall be the duty of every director who is by the regulations of the company required to hold a specified share qualification, and who is not already qualified, to obtain his qualification within two months after his appointment, or such shorter time as may be fixed by the regulations of the company.
(2) The office of director of a company shall be vacated, if the director does not within two months from the date of his appointment, or within such shorter time as may be fixed by the regulations of the company, obtain his qualification, or if after the expiration of such period or shorter time he ceases at any time to hold his qualification; and a person vacating office under this section shall be incapable of being re-appointed director of the company until he has obtained his qualification.
(3) If after the expiration of the said period or shorter time any unqualified person acts as a director of the company, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day between the expiration of the said period or shorter time and the last day on which it is proved that he acted as a director.

74 Validity of acts of directors.
The acts of a director or manager shall be valid notwithstanding any defect that may afterwards be discovered in his appointment or qualification.

75 List of directors to be sent to registrar.
(1) Every company shall keep at its registered office a register containing the names and addresses and the occupations of its directors or managers, and send to the registrar of companies a copy thereof, and from time to time notify to the registrar any change among its directors or managers.
(2) If default is made in compliance with this section, the company shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues; and eveiy director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.

Contracts, &c.

76 Form of contracts.
(1) Contracts on behalf of a company may be made as follows (that is to say):—
(i) Any contract which if made between private persons would be by law required to be in writing, and if made according to English, law to he under seal, may be made on behalf of the company in writing under the common seal of the company, and may in the same manner be varied or discharged :
(ii) Any contract which if made between private persons would be by law required to be in writing, signed by the parties to be charged therewith, may be made on behalf of the company in writing signed by any person acting under its authority, express or implied, and may in the same manner be varied or discharged :
(iii) Any contract which if made between private persons would by law be valid although made by parol only, and not reduced into writing, may be made by parol on behalf of the company by any person acting under its authority, express or implied, and may in the same manner be varied or discharged.
(2) All contracts made according to this section shall be effectual in law, and shall bind the company and its successors and all other parties thereto, their heirs, executors, or administrators as the case may be.
(3) Any deed to which a company is a party shall be held to be validly executed in Scotland on behalf of the company if it is executed in terms of the provisions of this Act or is sealed with the common seal of the company and subscribed on behalf of the company by two of the directors and the secretary of the company, and such subscription on behalf of the company shall be equally binding whether attested by witnesses or not.

77 Bills of exchange and promissory notes.
A bill of exchange or promissory note shall be deemed to have been made, accepted, or endorsed on behalf of a company if made, accepted, or endorsed in the name of, or by or on behalf or on account of, the company by any person acting under its authority.

78 Execution of deeds abroad.
A company may, by writing under its common seal, empower any person, either generally or in respect of any specified matters, as its attorney, to execute deeds on its behalf in any place not situate in the United Kingdom; and every deed signed by such attorney, on behalf of the company, and under his seal, shall bind the company, and have the same effect as if it were under its common seal.

79 Power for company to have official seal for use abroad.
(1) A company whose objects require or comprise the transaction of business in foreign countries may, if authorised by its articles, have for use in any territory, district, or place not situate in the United Kingdom, an official seal, which shall be a facsimile of the common seal of the company, with the addition on its face of the name of every territory, district, or place where it is to be used.
(2) A company having such an official seal may, by writing under its common seal, authorise any person appointed for the purpose in any territory, district, or place not situate in the United Kingdom, to affix the same to any deed or other document to which the company is party in that territory, district, or place.
(3) The authority of any such agent shall, as between the company and any person dealing with the agent, continue during the period, if any, mentioned in the instrument conferring the authority, or if no period is there mentioned, then until notice of the revocation or determination of the agent's authority has been given to the person dealing with him.
(4) The person affixing any such official seal shall, by writing under his hand, on the deed or other document to which the seal is affixed, certify the date and place of affixing the same.
(5) A deed or other document to which an official seal is duly affixed shall bind the company as if it had been sealed with the common seal of the company.

Prospectus.

80 Filing of prospectus.
(1) Every prospectus issued by or on behalf of a company or in relation to any intended company shall be dated, and that date shall, unless the contrary be proved, be taken as the date of publication of the prospectus.
(2) A copy of every such prospectus, signed by every person who is named therein as a director or proposed director of the company, or by his agent authorised in writing, shall be filed for registration with the registrar of companies on or before the date of its publication, and no such prospectus shall be issued until a copy thereof lias been so filed for registration.
(3) The registrar shall not register any prospectus unless it is dated, and the copy thereof signed, in manner required by this section.
(4) Every prospectus shall state on the face of it that a copy has been filed for registration as required by this section.
(5) If a prospectus is issued without a copy thereof being so filed, the company, and every person who is knowingly a party to the issue of the prospectus, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day from the date of the issue of the prospectus until a copy thereof is so filed.

81 Specific requirements as to particulars of prospectus.
(1) Every prospectus issued by or on behalf of a company, or by or on behalf of any person who is or has been engaged or interested in the formation of the company, must state—
(a) the contents of the memorandum, with the names, descriptions, and addresses of the signatories, and the number of shares subscribed for by them respectively ; and the number of founders or management or deferred shares, if any, and the nature and extent of the interest of the holders in the property and profits of the company ; and
(b) the number of stares, if any, fixed by the articles as the qualification of a director, and any provision in the articles as to the remuneration of the directors; and
(c) the names, descriptions, and addresses of the directors or proposed directors ; and
(d) the minimum subscription on which the directors may proceed to allotment, and the amount payable on application and allotment on each share ; and in the case of a second or subsequent offer of shares, the amount offered for subscription on each previous allotment made within the two preceding years, and the amount actually allotted, and the amount, if any, paid on the shares so allotted ; and
(e) the number and amount of shares and debentures which within the two preceding years have been issued, or agreed to be issued, as fully or partly paid up otherwise than in cash, and in the latter case the extent to which they are so paid up, and in either case the consideration for which those shares or debentures have been issued or are proposed or intended to be issued ; and
(f) the names and addresses of the vendors of any property purchased or acquired by the company, or proposed so to be purchased or acquired, which is to be paid for wholly or partly out of the proceeds of the issue offered for subscription by the prospectus, or the purchase or acquisition of which has not been completed at the date of issue of the prospectus, and the amount payable in cash, shares, or debentures, to the vendor, and where there is more than one separate vendor, or the company is a sub-purchaser, the amount so payable to each vendor: Provided that where the vendors or any of them are a firm the members of the firm shall not be treated as separate vendors ; and
(g) the amount (if any) paid or payable as purchase money in cash, shares, or debentures, for any such property as aforesaid, specifying the amount (if any) payable for goodwill; and
(h) the amount (if any) paid within the two preceding years, or payable, as commission for subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, for any shares in, or debentures of, the company, or the rate of any such commission : Provided that it shall not be necessary to state the commission payable to sub-underwriters ; and
(i) the amount or estimated amount of preliminary expenses ; and
(j) the amount paid within the two preceding years or intended to be paid to any promoter, and the consideration for any such payment; and
(k) the dates of and parties to every material contract, and a reasonable time and place at which any material contract or a copy thereof may be inspected: Provided that this requirement shall not apply to a contract entered into in the ordinary course of the business carried on or intended to be carried on by the company, or to any contract entered into more than two years before the date of issue of the prospectus ; and
(l) the names and addresses of the auditors (if any) of the company ; and
(m) full particulars of the nature and extent of the interest (if any) of every director in the promotion of, or in the property proposed to be acquired by, the company, or, where the interest of such a director consists in being a partner in a firm, the nature and extent of the interest of the firm, with a statement of all sums paid or agreed to be paid to him or to the firm in cash or shares or otherwise by any person either to induce him to become, or to qualify him as, a director, or, otherwise for services rendered by him or by the firm in connexion with the promotion or formation of the company ; and
(n) where the company is a company having shares of more than one class, the right of voting at meetings of the company conferred by the several classes of shares respectively.
(2) For the purposes of this section every person shall be deemed to be a vendor who has entered into any contract, absolute or conditional, for the sale or purchase, or for any option of purchase, of any property to be acquired by the company, in any case where—
(a) the purchase money is not fully paid at the date of issue of the prospectus ; or
(b) the purchase money is to be paid or satisfied wholly or in part out of the proceeds of the issue offered for subscription by the prospectus ; or
(c) the contract depends for its validity or fulfilment on the result of that issue.
(3) Where any of the property to be acquired by the company is to be taken on lease, this section shall apply as if the expression “vendor” included the lessor, and the expression “purchase money ” included the consideration for the lease, and the expression “sub-purchaser ” included a sub-lessee.
(4) Any condition requiring or binding any applicant for shares or debentures to waive compliance with any requirement of this section, or purporting to affect him with notice of any contract, document, or matter not specifically referred to in the prospectus, shall be void.
(5) Where any such prospectus as is mentioned in this section is published as a newspaper advertisement, it shall not be necessary in the advertisement to specify the contents of the memorandum or the signatories thereto, and the number of shares subscribed for by them.
(6) In the event of non-compliance with any of the requirements of this section, a director or other person responsible for the prospectus shall not incur any liability by reason of the non-compliance, if he proves that—
(a) as regards any matter not disclosed, he was not cognisant thereof; or
(b) the non-compliance arose from an honest mistake of fact on his part :
Provided that in the event of non-compliance with the requirements contained in paragraph (m) of subsection (1) of this section no director or other person shall incur any liability in respect of the non-compliance unless it be proved that he had knowledge of the matters not disclosed.
(7) This section shall, not apply to a circular or notice inviting existing members or debenture holders of a company to subscribe either for shares or for debentures of the company, whether with or without the right to renounce in favour of other persons, but subject as aforesaid, this section shall apply to any prospectus whether issued on or with reference to the formation of a company or subsequently.
(8) The requirements of this section as to the memorandum and the qualification, remuneration, and interest of directors, the names, descriptions, and addresses of directors or proposed directors, and the amount or estimated amount of preliminary expenses, shall not apply in the case of a prospectus issued more than one year after the date at which the company is entitled to commence business.
(9) Nothing in this section shall limit or diminish any liability which any person may incur under the general law or this Act apart from this section.

82 Obligations of companies where no prospectus is issued.
(1) A company which does not issue a prospectus on or with reference to its formation, shall not allot any of its shares or debentures unless before the first allotment of either shares or debentures there has been filed with the registrar of companies a statement in lieu of prospectus signed by every person who is named therein as a director or a proposed director of the company or by his agent authorised in writing, in the form and containing the particulars set out in the Second Schedule to this Act.
(2) This section shall not apply to a private company or to a company which has allotted any shares or debentures before the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight.

83 Restriction on alteration of terms mentioned in prospectus or statement in lieu of prospectus.
A company shall not previously to the statutory meeting-vary the terms of a contract referred to in the prospectus or statement in lieu of prospectus, except subject to the approval of the statutory meeting.

84 Liability for statements in prospectus.
(1) Where a prospectus invites persons to subscribe for shares in or debentures of a company, every person who is a director of the company at the time of the issue of the prospectus, and every person who has authorised the naming of him and is named in the prospectus as a director or as having agreed to become a director either immediately or after an interval of time, and every promoter of the company, and every person who has authorised the issue of the prospectus, shall be liable to pay compensation to all persons who subscribe for any shares or debentures on the faith of the prospectus for the loss or damage they may have sustained by reason of any untrue statement therein, or in any report or memorandum appearing on the face thereof, or by reference incorporated therein or issued therewith, unless it is proved—
(a) With respect to every untrue statement not purporting to be made on the authority of an expert, or of a public official document or statement, that he had reasonable ground to believe, and did up to the time of the allotment of the shares or debentures, as the case may be, believe, that the statement was true ; and
(b) With respect to every untrue statement purporting to be a statement by or contained in what purports to be a copy of or extract from a report or valuation of an expert, that it fairly represented the statement, or was a correct and fair copy of or extract from the report or valuation. Provided that the director, person named as director, promoter, or person who authorised the issue of the prospectus, shall be liable to pay compensation as aforesaid if it is proved that he had no reasonable ground to believe that the person making the statement, report, or valuation was competent to make it; and
(c) With respect to every untrue statement purporting to be a statement made by an official person or contained in what purports to be a copy of or extract from a public official document, that it was a correct and fair representation of the statement or copy of or extract from the document:
or unless it is proved—
(i) that having consented to become a director of the company he withdrew his consent before the issue of the prospectus, and that it was issued without his authority or consent; or
(ii) that the prospectus was issued without his knowledge or consent, and that on becoming aware of its issue he forthwith gave reasonable public notice that it was issued without his knowledge or consent; or
(iii) that after the issue of the prospectus and before allotment thereunder, he, on becoming aware of any untrue statement therein, withdrew his consent thereto, and gave reasonable public notice of the withdrawal, and of the reason therefor.
(2) Where a company existing on the eighteenth day of August one thousand eight hundred and ninety, has issued shares or debentures, and for the purpose of obtaining further capital by subscriptions for shares or debentures issues a prospectus, a director shall not be liable in respect of any statement therein, unless he has authorised the issue of the prospectus, or has adopted or ratified it.
(3) Where the prospectus contains the name of a person as a director of the company, or as having agreed to become a director thereof, and he has not consented to become a director, or has withdrawn his consent before the issue of the prospectus, and has not authorised or consented to the issue thereof, the-directors of the company, except any without whose knowledge or consent the prospectus was issued, and any other person who authorised the issue thereof, shall be liable to indemnify the person named as aforesaid against all damages, costs, and expenses to which he may be made liable by reason of his name having been inserted in the prospectus, or in defending himself against any action or legal proceedings brought against him in respect thereof.
(4) Every person who by reason of his being a director, or named as a director or as having agreed to become a director, or of his having authorised the issue of the prospectus, becomes, liable to make any payment under this section may recover contribution, as in cases of contract, from any other person who, if sued separately, would have been liable to make the same payment, unless the person who has become so liable was, and that other person was not, guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.
(5) For the purposes of this section—
The expression “promoter ” means a promoter who was a party to the preparation of the prospectus, or of the portion thereof containing the untrue statement, but does not include any person by reason of his acting in a professional capacity for persons engaged in procuring the formation of the company :
The expression “expert ” includes engineer, valuer, accountant, and any other person whose profession gives authority to a statement made by him.

Allotment.

85 Restriction as to allotment.
(1) No allotment shall be made of any share capital of a company offered to the public for subscription, unless the following conditions have been complied with, namely :—
(a) the amount (if any) fixed by the memorandum or articles and named in the prospectus as the minimum subscription upon which the directors may proceed to-allotment; or
(b) if no amount is so fixed and named, then the whole amount of the share capital so offered for subscription,
has been subscribed, and the sum payable on application for the amount so fixed and named, or for the whole amount offered for subscription, has been paid to and received by the company.
(2) The amount so fixed and named and the whole amount aforesaid shall be reckoned exclusively of any amount payable otherwise than in cash, and is in this Act referred to as the minimum subscription.
(3) The amount payable on application on each share shall not be less than five per cent. of the nominal amount of the share.
(4) If the conditions aforesaid have not been complied with on the expiration of forty days after the first issue of the prospectus, all money received from applicants for shares shall be forthwith repaid to them without interest, and, if any such money is not so repaid within forty-eight days after the issue of the prospectus, the directors of the company shall be jointly and severally liable to repay that money with interest at the rate of five per centum per annum from the expiration of the forty-eighth day:
Provided that a director shall not be liable if he proves that the loss of the money was not due to any misconduct or negligence on his part.
(5) Any condition requiring or binding any applicant for shares to waive compliance with any requirement of this section shall be void.
(6) This section, except subsection (3) thereof, shall not apply to any allotment of shares subsequent to the first allotment of shares offered to the public for subscription.
(7) In the case of the first allotment of share capital payable in cash of a company which does not issue any invitation to the public to subscribe for its shares, no allotment shall be made unless the minimum subscription (that is to say):—
(a) the amount (if any) fixed by the memorandum or articles and named in the statement in lieu of prospectus as the minimum subscription upon which the directors may proceed to allotment; or
(b) if no amount is so fixed and named, then the whole amount of the share capital other than that issued or agreed to be issued as fully or partly paid up otherwise than in cash,
has been subscribed and an amount not less than five per cent. of the nominal amount of each share payable in cash has been paid to and received by the company.
This subsection shall not apply to a private company or to a company which has allotted any shares or debentures before the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight.

86 Effect of irregular allotment.
(1) An allotment made by a company to an applicant in contravention of the provisions of the last foregoing section shall be voidable at the instance of the applicant within one month after the holding of the statutory meeting of the company and not later, and shall be so voidable notwithstanding that the company is in course of being wound up.
(2) If any director of a company knowingly contravenes or permits or authorises the contravention of any of the provisions of the last foregoing section with respect to allotment he shall be liable to compensate the company and the allottee respectively for any loss, damages, or costs which the company or the allottee may have sustained or incurred thereby: Provided that proceedings to recover any such loss, damages, or costs shall not be commenced after the expiration of two years from the date of the allotment.

87 Restrictions on commencement of business.
(1) A company shall not commence any business or exercise any borrowing powers unless—
(a) shares held subject to the payment of the whole amount thereof in cash have been allotted to an amount not less in the whole than the minimum subscription ; and
(b) every director of the company has paid to the company on each of the shares taken or contracted to be taken by him, and for which he is liable to pay in cash, a proportion equal to the proportion payable on application and allotment on the shares offered for public subscription, or in the case of a company which does not issue a prospectus inviting the public to subscribe for its shares, on the shares payable in cash; and
(c) there has been filed with the registrar of companies a statutory declaration by the secretary or one of the directors, in the prescribed form, that the aforesaid conditions have been complied with ; and
(d) in the case of a company which does not issue a prospectus inviting the public to subscribe for its shares, there has been filed with the registrar of companies a statement in lieu of prospectus.
(2) The registrar of companies shall, on the filing of this statutory declaration, certify that the company is entitled to commence business, and that certificate shall be conclusive evidence that the company is so entitled :
Provided that in the case of a company which does not issue a prospectus inviting the public to subscribe for its shares the registrar shall not give such a certificate unless a statement in lieu of prospectus has been filed with him.
(3) Any contract made by a company before the date at which it is entitled to commence business shall be provisional only, and shall not be binding on the company until that date, and on that date it shall become binding.
(4) Nothing in this section shall prevent the simultaneous offer for subscription or allotment of any shares and debentures or the receipt of any money payable on application for debentures.
(5) If any company commences business or exercises borrowing powers in contravention of this section, every person who is responsible for the contravention shall, without prejudice to any other liability, be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds for every day during which the contravention continues.
(6) Nothing in this section shall apply to a private company, or to a company registered before the first day of January nineteen hundred and one, or to a company registered before the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight which does not issue a prospectus inviting the public to subscribe for its shares.

88 Return as to allotments.
(1) Whenever a company limited by shares makes any allotment of its shares, the company shall within one month thereafter file with the registrar of companies—
(a) a return of the allotments, stating the number and nominal amount of the shares comprised in the allotment, the names, addresses, and descriptions of the allottees, and the amount (if any) paid or due and payable on each share ; and
(b) in the case of shares allotted as fully or partly paid up otherwise than in cash, a contract in writing constituting the title of the allottee to the allotment together with any contract of sale, or for services or other consideration in respect of which that allotment was made, such contracts being duly stamped, and a return stating the number and nominal amount of shares so allotted, the extent to which they are to be treated as paid up, and the consideration for which they have been allotted.
(2) Where such a contract as above mentioned is not reduced to writing, the company shall within one month after the allotment file with the registrar of companies the prescribed particulars of the contract stamped with the same stamp duty as would have been payable if the contract had been reduced to writing, and those particulars shall be deemed to be an instrument within the meaning of the Stamp Act, 1891, and the registrar may, as a condition of filing the particulars, require that the duty payable thereon be adjudicated under section twelve of that Act.
54 & 55 Vict. c. 39.
(3) If default is made in complying with the requirements of this section, every director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company, who is knowingly a party to the default, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds for every day during which the default continues :
Provided that, in case of default in filing with the registrar of companies within one month after the allotment any document required to be filed by this section, the company, or any person liable for the default, may apply to the court for relief, and the court, if satisfied that the omission to file the document was accidental or due to inadvertence or that it is just and equitable to grant relief, may make an order extending the time for the filing of the document for such period as the court may think proper.

Commissions and Discounts.

89 Power to pay certain commissions, and prohibition of payment of all other commissions, discounts, &c.
(1) It shall be lawful for a company to pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any shares in the company, or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any shares in the company, if the payment of the commission is authorised by the articles, and the commission paid or agreed to be paid does not exceed the amount or rate so authorised, and if the amount or rate per cent. of the commission paid or agreed to be paid is—
(a) In the case of shares offered to the public for subscription, disclosed in the prospectus ; or
(b) In the case of shares not offered to the public for subscription, disclosed in the statement in lieu of prospectus, or in a statement in the prescribed form signed in like manner as a statement in lieu of prospectus and filed with the registrar of companies, and, where a circular or notice, not being a prospectus, inviting subscription for the shares is issued, also disclosed in that circular or notice.
(2) Save as aforesaid, no company shall apply any of its shares or capital money either directly or indirectly in payment of any commission, discount, or allowance, to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any shares of the company, or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any shares in the company, whether the shares or money be so applied by being added to the purchase money of any property acquired by the company or to the contract price of any work to be executed for the company, or the money be paid out of the nominal purchase money or contract price, or otherwise.
(3) Nothing in this section shall affect the power of any company to pay such brokerage as it has heretofore been lawful for a company to pay, and a vendor to, promoter of, or other person who receives payment in money or shares from, a company shall have and shall be deemed always to have had power to apply any part of the money or shares so received in payment of any commission, the payment of which, if made directly by the company, would have been legal under this section.

90 Statement in balance sheet as to commissions and discounts.
Where a company has paid any sums by way of commission in respect of any shares or debentures, or allowed any sums by way of discount in respect of any debentures, the total amount so paid or allowed, or so much thereof as has not been written off, shall be stated in every balance sheet of the company until the whole amount thereof has been written off.

Payment of Interest out of Capital.

91 Power of company to pay interest out of capital in certain cases.
Where any shares of a company are issued for the purpose of raising money to defray the expenses of the construction of any works or buildings or the provision of any plant which cannot be made profitable for a lengthened period, the company may pay interest on so much of that share capital as is for the time being paid up for the period and subject to the conditions and restrictions in this section mentioned, and may charge the same to capital as part of the cost of construction of the work or building, or the provision of plant:
Provided that—
(1) No such payment shall be made unless the same is authorised by the articles or by special resolution :
(2) No such payment, whether authorised by the articles or by special resolution, shall be made without the previous sanction of the Board of Trade :
(3) Before sanctioning any such payment the Board of Trade may, at the expense of the company, appoint a person to inquire and report to them as to the circumstances of the case, and may, before making the appointment, require the company to give security for the payment of the costs of the inquiry :
(4) The payment shall be made only for such period as may be determined by the Board of Trade ; and such period shall in no case extend beyond the close of the half year next after the half year during which the works or buildings have been actually completed or the plant provided :
(5) The rate of interest shall in no case exceed four per cent, per annum or such lower rate as may for the time being be prescribed by Order in Council:
(6) The payment of the interest shall not operate as a reduction of the amount paid up on the shares in respect of which it is paid :
(7) The accounts of the company shall show the share capital on which, and the rate at which, interest has been paid out of capital during the period to which the accounts relate :
(8) Nothing in this section shall affect any company to which the Indian Railways Act, 1894, as amended by any subsequent enactment, applies.
57 & 58 Vict. c. 12.

Certificates of Shares, &c.

92 Limitation of time for issue of certificates.
(1) Every company shall, within two months after the allotment of any of its shares, debentures, or debenture stock, and within two months after the registration of the transfer of any such shares, debentures, or debenture stock, complete and have ready for delivery the certificates of all shares, the debentures, and the certificates of all debenture stock allotted or transferred, unless the conditions of issue of the shares, debentures, or debenture stock otherwise provide.
(2) If default is made in complying with the requirements of this section, the company, and every director, manager, secretary, and other officer of the company who is knowingly a party to the default, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.

Information as to Mortgages, Charges, &c.

93 Registration of mortgages and charges in England and Ireland.
(1) Every mortgage or charge created after the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight by a company registered in England or Ireland and being either—
(a) a mortgage or charge for the purpose of securing any issue of debentures ; or
(b) a mortgage or charge on uncalled share capital of the company; or
(c) a mortgage or charge created or evidenced by an instrument which, if executed by an individual, would require registration as a bill of sale ; or
(d) a mortgage or charge on any land, wherever situate, or any interest therein ; or
(e) a mortgage or charge on any book debts of the company; or
(f) a floating charge on the undertaking or property of the company,
shall, so far as any security on the company's property or undertaking is thereby conferred, be void against the liquidator and any creditor of the company, unless the prescribed particulars of the mortgage or charge, together with the instrument (if any) by which the mortgage or charge is created or evidenced, are delivered to or received by the registrar of companies for registration in manner required by this Act within twenty-one days after the date of its creation, but without prejudice to any contract or obligation for repayment of the money thereby secured, and when a mortgage or charge becomes void under this section the money secured thereby shall immediately become payable :
Provided that—
(i) in the case of a mortgage or charge created out of the United Kingdom comprising solely property situate outside the United Kingdom, the delivery to and the receipt by the registrar of a copy of the instrument by which the mortgage or charge is created or evidenced, verified in the prescribed manner, shall have the same effect for the purposes of this section as the delivery and receipt of the instrument itself, and twenty-one days after the date on which the instrument or copy could, in due course of post, and if despatched with due diligence, have been received in the United Kingdom, shall be substituted for twenty-one days after the date of the creation of the mortgage or charge, as the time within which the particulars and instrument or copy are to be delivered to the registrar ; and
(ii) where the mortgage or charge is created in the United Kingdom but comprises property outside the United Kingdom, the instrument creating or purporting to create the mortgage or charge may be sent for registration notwithstanding that further proceedings may be necessary to make the mortgage or charge valid or effectual according to the law of the country in which the property is situate ; and
(iii) where a negotiable instrument has been given to secure the payment of any book debts of a company, the deposit of the instrument for the purpose of securing an advance to the company shall not for the purposes of this section be treated as a mortgage or charge on those book debts ; and
(iv) the holding of debentures entitling the holder to a charge on land shall not be deemed to be an interest in land.
(2) The registrar shall keep, with respect to each company, a register in the prescribed form of all the mortgages and charges created by the company after the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight and requiring registration under this section, and shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, enter in the register, with respect to every such mortgage or charge, the date of creation, the amount secured by it, short particulars of the property mortgaged or charged, and the names of the mortgagees or persons entitled to the charge.
(3) Where a series of debentures containing, or giving by reference to any other instrument, any charge to the benefit of which the debenture holders of that series are entitled pari passu is created by a company, it shall be sufficient if there are delivered to or received by the registrar within twenty-one days after the execution of the deed containing the charge or, if there is no such deed, after the execution of any debentures of the series, the following particulars :—
(a) the total amount secured by the whole series ; and
(b) the dates of the resolutions authorising the issue of the series and the date of the covering deed, if any, by which the security is created or defined ; and
(c) a general description of the property charged ; and
(d) the names of the trustees, if any, for the debenture holders ;
together with the deed containing the charge, or, if there is no such deed, one of the debentures of the series, and the registrar shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, enter those particulars in the register:
Provided that, where more than one issue is made of debentures in the series, there shall be sent to the registrar for entry in the register particulars of the date and amount of each issue, but an omission to do this shall not affect the validity of the debentures issued.
(4) Where any commission, allowance, or discount has been paid or made either directly or indirectly by the company to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any debentures of the company, or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any such debentures, the particulars required to be sent for registration under this section shall include particulars as to the amount or rate per cent. of the commission, discount, or allowance so paid or made, but an omission to do this shall not affect the validity of the debentures issued :
Provided that the deposit of any debentures as security for any debt of the company shall not for the purposes of this provision be treated as the issue of the debentures at a discount.
(5) The registrar shall give a certificate under his hand of the registration of any mortgage or charge registered in pursuance of this section, stating the amount thereby secured, and the certificate shall be conclusive evidence that the requirements of this section as to registration have been complied with.
(6) The company shall cause a copy of every certificate of registration given under this section to be endorsed on every debenture or certificate of debenture stock which is issued by the company, and the payment of which is secured by the mortgage or charge so registered :
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed as requiring a company to cause a certificate of registration of any mortgage or charge so given to be endorsed on any debenture or certificate of debenture stock which has been issued by the company before the mortgage or charge was created.
(7) It shall be the duty of the company to send to the registrar for registration the particulars of every mortgage or charge created by the company and of the issues of debentures of a series, requiring registration under this section, but registration of any such mortgage or charge may be effected On the application of any person interested therein.
Where the registration is effected on the application of some person other than the company, that person shall be entitled to recover from the company the amount of any fees properly paid by him to the registrar on the registration.
(8) The register kept in pursuance of this section shall be open to inspection by any person on payment of the prescribed fee, not exceeding one shilling for each inspection.
(9) Every company shall cause a copy of every instrument creating any mortgage or charge requiring registration under this section to be kept at the registered office of the company :
Provided that, in the case of a series of uniform debentures, a copy of one such debenture shall be sufficient.

94 Registration of enforcement of security.
(1) If any person obtains an order for the appointment of a receiver or manager of the property of a company, or appoints such a receiver or manager under any powers contained in any instrument, he shall within seven days from the date of the order or of the appointment under the powers contained in the instrument give notice of the fact to the registrar of companies, and the registrar shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, enter the fact in the register of mortgages and charges.
(2) If any person makes default in complying with the requirements of this section he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.

95 Filing of accounts of receivers and managers.
(1) Every receiver or manager of the property of a company who has been appointed under the powers contained in any instrument, and who has taken possession, shall, once in every half year while he remains in possession, and also on ceasing to act as receiver or manager, file with the registrar of companies an abstract in the prescribed form of his receipts and payments during the period to which the abstract relates, and shall also on ceasing to act as receiver or manager file with the registrar notice to that effect, and the registrar shall enter the notice in the register of mortgages and charges.
(2) Every receiver or manager who makes default in complying with the provisions of this section shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

96 Rectification of register of mortgages.
A judge of the High Court, on being satisfied that the omission to register a mortgage or charge within the time hereinbefore required, or that the omission or misstatement of any particular with respect to any such mortgage or charge, was accidental, or clue to inadvertence or to some other sufficient cause, or is not of a nature to prejudice the position of creditors or shareholders of the company, or that on other grounds it is just and equitable to grant relief, may, on the application of the company or any person interested, and on such terms and conditions as seem to the judge just and expedient, order that the time for registration be extended, or, as the case may be, that the omission or misstatement be rectified.

97 Entry of satisfaction.
The registrar of companies may, on evidence being given to his satisfaction that the debt for which any registered mortgage or charge was given has been paid or satisfied, order that a memorandum of satisfaction be entered on the register, and shall if required furnish the company with a copy thereof.

98 Index to register of mortgages and charges.
The registrar of companies shall keep a chronological index, in the prescribed form and with the prescribed particulars, of the mortgages or charges registered with him under this Act.

99 Penalties.
(1) If any company makes default in sending to the registrar of companies for registration the particulars of any mortgage or charge created by the company, and of the issues of debentures of a series, requiring registration with the registrar under the foregoing provisions of this Act, then, unless the registration has been effected on the application of some other person, the company, and every director, manager, secretary, or other person who is knowingly a party to the default, shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds for every day during which the default continues.
(2) Subject as aforesaid, if any company makes default in complying with any of the requirements of this Act as to the registration with the registrar of any mortgage or charge created by the company, the company and every director, manager, and other officer of the company, who knowingly and wilfully authorised or permitted the default shall, without prejudice to any other liability, be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.
(3) If any person knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the delivery of any debenture or certificate of debenture stock requiring registration with the registrar under the foregoing provisions of this Act without a copy of the certificate of registration being endorsed upon it, he shall, without prejudice to any other liability, be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.

100 Company's register of mortgages.
(1) Every limited company shall keep a register of mortgages and enter therein all mortgages and charges specifically affecting property of the company, giving in each case a short description of the property mortgaged or charged, the amount of the mortgage or charge, and (except in the case of securities to bearer) the names of the mortgagees or persons entitled thereto.
(2) If any director, manager, or other officer of the company knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the omission of any entry required to be made in pursuance of this section, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

101 Right to inspect copies of instruments creating mortgages and charges and company's register of mortgages.
(1) The copies of instruments creating any mortgage or charge requiring registration under this Act with the registrar of companies, and the register of mortgages kept in pursuance of the last foregoing section, shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of any creditor or member of the company without fee, and the register of mortgages shall also be open to the inspection of any other person on payment of such fee, not exceeding one shilling for each inspection, as the company may prescribe.
(2) If inspection of the said copies or register is refused, any officer of the company refusing inspection, and every director and manager of the company authorising or knowingly and wilfully permitting the refusal, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding-five pounds, and a further fine not exceeding two pounds for every day during which the refusal continues ; and, in addition to the above penalty as respects companies registered in England or Ireland, any judge of the High Court sitting in chambers, or the judge of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction in the case of companies subject to that jurisdiction, may by order compel an immediate inspection of the copies or register.

102 Right of debenture holders to inspect the register of debenture holders and to have copies of trust deed.
(1) Every register of holders of debentures of a company shall, except when closed in accordance with the articles during such period or periods (not exceeding in the whole thirty days in any year) as may be specified in the articles, be open to the inspection of the registered holder of any such debentures, and of any holder of shares in the company, but subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company may in general meeting impose, so that at least two hours in each day are appointed for inspection, and every such holder may require a copy of the register or any part thereof on payment of sixpence for every one hundred words required to be copied.
(2) A copy of any trust deed for securing any issue of debentures shall be forwarded to every holder of any such debentures at his request on payment in the case of a printed trust deed of the sum of one shilling or such less sum as may be prescribed by the company, or, where the trust deed has not been printed, on payment of sixpence for every one hundred words required to be copied.
(3) If inspection is refused, or a copy is refused or not forwarded, the company shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds, and to a further fine not exceeding two pounds for every day during which the refusal continues, and every director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company who knowingly authorises or permits the refusal shall incur the like penalty.

Debentures and Floating Charges.

103 Perpetual debentures.
A condition contained in any debentures or in any deed for securing any debentures, whether issued or executed before or after the passing of this Act, shall not be invalid by reason only that thereby the debentures are made irredeemable or redeemable only on the happening of a contingency, however remote, or on the expiration of a period, however long, any rule of equity to the contrary notwithstanding.

104 Power to re-issue redeemed debentures in certain cases.
(1) Where either before or after the passing of this Act a company has redeemed any debentures previously issued, the company, unless the articles or the conditions of issue expressly otherwise provide, or unless the debentures have been redeemed in pursuance of any obligation on the company so to do (not being an obligation enforceable only by the person to whom the redeemed debentures were issued or his assigns), shall have power, and shall be deemed always to have had power, to keep the debentures alive for the purposes of re-issue, and where a company has purported to exercise such a power the company shall have power, and shall be deemed always to have had power, to re-issue the debentures either by re-issuing the same debentures or by issuing other debentures in their place, and upon such a re-issue the person entitled to the debentures shall have, and shall be deemed always to have had, the same rights and priorities as if the debentures had not previously been issued.
(2) Where with the object of keeping debentures alive for the purpose of re-issue they have either before or after the passing of this Act been transferred to a nominee of the company, a transfer from that nominee shall be deemed to be a re-issue for the purposes of this section.
(3) Where a company has either before or after the passing of this Act deposited any of its debentures to secure advances from time to time on current account or otherwise, the debentures shall not be deemed to have been redeemed by reason only of the account of the company having ceased to be in debit whilst the debentures remained so deposited.
(4) The re-issue of a debenture or the issue of another debenture in its place under the power by this section given to, or deemed to have been possessed by, a company, whether the re-issue or issue was made before or after the passing of this Act, shall be treated as the issue of a new debenture for the purposes of stamp duty, but it shall not be so treated for the purposes of any provision limiting the amount or number of debentures to be issued :
Provided that any person lending money on the security of a debenture reissued under this section which appears to be duly stamped may give the debenture in evidence in any proceedings for enforcing his security without payment of the stamp duty or any penalty in respect thereof, unless he had notice or, but for his negligence, might have discovered, that the debenture was not duly stamped, but in any such case the company shall be liable to pay the proper stamp duty and penalty.
(5) Nothing in this section shall prejudice—
(a) the operation of any judgment or order of a court of competent jurisdiction pronounced or made before the seventh day of March nineteen hundred and seven as between the parties to the proceedings in which the judgment was pronounced or the order made, and any appeal from any such judgment or order shall be decided as if this Act had not been passed; or
(b) any power to issue debentures in the place of any debentures paid off or otherwise satisfied or extinguished, reserved to a company by its debentures or the securities for the same.

105 Specific performance of contract to subscribe for debentures.
A contract with a company to take up and pay for any debentures of the company may be enforced by an order for specific performance.

106 Validity of debentures to bearer in Scotland.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the statute of the Scots Parliament of 1696, chapter twenty-five, debentures to bearer issued in Scotland are declared to be valid and binding according to their terms.

107 Payments of certain debts out of assets subject to floating charge in priority to claims under the charge.
(1) Where, in the case of a company registered in England or Ireland, either a receiver is appointed on behalf of the holders of any debentures of the company secured by a floating charge, or possession is taken by or on behalf of those debenture holders of any property comprised in or subject to the charge, then, if the company is not at the time in course of being wound up, the debts which in every winding-up are under the provisions of Part IV. of this Act relating to preferential payments to be paid in priority to all other debts, shall be paid forthwith out of any assets coming to the hands of the receiver for other person taking possession as aforesaid in priority to any claim for principal or interest in respect of the debentures.
(2) The periods of time mentioned in the said provisions of Part IV. of this Act shall be reckoned from the date of the appointment of the receiver or of possession being taken as aforesaid, as the case may be.
(3) Any payments made under this section shall be recouped as far as may be out of the assets of the company available for payment of general creditors.

Statement to be published by Banking and certain other Companies.

108 Certain companies to publish statement in schedule.
(1) Every company being a limited banking company or an insurance company or a deposit, provident, or benefit society shall, before it commences business, and also on the first Monday in February and the first Tuesday in August in every year during which it carries on business, make a statement in the form marked 0. in the First Schedule to this Act, or as near thereto as circumstances will admit.
(2) A copy of the statement shall be put up in a conspicuous place in the registered office of the company, and in every branch office or place where the business of the company is carried on.
(3) Every member and every creditor of the company shall be entitled to a copy of the statement, on payment of a sum not exceeding sixpence.
(4) If default is made in compliance with this section, the company shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues ; and every director and manager of the company who knowingly and wilfully authorises or permits the default shall be liable to the like penalty.
(5) For the purposes of this Act a company that carries on the business of insurance in common with any other business or businesses shall be deemed to be an insurance company.
(6) This section shall not apply to any life assurance company nor any other assurance company to which the provisions of the Life Assurance Companies Acts, 1870 to 1872, as to the annual statements to he made by such a company, apply with or without modifications, if the company complies with those provisions.
33 & 34 Vict. c. 61.
34 & 35 Vict. c. 58.
35 & 36 Vict. c. 41.

Inspection and Audit.

109 Investigation of affairs of company by Board of Trade inspectors.
(1) The Board of Trade may appoint one or more competent inspectors to investigate the affairs of any company and to report thereon in such manner as the Board direct—
(i) In the case of a banking company having a share capital, on the application of members holding not less than one third of the shares issued :
(ii) In the case of any other company having a share capital, on the application of members holding not less than one tenth of the shares issued :
(iii) In the case of a company not having a share capital, on nthe application of not less than one fifth in number of the persons on the company's register of members.
(2) The application shall be supported by such evidence as the Board of Trade may require for the purpose of showing that the applicants have good reason for, and are not actuated by malicious motives in requiring, the investigation; and the Board of Trade may, before appointing an inspector, require the applicants to give security for payment of the costs of the inquiry.
(3) It shall be the duty of all officers and agents of the company to produce to the inspectors all books and documents in their custody or power.
(4) An inspector may examine on oath the officers and agents of the company in relation to its business, and may administer an oath accordingly.
(5) If any officer or agent refuses to produce any book or document which under this section it is his duty to produce, or to answer any question relating to the affairs of the company, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds in respect of each offence.
(6) On the conclusion of the investigation the inspectors shall report their opinion to the Board of Trade, and a copy of the report shall be forwarded by the Board to the registered office of the company, and a further copy shall, at the request of the applicants for the investigation, be delivered to them.
The report shall be written or printed, as the Board direct.
(7) All expenses of and incidental to the investigation shall be defrayed by the applicants, unless the Board of Trade direct the same to be paid by the company, which the Board is hereby authorised to do.

110 Power of company to appoint inspectors.
(1) A company may by special resolution appoint inspectors to investigate its affairs.
(2) Inspectors so appointed shall have the same powers and duties as inspectors appointed by the Board of Trade, except that, instead of reporting to the Board, they shall report in such manner and to such persons as the company in general meeting-may direct.
(3) Officers and agents of the company shall incur the like penalties in case of refusal to produce any book or document required to be produced to inspectors so appointed, or to answer any question, as they would have incurred if the inspectors had been appointed by the Board of Trade.

111 Report of inspectors to be evidence.
A copy of the report of any inspectors appointed under this Act, authenticated by the seal of the company whose affairs they have investigated, shall be admissible in any legal proceeding as evidence of the opinion of the inspectors in relation to any matter contained in the report.

112 Appointment and remuneration of auditors.
(1) Every company shall at each annual general meeting appoint an auditor or auditors to hold office until the next annual general meeting.
(2) If an appointment of auditors is not made at an annual general meeting, the Board of Trade may, on the application of any member of the company, appoint an auditor of the company for the current year, and fix the remuneration to be paid to him by the company for his services.
(3) A director or officer of the company shall not be capable of being appointed auditor of the company.
(4) A person, other than a retiring auditor, shall not be capable of being appointed auditor at an annual general meeting unless notice of an intention to nominate that person to the office of auditor has been given by a shareholder to the company not less than fourteen days before the annual general meeting, and the company shall send a copy of any such notice to the retiring auditor, and shall give notice thereof to the shareholders, either by advertisement or in any other mode allowed by the articles, not less than seven days before the annual general meeting :
Provided that if, after notice of the intention to nominate an auditor has been so given, an annual general meeting is called for a date fourteen days or less after the notice has been given, the notice, though not given within the time required by this provision, shall be deemed to have been properly given for the purposes thereof, and the notice to be sent or given by the company may, instead of being sent or given within the time required by this provision, be sent or given at the same time as the notice of the annual general meeting.
(5) The first auditors of the company may be appointed by the directors before the statutory meeting, and if so appointed shall hold office until the first annual general meeting, unless previously removed by a resolution of the shareholders in general meeting, in which case the shareholders at that meeting may appoint auditors.
(6) The directors may fill any casual vacancy in the office of auditor, hut while any such vacancy continues the surviving or continuing auditor or auditors, if any, may act.
(7) The remuneration of the auditors of a company shall be fixed by the company in general meeting, except that the remuneration of any auditors appointed before the statutory meeting, or to fill any casual vacancy, may be fixed by the directors.

113 Powers and duties of auditors.
(1) Every auditor of a company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the company, and shall be entitled to require from the directors and officers of the company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors.
(2) The auditors shall make a report to the shareholders on the accounts examined by them, and on every balance sheet laid before the company in general meeting during their tenure of office, and the report shall state—
(a) whether or not they have obtained all the information and explanations they have required ; and
(b) whether, in their opinion, the balance sheet referred to in the report is properly drawn up so as to exhibit a true and correct view of the state of the company's affairs according to the best of their information and the explanations given to them, and as shown by the books of the company.
(3) The balance sheet shall be signed on behalf of the board by two of the directors of the company or, if there is only one director, by that director, and the auditors' report shall be attached to the balance sheet, or there shall be inserted at the foot of the balance sheet a reference to the report, and the report shall be read before the company in general meeting, and shall be open to inspection by any shareholder.
Any shareholder shall be entitled to be furnished with a copy of the balance sheet and auditors' report at a charge not exceeding sixpence for every hundred words.
(4) If any copy of a balance sheet which has not been signed as required by this section is issued, circulated, or published, or if any copy of a balance sheet is issued, circulated, or published without either having a copy of the auditors' report attached thereto or containing such reference to that report as is required by this section, the company, and every director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the company who is knowingly a party to the default, shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.
(5) In the case of a banking company registered after the fifteenth day of August eighteen hundred and seventy-nine—
(a) if the company has branch banks beyond the limits of Europe, it shall be sufficient if the auditor is allowed access to such copies of and extracts from the books and accounts of any such branch as have been transmitted to the head office of the company in the United Kingdom; and
(b) the balance sheet must be signed by the secretary or manager (if any), and where there are more than three directors of the company by at least three of those directors, and where there are not more than three directors by all the directors.

114 Rights of preference shareholders, &c. as to receipt and inspection of reports, &c.
(1) Holders of preference shares and debentures of a company shall have the same right to receive and inspect the balance" sheets of the company and the reports of the auditors and other reports as is possessed by the holders of ordinary shares in the company.
(2) This section shall not apply to a private company, nor to a company registered before the first day of July nineteen hundred and eight.

Carrying on Business with less than the legal Minimum, of Members.

115 Prohibition of carrying on business with fewer than seven; or, in the case of a private company, two members.
If at any time the number of members of a company is reduced, in the case of a private company, below two, or, in the case of any other company, below seven, and it carries on business for more than six months while the number is so reduced, every person who is a member of the company during the time that it so carries on business after those six months, and is cognisant of the fact that it is carrying on business with fewer than two members, or seven members, as the case may be, shall be severally liable for the payment of the whole debts of the company contracted during that time, and may be sued for the same, without joinder in the action of any other member.

Service and Authentication of Documents.

116 Service of documents on company.
A document may be served on a company by leaving it at or sending it by post to the registered office of the company.

117 Authentication of documents.
A document or proceeding requiring authentication by a company may be signed by a director, secretary, or other authorised officer of the company, and need not be under its common seal.

Tables and Forms.

118 Application and alteration of tables and forms.
(1) The forms in the Third Schedule to this Act or forms as near thereto as circumstances admit shall be used in all matters to which those forms refer.
(2) The Board of Trade may alter any of the tables and forms in the First Schedule to this Act, so that it does not increase the amount of fees payable to the registrar in the said schedule mentioned, and may alter or add to the forms in the said Third Schedule.
(3) Any such table or form, when altered, shall be published in the London Gazette, and thenceforth shall have the same force as if it were included in one of the Schedules to this Act, but no alteration made by the Board of Trade in Table A. in the said First Schedule shall affect any company registered before the alteration, or repeal, as respects that company, any portion of that table.

Arbitrations.

119 Arbitration between companies and others.
(1) A company may by writing under its common seal agree to refer and may refer to arbitration, in accordance with the Railway Companies Arbitration Act, 1859, any existing or future difference between itself and any other company or person.
22 & 23 Vict. c. 59.
(2) Companies parties to the arbitration may delegate to the arbitrator power to settle any terms or to determine any matter capable of being lawfully settled or determined by the companies themselves, or by their directors or other managing body.
(3) All the provisions of the Railway Companies Arbitration Act, 1859, shall apply to arbitrations between companies and persons in pursuance of this Act ; and in the construction of those provisions “the companies ”. shall include companies under this Act.

Power to compromise.

120 Power to compromise with creditors and members.
(1) Where a compromise or arrangement is proposed between a company and its creditors or any class of them, or between the company and its members or any class of them, the court may, on the application in a summary way of the company or of any creditor or member of the company or, in the case of a company being wound up, of the liquidator, order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, or of the members of the company or class of members, as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the court directs.
(2) If a majority in number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or class of creditors, or members or class of members, as the case may be, present either in person or by proxy at the meeting, agree to any compromise or arrangement, the compromise or arrangement shall, if sanctioned by the court, be binding on all the creditors or the class of creditors, or on the members or class of members, as the case may be, and also on the company or, in the case of a company in the course of being wound up, on the liquidator and contributories of the company.
(3) In this section the expression “company” means any company liable to be wound up under this Act.

Meaning of “Private Company ”.

121 Meaning of " private company. ".
(1) For the purposes of this Act the expression “private company ” means a company which by its articles—
(a) restricts the right to transfer its shares ; and
(b) limits the number of its members (exclusive of persons who are in the employment of the company) to fifty ; and
(c) prohibits any invitation to the public to subscribe for any shares or debentures of the company.
(2) A private company may, subject to anything contained in the memorandum or articles, by passing a special resolution and by filing with the registrar of companies such a statement In lieu of prospectus as the company, if a public company, would have had to file before allotting any of its shares or debentures, together with such a statutory declaration as the company, if a public company, would have had to file before commencing business, turn itself into a public company.
(3) Where two or more persons hold one or more shares in a company jointly they shall, for the purposes of this section, be treated as a single member.

PART IV Winding Up.

Preliminary.

122 Modes of winding up.
(1) The winding up of a company may be either—
(i) by the court; or
(ii) voluntary; or
(iii) subject to the supervision of the court.
(2) The provisions of this Act with respect to winding up apply, unless the contrary appears, to the winding up of a company in any of those modes.

Contributories.

123 Liability as contributories of present and past members.
(1) In the event of a company being wound up, every present and past member shall, subject to the provisions of this section, be liable to contribute to the assets of the company to an amount sufficient for payment of its debts and liabilities and the costs, charges, and expenses of the winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves, with the qualifications following (that is to say):—
(i) A past member shall not be liable to contribute if he has ceased to be a member for one year or upwards before the commencement of the winding up :
(ii) A past member shall not be liable to contribute in respect of any debt or liability of the company contracted after he ceased to be a member :
(iii) A past member shall not be liable to contribute unless it appears to the court that the existing members are unable to satisfy the contributions required to be made by them in pursuance of this Act:
(iv) In the case of a company limited by shares no contribution shall be required from any member exceeding the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares in respect, of which he is liable present or past member :
(v) In the case of a company limited by guarantee, no contribution shall be required from any member exceeding the amount undertaken to be contributed by him to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up :
(vi) Nothing in this Act shall invalidate any provision contained in any policy of insurance or other contract whereby the liability of individual members on the policy or contract is restricted, or whereby the funds of the company are alone made liable in respect of the policy or contract :
(vii) A sum due to any member of a company, in his character of a member, by way of dividends, profits, or otherwise, shall not be deemed to be a debt of the company, payable to that member in a case of competition between himself and any other creditor not a member of the company ; but any such sum may be taken into account for the purpose of the final adjustment, of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
(2) In the winding up of a limited company, any director or manager, whether past or present, whose liability is, in pursuance of this Act, unlimited, shall, in addition to his liability (if any) to contribute as an ordinary member, be liable to make a further contribution as if he were at the commencement of the winding up a member of an unlimited company : Provided that—
(i) A past director or manager shall not be liable to make such further contribution if he has ceased to hold office for a year or upwards before the commencement of the winding up :
(ii) A past director or manager shall not be liable to make such further contribution in respect of any debt or liability of the company contracted after he ceased to hold office :
(iii) Subject to the articles of the company, a director or , manager shall not be liable to make such further contribution unless the court deems it necessary to require that contribution in order to satisfy the debts . and liabilities of the company, and the costs, charges, and expenses of the winding up.
(3) In the winding up of a company limited by guarantee which has a share capital, every member of the company shall be liable, in addition to the amount undertaken to be contributed by him to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up, to contribute to the extent of any sums unpaid on any shares held by him.

124 Definition of contributory.
The term “contributory ” means every person liable to contribute to the assets of a company in the event of its being-wound up, and, in all proceedings for determining and in all proceedings prior to the final determination of the persons who are to be deemed contributories, includes any person alleged to be a contributory.

125 Nature of liability of contributory.
The liability of a contributory shall create a debt (in England and Ireland of the nature of a specialty) accruing due from him at the time when his liability commenced, but payable at the times when calls are made for enforcing the liability.

126 Contributories in case of death of member.
(1) If a contributory dies either before or after he has been placed on the list of contributories, his personal representatives and his heirs and devisees, shall be liable in a due course of administration to contribute to the assets of the company in discharge of his liability and shall be contributories .accordingly.
(2) Where the personal representatives are placed on the list of contributories, the heirs or devisees need not be added, but, except in the case of heirs or devisees of any such real estate in England, they may be added as and when the court thinks fit.
(3) If the personal representatives make default in paying .any money ordered to be paid by them, proceedings may be taken for administering the personal and real estates of the deceased contributory, or either of them, and of compelling payment thereout of the money due.

127 Contributories in case of bankruptcy of member.
If a contributory becomes bankrupt, either before or after he has been placed on the list of contributories, then—
(1) his trustee in bankruptcy shall represent him for all the purposes of the winding up, and shall be a contributory accordingly, and may be called on to admit to proof against the estate of the bankrupt, or otherwise to allow to be paid out of his assets in due course of law, any money due from the bankrupt in respect of - ;his liability to contribute to the assets of the company ; and
(2) there may be proved against the estate of. the bankrupt the estimated value of his liability to future calls as well as calls already made.

128 Provision as to married women.
(1) The husband of a female contributory married before the date of the commencement of the Married Women's Property Act, 1882, or the Married Women's Property (Scotland) Act, 1881, as the case may be, shall, during the continuance of the marriage, be liable, as respects any liability attaching to any shares acquired by her before that date, to contribute to the assets of the company the same sum as she would have been liable to contribute if she had not married, and he shall be a contributory accordingly.
45 & 46 Vict. c. 15.
44 & 45 Vict. c. 21.
(2) Subject as aforesaid, nothing in this Act shall affect the provisions of the Married Women's Property Act, 1882, or the Married Women's Property (Scotland) Act, 1881.

Winding up by Court.

129 Circumstances in which company may be wound up by court.
A company may be wound up by the court—
(i) if the company has by special resolution resolved that the company be wound up by the court:
(ii) if default is made in filing the statutory report or in holding the statutory meeting :
(iii) if the company does not commence its business within a year from its incorporation, or suspends its business for a whole year :
(iv) if the number of members is reduced, in the case of a private company, below two, or, in the case of any other company, below seven :
(v) if the company is unable to pay its debts :
(vi) if the court is of opinion that it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up.

130 Company when deemed unable to pay its debts.
A company shall be deemed to be unable to pay its debts—
(i) if a creditor, by assignment or otherwise, to whom the company is indebted in a sum exceeding fifty pounds, then due, has served on the company, by leaving the same at its registered office, a demand under his hand requiring the company to pay the sum so clue, and the company has for three weeks thereafter neglected to pay the sum, or to secure or compound for it to the reasonable satisfaction of the creditor ; or
(ii) if, in England or Ireland, execution or other process issued on a judgment decree or order of any court in favour of a creditor of the company is returned unsatisfied in whole or in part; or
(iii) if, in Scotland, the induciæ of a charge for payment on an extract decree, or an extract registered bond, or an extract registered protest have expired without payment being made ; or
(iv) if it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that the company is unable to pay its debts, and, in determining whether a company is unable to pay its debts/the court shall take into account the contingent and prospective liabilities of the company.

131 Jurisdiction to wind up companies in England.
(1) The courts having jurisdiction to wind up companies registered in England shall be the High Court, the chancery courts of the counties palatine of Lancaster and' Durham, and the county courts.
(2) Where the amount of the share capital of a company paid up or credited as paid up exceeds ten thousand pounds, a petition to wind up the company shall be presented to the High Court, or, in the case of a company whose registered office is situate within the jurisdiction of either of the palatine courts aforesaid, either to the High Court or to the palatine court having jurisdiction.
(3) Where the amount of the share capital of a company paid up or credited as paid up does not exceed ten thousand pounds, and the registered office of the company is situated within the jurisdiction of a county court having jurisdiction under this Act, a petition to wind up the company shall be presented to that county court.
(4) Where a company is formed for working mines within the stannaries and is not shown to be actually working mines beyond the limits of the stannaries, or to be engaged in any other undertaking beyond those limits, or to have entered into-a contract for such working or undertaking, a petition to wind up the company shall be presented to the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction whatever may be the amount of the capital of the company and wherever the registered office of the company is situate.
(5) The Lord Chancellor may by order exclude a county court from having jurisdiction under this Act, and for the purposes of that jurisdiction may attach its district, or any part thereof, to the High Court or any other county court, and may revoke or vary any such order or any like order made under the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890.
In exercising his powers under this section the Lord Chancellor shall provide that a county court shall not have jurisdiction under this Act unless it has for the time being jurisdiction in bankruptcy.
An order made under this provision shall not affect any jurisdiction or powers vested in any county court under or by virtue of the Stannaries Jurisdiction (Abolition) Act, 1896.
53 & 54 Vict. c. 63.
59 & 60 Vict. c. 45.
(6) Every court in England having jurisdiction under this Act to wind up a company shall for the purposes of that jurisdiction have all the powers of the High Court, and every prescribed officer of the court shall perform any duties which an officer of the High Court may discharge by order of the judge thereof or otherwise in relation to the winding up of a company.
(7) Nothing in this section shall invalidate a proceeding by reason of its being taken in a wrong court.
(8) For the purposes of this section the expression “registered office ” means the place which has longest been the registered office of the company during the six months immediately preceding the presentation of the petition for winding up.

132 Conduct of winding-up business in High Court in England.
Subject to general rules and to orders of transfer made under the authority of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1873, and the Acts amending it, the jurisdiction to wind up companies of the High Court in England under this Act shall, as the Lord Chancellor may from time to time by general order direct, he exercised, either generally or in specified classes of cases, either by such judge or judges of the Chancery Division of the High Court as the Lord Chancellor may assign to exercise that jurisdiction, or by the judge who, for the time being, exercises the bankruptcy jurisdiction of the High Court.
36 & 37 Vict. c. 66.

133 Transfer of proceedings.
(1) The winding up of a company by the court in England or any proceedings in the winding up may at any time and at any stage, and either with or without application from any of the parties thereto, be transferred from one court to another court, or may be retained in the court in which the proceedings were commenced, although it may not be the court in which they ought to have been commenced.
(2) .The powers of transfer given by the foregoing provisions of this section may, subject to and in accordance with general rules, be exercised by the Lord Chancellor or by any judge of the High Court having jurisdiction under this Act, or, as regards any case within the jurisdiction of any other court, by the judge of that court.
(3) If any question arises in any winding-up proceeding in a county court which all the parties to the proceeding, or which one of them and the judge of the court, desire to have determined in the first instance in the High Court, the judge shall state the facts in the form of a special case for the opinion of the High Court, and thereupon the special case and the proceedings, or such of them as may be required, shall be transmitted to the High Court for the purposes of the determination.

134 Jurisdiction to wind up companies in Ireland.
The court having jurisdiction to wind up companies registered in Ireland shall be the High Court :
Provided that where the High Court in Ireland makes an order for winding up a company it may, if it thinks fit, direct that all subsequent proceedings in the winding up be had in the court of bankruptcy having jurisdiction in the place in which the registered office of the company is situate; and thereupon those proceedings shall be taken in that court of bankruptcy .accordingly, and that court shall, for the purposes of the winding up, have all the powers of the High Court in Ireland.

135 Jurisdiction to wind up companies in Scotland.
The court having jurisdiction to wind up companies registered in Scotland shall be the Court of Session in either division thereof, or, in the event of a remit to a permanent Lord Ordinary, that Lord Ordinary during session, and in time of vacation the Lord Ordinary on the bills.

136 Power in Scotland to remit winding up to Lord Ordinary.
Where the court in Scotland makes a winding-up order, it may, if it thinks fit, at any time direct all subsequent proceedings in the winding up to be taken before one of the permanent Lords Ordinary, and remit the winding up to him accordingly, and thereupon that Lord Ordinary shall, for the purposes of the winding up, have all the powers and jurisdiction of the court:
Provided that the Lord Ordinary may report to the division of the court any matter which may arise in the course of the winding up.

137 Provisions as to applications for winding up.
(1) An application to the court for the winding up of a company shall be by petition, presented subject to the provisions of this section either by the company, or by any creditor or creditors (including any contingent or prospective creditor or creditors), contributory or contributories, or by all or any of those parties, together or separately : Provided that
(a) A contributory shall not be entitled to present a petition for winding up a company unless—
(i) either the number of members is reduced, in the case of a private company, below two, or, in the case of any other company, below seven ; or
(ii) the shares in respect of which he is a contributory, or some of them, either were originally allotted to him or have been held by him, and registered in his name, for at least six months during the eighteen months before the commencement of the winding up, or have devolved on him through the death of a former holder ; and
(b) A petition for winding up a company on the ground of default in filing the statutory report or in holding the statutory meeting shall not be presented by any person except a shareholder, nor before the expiration of fourteen days after the last day on which the meeting ought to have been held ; and
(c) The court shall not give a hearing to a petition for winding up a company by a contingent or prospective creditor until such security for costs has been given as the court thinks reasonable and until a prima facie case for winding up has been established to the satisfaction of the court.
(2) Where a company is being wound up voluntarily or subject to supervision in England, a petition may be presented by the official receiver attached to the court, as well as by any other person authorised in that behalf under the other provisions of this section, but the court shall not make a winding-up order on the petition unless it is satisfied that the voluntary winding up or winding up subject to supervision cannot be continued with due regard to the interests of the creditors or -contributories.
(3) Where under the provisions of this Part of this Act any person as being the husband of a female contributory is himself a contributory, and a share has during the whole or any part of the six months been held by or registered in the name of the wife, or by or in the name of a trustee for the wife or for the husband,-the share shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to have been held by and registered in the name of the husband.

138 Effect of winding-up order.
An order for winding up a company shall operate in favour of all the creditors and of all the contributories of the company as if made on the joint petition of a creditor and of a contributory.

139 Commencement of winding up by court.
A winding up of a company by the court shall be deemed to commence at the time of the presentation of the petition for the winding up.

140 Power to stay or restrain proceedings against company.
At any time after the presentation of a petition for winding up, and before a winding-up order has been made, the company, or any creditor or contributory, may—
(a) where any action or proceeding against the company is pending in the High Court or Court of Appeal in England or Ireland, apply to the court in which the action or proceeding is pending for a stay of proceedings therein; and
(b) where any other action or proceeding is pending against the company, apply to the court having jurisdiction to wind up the company to restrain further proceedings in the action or proceeding ;
and the court to which application is so made may, as the case may be, stay or restrain the proceedings accordingly on such terms as it thinks fit.

141 Powers of court on hearing petition.
(1) On hearing the petition the court may dismiss it with or without costs, or adjourn the hearing conditionally or unconditionally, or make any interim order, or any other order that it deems just, but the court shall not refuse to make a winding-up order on the ground only that the assets of the company have been mortgaged to an amount equal to or in excess of those assets, or that the company has no assets.
(2) Where the petition is presented on the ground of default in filing the statutory report or in holding the statutory meeting, the court may order the costs to be paid by any persons who, in the opinion of the court, are responsible for the default.

142 Actions stayed on winding-up order.
When a winding-up order has been made, no action or proceeding shall be proceeded with or commenced against the company except by leave of the court, and subject to such terms as the court may impose.

143 Copy of order to be forwarded to registrar.
On the making of a winding-up order, a copy of the order must forthwith be forwarded by the company to the registrar of companies, who shall make a minute thereof in his books relating to the company.

144 Power of court to stay winding up.
The court may at any time after an order for winding up, on the application of any creditor or contributory, and on proof to the satisfaction of the court that all proceedings in relation to the winding up ought to be stayed, make an order staying the proceedings, either altogether or for a limited time, on such terms and conditions as the court thinks fit.

145 Court may have regard to wishes of creditors or contributories.
The court may, as to all matters relating to a winding up, have regard to the wishes of the creditors or contributories as proved to it by any sufficient evidence.

Official Receiver.

146 Definition of official receiver.
(1) For the purposes of this Act so far as it relates to the winding up of companies by the court in England, the term “official receiver ” shall mean the official receiver, if any, attached to the court for bankruptcy purposes, or, if there is more than one such official receiver, then such one of them as the Board of Trade may appoint, or, if there is no such official receiver, then an officer appointed for the purpose by the Board of Trade.
(2) Any such officer shall for the purpose of his duties under this Act be styled the official receiver.

147 Statement of company's affairs to be submitted to official receiver.
(1) Where the court in England has made a winding-up order, there shall be made out and submitted to the official receiver a statement as to the affairs of the company in the prescribed form, verified by affidavit, and showing the particulars of its assets, debts, and liabilities, the names, residences, and occupations of its creditors, the securities held by them respectively, the dates when the securities were respectively given, and such further or other information as may be prescribed or as the official receiver may require.
(2) The statement shall be submitted and verified by one or more of the persons who are at the time of the winding-tip order the directors and by the person who is at that time the secretary or other chief officer of the company, or by such of the persons being or having been directors or officers of the company, or having taken part in the formation of the company at any time within one year before the winding-up order, as the official receiver, subject to the direction of the court, may require to submit and verify the same.
(3) The statement shall be submitted within fourteen days from the date of the order, or within such extended time as the official receiver or the court may for special reasons appoint.
(4) Any person making or concurring in making the statement and affidavit required by this section shall be allowed, and shall be paid by the official receiver, out of the assets of the company, such costs and expenses incurred in and about the preparation and making of the statement and affidavit as the official receiver may consider reasonable, subject to an appeal to the court.
(5) If any person, without reasonable excuse, makes default in complying with the requirements of this section, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten jwunds for every day during which the default continues.
(6) Any person stating himself in writing to be a creditor or contributory of the company shall be entitled by himself or by his agent at all reasonable times, on payment of the prescribed fee, to inspect the statement submitted in pursuance of this section, and to a copy .thereof or extract therefrom. But any person untruthfully so stating himself to be a creditor or contributory shall be guilty of a contempt of court and shall be punishable accordingly on the application of the liquidator or of the official receiver.

148 Report by official receiver.
(1) Where the court in England has made a winding-up order, the official receiver shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the statement of the company's affairs, submit a preliminary report to the court—
(a) as to the amount of capital issued, subscribed, and paid up, and the estimated amount of assets and liabilities; and
(b) if the company has failed, as to the causes of the failure ; and
(c) whether in his opinion further inquiry is desirable as to any matter relating to the promotion, formation, or failure of the company, or the conduct of the business thereof.
(2) The official receiver may also, if he thinks fit, make a further report, or further reports, stating the manner in which the company was formed and whether in his opinion any fraud has been committed by any person in its promotion or formation, or by any director or other officer of the company in relation to the company since the formation thereof, and any other matters which in his opinion it is desirable to bring to the notice of the court.

Liquidators.

149 Appointment, remuneration, and title of liquidators.
(1) For the purpose of conducting the proceedings in winding up a company and performing such duties in reference thereto as the court may impose, the court may appoint a liquidator or liquidators.
(2) The court may make such an appointment provisionally at any time after the presentation of a petition and before (where the proceedings are in England) the making of an order for winding up, or (where the proceedings are in Scotland or Ireland) the first appointment of liquidators.
(3) Where the proceedings are in England—
(a) If a provisional liquidator is appointed before the making of a winding-up order, the official receiver or any other fit person may be appointed :
(b) On a winding-up order being made the official receiver shall by virtue of his office become the provisional liquidator and shall continue to act as such until he or another person becomes liquidator and is capable of acting as such :
(c) When a person other than' the official receiver' is appointed liquidator he shall not be capable of acting as liquidator until he has notified his appointment to the registrar of companies and given security in the prescribed manner to the satisfaction of the Board of Trade.
(4) If more than one liquidator is appointed by the court, the court shall declare whether any act by this Act required or authorised to be done by the liquidator is to be done by all or any one or more of the persons appointed.
(5) In a winding up in Scotland or Ireland the court may determine whether any and what security is to be given by a liquidator on his appointment.
(6) A liquidator appointed by the court may resign or, on cause shown, be removed by the court.
(7) A vacancy in the office of a liquidator appointed by the court shall be filled by the court. In a winding up in England the official receiver shall by virtue of his office be the liquidator during the vacancy.
(8) Where a person other than the official receiver is appointed liquidator, he shall receive such salary or remuneration by way of percentage or otherwise as the court may direct; and, if more such persons than one are appointed liquidators, their remuneration shall be distributed among them in such proportions as the court directs.
(9) A liquidator shall be described as follows (that is to say):—
(a) in a winding up in England, where a person other than the official receiver is liquidator, by the style of the liquidator, and, where the official receiver is liquidator, by the style of the official receiver and liquidator, and
(b) in a winding up in Scotland or Ireland, by the style of the official liquidator, of the particular company in respect of which he is appointed, and not by his individual name.
(10) The acts of a liquidator shall be valid notwithstanding any defects that may afterwards be discovered in his appointment or qualification.

150 Custody of company's property.
(1) In a winding up by the court the liquidator shall take into his custody, or under his control, all the property and things in action to which the company is or appears to be entitled.
(2) In a winding up by the court in Scotland or Ireland, if and so long as there is no liquidator, all the property of the company shall be deemed to be in the custody of the court.

151 Powers of liquidator.
(1) The liquidator in a winding up by the court shall have power, in the case of a winding up in England with the sanction either of the court or of the committee of inspection, and in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland with the sanction of the court—
(a) to bring or defend any action or other legal proceeding in the name and on behalf of the company:
(b) to carry on the business of the company, so far as may be necessary for the beneficial winding-up thereof :
(c) in the case of a winding up in England, to employ a solicitor or other agent to take any proceedings or do any business which the liquidator is unable to take or do himself ; but the sanction in this case must be obtained before the employment, except in cases of urgency, and in those cases it must be shown that no undue delay took place in obtaining the sanction :
(d) in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland, to appoint a solicitor or law agent to assist him in the performance of his duties.
(2) The liquidator in a winding up by the court shall have power, but (subject to the provisions of this section) in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland only with the sanction of the court,—
(a) To sell the real and personal property, and things in action of the company by public auction or private contract, with power to transfer the whole thereof to any person or company, or to sell the same in parcels :
(b) To do all acts and to execute, in the name and on behalf of the company, all deeds, receipts, and other documents, and for that purpose to use, when necessary, the company's seal:
(c) To prove, rank, and claim in the bankruptcy, insolvency, or sequestration of any contributory, for any balance against his estate, and to receive dividends in the bankruptcy, insolvency, or sequestration in respect of that balance, as a separate debt due from the bankrupt or insolvent, and rateably with the other separate creditors: .
(d) To draw, accept, make, and indorse any bill of exchange or promissory note in the name and on behalf of the company, with the same effect with respect to the liability of the company as if the bill or note had been drawn, accepted, made, or indorsed by or on behalf of the company in the course of its business :
(e) To raise on the security of the assets of the company any money requisite:
(f) To take out in his official name, letters of administration to any deceased contributory, and to do in his official name any other act necessary for obtaining payment of any money due from a contributory or his estate which cannot be conveniently done in the name of the company; and in all such cases the money due shall, for the purpose of enabling the liquidator to take out the letters of administration or recover the money, be deemed to be clue to the liquidator himself :
(g) To do all such other things as may be necessary for winding up the affairs of the company and distributing its assets.
(3) The exercise by the liquidator in a winding up by the court in England of the powers conferred by this section shall be subject to the control of the court, and any creditor or contributory may apply to the court with respect to any exercise or proposed exercise of any of those powers.
(4) In the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland the court may provide by any order that the liquidator may exercise any of the above powers, except the power to appoint a solicitor or law agent, without the sanction or intervention of the court.
(5) Where a liquidator is provisionally appointed by the court, the court may limit and restrict his powers by the order appointing him.
(6) In a winding up by the court in Scotland the liquidator shall, subject to rules made under this Act, have the same powers as a trustee on a bankrupt estate.

152 Meetings of creditors and contributories in English winding up.
(1) When a winding-up order has been made by the court in England, the official receiver shall summon separate meetings of the creditors and contributories of the company for the purpose of—
(a) determining whether or not an application is to be made to the court for appointing a liquidator in the place of the official receiver ; and
(b) determining whether or not an application is to be made to the court for the appointment of a committee of inspection to act with the liquidator, and who are to be the members of the committee if appointed.
(2) The court may make any appointment and order required to give effect to any such determination, and, if there is a difference between the determinations of the meetings of the creditors and contributories in respect of any of the matters mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this section, the court shall decide the difference and make such order thereon as the court may think fit.
(3) In case a liquidator is not appointed by the court the official receiver shall be the liquidator of the company.

153 Liquidator to give information to official receiver.
Where in the winding up of a company, by the court in England a person other than the official receiver is appointed liquidator he shall give the official receiver such information and such access to and facilities for inspecting the books and documents of the company, and generally such aid as may be requisite for enabling that officer to perform his duties under this Act.

154 Payments of liquidator in English winding up into bank.
(1) Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England shall, in such manner and at such times as the Board of Trade, with the concurrence of the Treasury, direct, pay the money received by him to the Companies Liquidation Account at the Bank of England, and the Board shall furnish him with a certificate of receipt of the money so paid :
Provided that, if the committee of inspection satisfy the Board of Trade that for the purpose of carrying on the business, of the company or of obtaining advances, or for any other reason, it is for the advantage of the creditors or contributories that the liquidator should have an account with any other bank, the Board shall, on the application of the committee of inspection, authorise the liquidator to make his payments into and out of such other bank as the committee may select, and thereupon those payments shall be made in the prescribed manner.
(2) If any such liquidator at any time retains for more than ten days a sum exceeding fifty pounds, or such other amount as the Board of Trade in any particular case authorise him to retain, then, unless he explains the retention to the satisfaction of the Board, he shall pay interest on the amount so retained in excess at the rate of twenty per cent. per annum, and shall be liable to disallowance of all or such part of his remuneration as the Board may think just, and to be removed from his office by the Board, and shall be liable to pay any expenses occasioned by reason of his default.
(3) A liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England shall not pay any sums received by him as liquidator into his private banking account.

155 Audit of liquidator's accounts in English winding up.
(1) Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England shall, at such times as may be prescribed but not less than twice in each year during his tenure of office, send to the Board of Trade, or as they direct, an account of his receipts and payments as liquidator.
(2) The account shall be in a prescribed form, shall be made in duplicate, and shall be verified by a statutory declaration in the prescribed form.
(3) The Board shall cause the account to be audited and for the purpose of the audit the liquidator shall furnish the Board with such vouchers and information as the Board may require, and the Board may at any time require the production of and inspect any books or accounts kept by the liquidator.
(4) When the account has been audited, one copy thereof shall be filed, and kept by the Board, and the other copy shall be filed with the court, and each copy shall be open to the inspection of any creditor, or of any person interested.
(5) The Board shall cause the account when audited or a summary thereof to be printed, and shall send a printed copy of the account or summary by post to every creditor and contributory.

156 Books to be kept by liquidator in English winding up.
Every liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England shall keep, in manner prescribed, proper books in which he shall cause to be made entries or minutes of proceedings at meetings, and of such other matters as may be prescribed, and any creditor or contributory may, subject to the control of the court, personally or by his agent inspect any such books.

157 Release of liquidators in England.
(1) When the liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England has realised all the property of the company, or so much thereof as can, in his opinion, be realised without needlessly protracting the liquidation, and has distributed a final dividend, if any, to the creditors, and adjusted the rights of the contributories among themselves, and made a final return, if any, to the contributories, or has resigned, or has been removed from his office, the Board of Trade shall, on his application, cause a report on his accounts to be prepared, and, on his complying with all the requirements of the Board, shall take into consideration the report, and any objection which may be urged by any creditor, or contributory, or person interested against the release of the liquidator, and shall either grant or withhold the release accordingly, subject nevertheless to an appeal to the High Court.
(2) Where the release of a liquidator is withheld the court may, on the application of any creditor, or contributory, or person interested, make such order as it thinks just, charging the liquidator with the consequences of any act or default which he may have done or made contrary to his duty.
(3) An order of the Board of Trade releasing the liquidator shall discharge him from all liability in respect of any act done or default made by him in the administration of the affairs of the company, or otherwise in relation to his conduct as liquidator, but any such order may be revoked on proof that it was obtained by fraud or by suppression or concealment of any material fact.
(4) Where the liquidator has not previously resigned or been removed, his release shall operate as a removal of him from his office.

158 Exercise and control of liquidator's powers in England.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England shall, in the administration of the assets of the company and in the distribution thereof among its creditors, have regard to any directions that may be given by resolution of the creditors or contributories at any general meeting, or by the committee of inspection, and any directions given by the creditors or contributories at any general meeting shall in case of conflict be deemed to override any directions given by the committee of inspection.
(2) The liquidator may summon general meetings of the creditors or contributories for the purpose of ascertaining their wishes, and it shall be his duty to summon meetings at such times as the creditors or contributories, by resolution, either at the meeting appointing the liquidator or otherwise, may direct, or whenever requested in writing to do so by one tenth in value of the creditors or contributories as the case may be.
(3) The liquidator may apply to the court in manner prescribed for directions in relation to any particular matter arising under the winding up.
(4) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the liquidator shall use his own discretion in the management of the estate and its distribution among the creditors.
(5) If any person is aggrieved by any act or decision of the liquidator, that person may apply to the court, and the court may confirm, reverse, or modify the act or decision complained of, and make such order in the premises as it thinks just.

159 Control of Board of Trade over liquidators in England.
(1) The Board of Trade shall take cognizance of the conduct of liquidators of companies which are being wound up by the court in England, and, if a liquidator does not faithfully perform his duties and duly observe all the requirements imposed on him by statute, rules, or otherwise with respect to the performance of his duties, or if any complaint is made to the Board by any creditor or contributory in regard thereto, the Board shall inquire into the matter, and take such action thereon as they may think expedient.
(2) The Board may at any time require any liquidator of a company which is being wound up by the court in England to answer any inquiry in relation to any winding up in which he is engaged, and may, if the Board think fit, apply to the court to examine him or any other person on oath concerning the winding up.
(3) The Board may also direct a local investigation to be made of the books and vouchers of the liquidator.

Committee of Inspection, Special Manager, Receiver.

160 Committee of inspection in English winding up.
(1) A committee of inspection appointed in pursuance of this Act shall consist of creditors and contributories of the company or persons holding general powers of attorney from creditors or contributories in such proportions as may be agreed on by the meetings of creditors and contributories, or as, in case of difference, may be determined by the court.
(2) The committee shall meet at such times as they from time to time appoint, and, failing such appointment, at least once a month; and the liquidator or any member of the committee may also call a meeting of the committee as and when he thinks necessary.
(3) The committee may act by a majority of their members present at a meeting, but shall not act unless a majority of the committee are present.
(4) Any member of the committee may resign by notice in writing signed by him and delivered to the liquidator.
(5) If a member of the committee becomes bankrupt, or compounds or arranges with his creditors, or is absent from five consecutive meetings of the committee without the leave of those members who together with himself represent the creditors or contributories, as the case may be, his office shall thereupon become vacant.
(6) Any member of the committee may be removed by an ordinary resolution at a meeting of creditors (if he represents creditors), or of contributories (if he represents contributories) of which seven days' notice has been given, stating the object of the meeting.
(7) On a vacancy occurring in the committee the liquidator shall forthwith summon a meeting of creditors or of contributories, as the case may require, to fill the vacancy, and the meeting may, by resolution, re-appoint the same or appoint another creditor or contributory to fill the vacancy.
(8) The continuing members of the committee, if not less than two, may act notwithstanding any vacancy in the committee.
(9) If there is no committee of inspection, any act or thing or any direction or permission by this Act authorised or required to be done or given by the committee may be done or given by the Board of Trade on the application of the liquidator.

161 Power in England to appoint special manager.
(1) Where the official receiver becomes the liquidator of a company, whether provisionally or otherwise, he may, if satisfied that the nature of the estate or business of the company, or the interests of the creditors or contributories generally, require the appointment of a special manager of the estate or business of the company other than himself, apply to the court to, and the court may on such application, appoint a special manager thereof to act during such time as the court may direct, with such powers, including any of the powers of a receiver or manager, as may be entrusted to him by the court.
(2) The special manager shall give such security and account in such manner as the Board of Trade direct.
(3) The special manager shall receive such remuneration as may be fixed by the court.

162 Power in England to appoint official receiver as receiver for debenture holders or creditors.
Where an application is made to the court to appoint a receiver on behalf of the debenture holders or other creditors of a company which is being wound up by the court in England, the official receiver may be so appointed.

Ordinary Powers of Court.

163 Settlement of list of contributories and application of assets.
(1) As soon as may be after making a winding-up order, the court shall settle a list of contributories, with power to rectify the register of members-in all cases where rectification is required in pursuance of this Act, and shall cause the assets of the company to be collected, and applied in discharge of its liabilities.
(2) In settling the list of contributories, the court shall distinguish between persons who are .contributories in. their, own right and persons who are contributories as being representatives of or liable to the debts of others.

164 Power to require delivery of property.
The court may, at any time after making a winding-up order, require any contributory for the time being settled on the list of contributories, and any trustee, receiver, banker, agent, or officer of the company to pay, deliver, convey, surrender, or transfer forthwith, or within such time as the court directs, to the liquidator any money, property, or books and papers in his hands to which the company is prima facie entitled.

165 Power to order payment of debts by contributory.
(1) The court may, at any time after making a winding-up order, make an order on any contributory for the time being settled on the list of contributories to pay, in manner directed by the order, any money due from him or from the estate of the person whom he represents to the company, exclusive of any money payable by him or the estate by virtue of any call in pursuance of this Act.
(2) The court in making such an order may, in the case of an unlimited company, allow to the contributory by way of set-off any money due to him or to the estate which he represents from the company on any independent dealing or contract with the company, but not any money due to him as a member of the company in respect of any dividend or profit; and may, in the case of a limited company, make to any director or manager -whose liability is unlimited or to his estate the like allowance.
(3) But in the case of any company, whether limited or unlimited, when all the creditors are paid in full, any money due on any account whatever to a contributory from the company may be allowed to him by way of set-off against any subsequent call.

166 Power of court to make calls.
(1) The court may, at any time after making a winding-up order, and either before or after it has ascertained the sufficiency of the assets of the company, make calls on and order payment thereof by all or any of the contributories for the time being settled on the list of the contributories to the extent of their liability, for payment of any money which the court considers necessary to satisfy the debts and liabilities of the company, and the costs, charges, and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
(2) In making a call the court may take into consideration the probability that some of the contributories may partly or wholly fail to pay the call.

167 Power to order payment into bank.
(1) The court may order any contributory, purchaser or other person from whom money is due to the company to pay the same into the Bank of England or any branch thereof to the account of the liquidator instead of to the liquidator, and any such order may be enforced in the same manner as if it had directed payment to the liquidator.
(2) All moneys and securities paid or delivered into the Bank of England or any branch thereof in the event of a winding up by the court shall be subject in all respects to the orders of the court.

168 Order on contributory conclusive evidence.
(1) An order made by the court on a contributory shall (subject to any right of appeal) be conclusive evidence that the money, if any, thereby appearing to be due or ordered to be paid is due.
(2) All other pertinent matters stated in the order shall be taken to be truly stated as against all persons, and in all proceedings, except proceedings against the real estate of a deceased contributory, in which case the order shall be only prima facie evidence for the purpose of charging his real estate, unless his heirs or devisees were on the list of contributories at the time of the order being made.

169 Power to exclude creditors not proving in time.
The court may fix a time or times 'within which creditors are to prove their debts or claims, or to be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before those debts are proved.

170 Adjustment of rights of contributories.
The court shall adjust the rights of the contributories among themselves, and distribute any surplus among the persons entitled thereto.

171 Power to order costs.
The court may, in the event of the assets being insufficient to satisfy the liabilities, make an order as to the payment out of the assets of the costs, charges, and expenses incurred in the winding up in such order of priority as the court thinks just.

172 Dissolution of company.
(1) When the affairs of a company have been completely wound up, the court shall make an order that the company be dissolved from the date of the order, and the company shall be dissolved accordingly.
(2) The order shall be reported by the liquidator to the registrar of companies who shall make in his books a minute of the dissolution of the company.
(3) If the liquidator makes default in complying with the requirements of this section he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which he is in default.

173 Delegation to liquidator of certain powers of court in England.
General rules may be made for enabling or requiring all or any of the powers and duties conferred and imposed on the court in England by this Act, in respect of the matters following, to be exercised or performed by the liquidator as an officer of the court, and subject to the control of the court; that is to say, the powers and duties of the court in respect of—
(a) holding and conducting meetings to ascertain the wishes of creditors and contributories ;
(b) settling lists of contributories and rectifying the register of members where required, and collecting and applying the assets ;
(c) requiring delivery of property or documents to the liquidator;
(d) making calls ;
(e) fixing a time within which debts and claims must be proved:
Provided that the liquidator shall not, without the special leave of the court, rectify the register of members, and shall not make any call without either the special leave of the court or the sanction of the committee of inspection.

Extraordinary Powers of Court.

174 Power to summon persons suspected of having property of company.
(1) The court may, after it has made a winding-up-order, summon before it any officer of the company or person known or suspected to have in his possession any property of the company or supposed to be indebted to the company, or any person whom the court deems capable of giving information concerning the trade, dealings, affairs, or property of the company.
(2) The court may examine him on oath concerning the same, either by word of mouth or on written interrogatories, and may reduce his answers to writing and require him to sign them.
(3) The court may require him to produce any books and papers in his custody or power relating to the company ; but, where he claims any lien on books or papers produced by him, the production shall be without prejudice to that lien, and the court shall have jurisdiction in the winding up to determine all questions relating to that lien.
(4) If any person so summoned, after being tendered a reasonable sum for his expenses, refuses to come before the court at the time appointed, not having a lawful impediment (made known to the court at the time of its sitting, and allowed by it), the court may cause him to be apprehended, and brought before the court for examination.

175 Power in England to order public examination of promoters, directors, &c.
(1) When an order has been made in England for winding up a company by the court, and the official receiver has made a further report under this Act stating that in his opinion a fraud has been committed by any person in the promotion or formation of the company, or by any director or other officer of the company in relation to the company since its formation, the court may, after consideration of the report, direct that any person who has taken any part in the promotion or formation of the company, or has been a director, or officer of the company, shall attend before the court on a day appointed by the court for that purpose, and be publicly examined as to the promotion or formation or the conduct of the business of the company, or as to his conduct and dealings as director or officer thereof.
(2) The official receiver shall take part in the examination, and for that purpose may, if specially authorised by the Board of Trade in that behalf, employ a solicitor with or without counsel.
(3) The liquidator, where the official receiver is not the liquidator, and any creditor or contributory, may also take part in the examination either personally or by solicitor or counsel.
(4) The court may put such questions to the person examined as the court thinks fit.
(5) The person examined shall be examined on oath, and shall answer all such questions as the court may put or allow to be put to him.
(6) A person ordered to be examined under this section shall at his own cost, before his examination, be furnished with a copy of the official receiver's report, and may at his own cost employ a solicitor with or without counsel, who shall be at liberty to put to him such questions as the court may deem just for the purpose of enabling him to explain or qualify any answers given by him : Provided that if he is, in the opinion of the court, exculpated from any charges made or suggested against him, the court may allow him such costs as in its discretion it may think fit.
(7) Notes of the examination shall be taken down in writing, and shall be read over to or by, and signed by, the person examined, and may thereafter be used in evidence against him, and shall be open to the inspection of any creditor or contributory at all reasonable times.
(8) The court may, if it thinks fit, adjourn the examination from time to time.
(9) An examination under this section may, if the court so directs, and subject to general rules, be held before any judge of county courts, or before any officer of the Supreme Court, being an official referee, master, or registrar in bankruptcy, or before any district registrar of the High Court named for the purpose by the Lord Chancellor, or, in the case of companies being wound up by a palatine court, before a registrar of that court, and the powers of the court under this section as to the conduct of the examination, but not as to costs, may be exercised by the person before whom the examination is held.

176 Power to arrest absconding contributory.
The court, at anytime either before or after making a winding-up order, on proof of probable cause for believing that a contributory is about to quit the United Kingdom, or otherwise to abscond, or to remove or conceal any of his property for the purpose of evading payment of calls, or of avoiding examination respecting the affairs of the company, may cause the contributory to be arrested, and his books and papers and moveable personal property to be seized, and him and them to be safely kept until such time as the court may order.

177 Powers of court cumulative.
Any powers by this Act conferred on the court shall be in addition to and not in restriction of any existing powers of instituting proceedings against any contributory or debtor of the company, or the estate of any contributory or debtor, for the recovery of any call or other sums.

Enforcement of and Appeal from Orders.

178 Power to enforce orders.
(1) Orders made by the High Court in England or Ireland under this Act may be enforced in the same manner as orders made in any action pending therein.
(2) For the purposes of this Part of this Act the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction shall, in addition to its ordinary powers, have the same power of enforcing any orders made by it as the High Court in England has in relation to matters within its jurisdiction ; and, for the last-mentioned purposes, the jurisdiction of the judge of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction shall be deemed to be co-extensive in local limits with the jurisdiction of the High Court in England.

179 Order for calls on contributories in Scotland.
Where an order, interlocutor, or decree has been made in Scotland for winding up a company by the court, it shall be competent to the court, on production by the liquidators of a list certified by them of the names of the contributories liable in payment of any calls, and of the amount due by each contributory, and of the date when the same became due, to pronounce forthwith a decree against those contributories for payment of the sums so certified to be due, with interest from the said date till payment, at the rate of five per cent. per annum in the same way and to the same effect as if they had severally consented to registration for execution, on a charge of six days, of a legal obligation to pay those calls and interest; and the decree may be extracted immediately, and no suspension thereof shall be competent, except on caution or consignation, unless with special leave of the court.

180 Enforcement of orders throughout United Kingdom.
(1) Any order made by the court in England for or in the course of winding up a company shall be enforced in Scotland and Ireland in the courts that would respectively have jurisdiction in respect of that company if registered in Scotland or Ireland, and in the same manner in all respects as if the order had been made by those courts.
(2) In like manner orders, interlocutors, and decrees made by the court in Scotland for or in the course of winding up a company shall be enforced in England and Ireland, and orders made by the court in Ireland for or in the course of winding up a company shall be enforced in England and Scotland, by the courts which would respectively have jurisdiction in respect of that company if registered in that part of the United Kingdom where the order is required to be enforced, and in the same manner in all respects as if the order had been made by those courts.
(3) Where any order, interlocutor, or decree made by one court is required to be enforced by another court, an office copy of the order, interlocutor, or decree shall be produced to the proper officer of the court required to enforce the same, and the production of an office copy shall be sufficient evidence of the order, interlocutor, or decree, and thereupon the last-mentioned court shall take the requisite steps in the matter for enforcing the order, interlocutor, or decree, in the same manner as if it had been made by that court.

181 Appeals from order.
(1) Subject to rules of court, an appeal from any order or decision made or given in the winding up of a company by the court under this Act shall lie in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as an appeal from any order or decision of the court in cases within its ordinary jurisdiction.
(2) Provided, in regard to orders or judgments pronounced in Scotland by the Lord Ordinary on the Bills in vacation, that—
(i) No order or judgment under the provisions of this Act specified in the First Part of the Fourth Schedule to this Act shall be subject to review, reduction, suspension, or stay of execution ; and
(ii) Every other order or judgment (except as herein-after mentioned) shall be subject to review only by reclaiming note, in common form, presented within fourteen days from the date of the order or judgment:
Provided that orders or judgments under the provisions of this Act specified in the Second Part of the Fourth Schedule to this Act shall, from the dates of those orders or judgments, and notwithstanding any reclaiming note against them, be carried out and receive effect until the reclaiming note is disposed of by the court.
(3) Provided also, in regard to orders or judgments pronounced in Scotland by a permanent Lord Ordinary to whom a winding-up has been remitted, that any such order or judgment shall be subject to review only by reclaiming note in common form, presented within fourteen days from the date of the order or judgment, but, should a reclaiming note not be presented and moved during session, the provisions of this section in regard to orders or judgments pronounced by the Lord Ordinary on the bills in vacation shall apply to the order or judgment.
(4) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of this Act in reference to decrees in Scotland for payment of calls in the winding up of companies, whether voluntarily or by or subject to the supervision of the court.

Voluntary Winding Up.

182 Circumstances in which company may be wound up voluntarily.
A company may be wound up voluntarily—
(1) When the period (if any) fixed for the duration of the company by the articles expires, or the event (if any) occurs, on the occurrence of which the articles provide that the company is to be dissolved, and the company in general meeting has passed a resolution requiring the company to be wound up voluntarily :
(2) If the company resolves by special resolution that the company be wound up voluntarily :
(3) If the company resolves by extraordinary resolution to the effect that it cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business, and that it is advisable to wind up.

183 Commencement of voluntary winding up.
A voluntary winding up shall be deemed to commence at the time of the passing of the resolution authorising the winding up.

184 Effect of voluntary winding up on status of company.
When a company is wound up voluntarily the company shall, from the commencement of the winding up, cease to carry on its business, except so far as may be required for the beneficial winding up thereof:
Provided that the corporate state and corporate powers of the company shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in its articles, continue until it is dissolved.

185 Notice of resolution to wind up voluntarily.
When a company has resolved by special or extraordinary resolution to wind up voluntarily, it shall give notice of the resolution by advertisement in the. Gazette.

186 Consequences of voluntary winding up.
The following consequences shall ensue on the voluntary winding up of a company :—
(i) The property of the company shall be applied in satisfaction of its liabilities pari passu, and, subject thereto, shall, unless the articles otherwise provide, be distributed among the members according to their rights and interests in the company :
(ii) The company in general meeting shall appoint one or more liquidators for the purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the assets of the company, and may fix the remuneration to be paid to him or them :
(iii) On the appointment of a liquidator all the powers of the directors shall cease, except so far as the company in general meeting, or the liquidator, sanctions the continuance thereof :
(iv) The liquidator may, without the sanction of the court, exercise all powers by this Act given to the liquidator in a winding up by the court :
(v) The liquidator may exercise the powers of the court under this Act of settling a list of contributories, and of making calls, and shall pay the debts of the company, and adjust the rights of. the contributories among themselves:
(vi) The list of contributories shall be prima facie evidence of the liability of the persons named therein to be contributories:
(vii) When several liquidators are appointed, every power hereby given may be exercised by such one or more of them as may be determined at the time of their appointment, or in default of such determination by any number not less than two :
(viii) If from any cause whatever there is no liquidator acting, the court may, on the application of a contributory, appoint a liquidator:
(ix) The court may, on cause shown, remove a liquidator, and appoint another liquidator.

187 Notice by liquidator of his appointment.
(1) The liquidator in a voluntary winding-up shall, within twenty-one days after his appointment, file with the registrar of companies a notice of his appointment in the form prescribed by the Board of Trade.
(2) If the liquidator fails to comply with the requirements of this section he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.

188 Rights of creditors in a voluntary winding up.
(1) Every liquidator appointed by a company in a voluntary winding-up shall, within seven days from his appointment, send notice by post to all persons who appear to him to be creditors of the company that a meeting of the creditors of the company will be held on a date, not being less than fourteen nor more than twenty-one days after his appointment, and at a place and hour, to be specified in the notice, and shall also advertise notice of the meeting once in the Gazette and once at least in two local newspapers circulating in the district where the registered office or principal place of business of the company was situate.
(2) At the meeting to be held in pursuance of the foregoing-provisions of this section the creditors shall determine whether an application shall be made to the court for the appointment of any person as liquidator in the place of or jointly with the liquidator appointed by the company, or for the appointment of a committee of inspection, and, if the creditors so resolve, an. application may be made accordingly to the court at any time, not later than fourteen days after the date of the meeting, by any creditor appointed for the purpose at the meeting.
(3) On any such application the court may make an order either for the removal of the liquidator appointed by the company and for the appointment of some other person as liquidator or for the appointment of some other person to act as liquidator jointly with the liquidator appointed by the company, or for the appointment of a committee of inspection either together with or without any such appointment of a liquidator or such other order as, having regard to the interests of the creditors and contributories of the company, may seem just.
(4) No appeal shall lie from any order of the court upon an application under this section.
(5) The court shall make such order as to the costs of the application as it may think fit, and if it is of opinion that, having regard to the interests of the creditors in the liquidation, there were reasonable grounds for the application, may order the costs of the application to be paid out of the assets of the company, notwithstanding that the application is dismissed or otherwise disposed of adversely to the applicant.

189 Power to fill vacancy in office of liquidator.
(1) If a vacancy occurs by death, resignation, or otherwise in the office of liquidator appointed by the company in a voluntary winding up, the company in general meeting may, subject to any arrangement with its creditors, fill the vacancy.
(2) For that purpose a general meeting may be convened by any contributory or, if there were more liquidators than one, by the continuing liquidators.
(3) The meeting shall be held in manner prescribed by the articles, or in such manner as may, on application by any contributory or by the continuing liquidators, be determined by the court.

190 Delegation of authority to appoint liquidators.
(1) A company about to be, or in course of being, wound up voluntarily may, by extraordinary resolution, delegate to its creditors, or to any committee of them, the power of appointing liquidators or any of them, and of supplying vacancies among the liquidators, or enter into any arrangement with respect to the powers to be exercised by the liquidators, and the manner in which they are to be exercised.
(2) Any act done by creditors in pursuance of any such delegated power shall have the same effect as if it had been done by the company.

191 Arrangement when binding on creditors.
(1) Any arrangement entered into between a company about to be, or in the course of being, wound up voluntarily and its creditors shall, subject to any right of appeal under this section, be binding on the company if sanctioned by an extraordinary resolution, and on the creditors if acceded to by three fourths in number and value of the creditors.
(2) Any creditor or contributory may, within three weeks from the completion of the arrangement, appeal to the court against it, and the court may thereripon, as it thinks just, amend, vary, or confirm the arrangement.

192 Power of liquidator to accept shares, &c. as consideration for sale of property of company.
(1) Where a company is proposed to be, or is in course of being, wound up altogether voluntarily, and the whole or part of its business or property is proposed to be transferred or sold to another company (in this section called the transferee company,) the liquidator of the first-mentioned company (in this section called the transferor company) may, with the sanction of a special resolution of that company, conferring either a general authority on the liquidator or an authority in respect of any particular arrangement, receive in compensation or part compensation for the transfer or sale, shares, policies, or other like interests in the transferee company, for distribution among the members of the transferor company, or may enter into any other arrangement whereby the members of the transferor company may, in lieu of 'receiving cash, shares, policies, or other like interests, or in addition thereto, participate in the profits of or receive any other benefit from the transferee company.
(2) Any sale or arrangement in pursuance of this section shall be binding on the members of the transferor company.
(3) If any member of the transferor company who did not vote in favour of the special resolution at either of the meetings held for passing and confirming the same expresses his dissent therefrom in writing addressed to the liquidator, and left at the registered office of the company within seven days after the confirmation of the resolution, he may require the liquidator either to abstain from carrying the resolution into effect, or to purchase his interest at a price to be determined by agreement or by arbitration in manner provided by this section.
(4) If the liquidator elects to purchase the member's interest the purchase money must be paid before the company is dissolved, and be raised by the liquidator in such manner as may be determined by special resolution.
(5) A special resolution shall not be invalid for the purposes of this section by reason that it is passed before or concurrently with a resolution for winding up the company, or for appointing liquidators ; but, if an order is made within a year for winding up the company by or subject to the supervision of the court, the special resolution shall not be valid unless sanctioned by the court.
(6) For the purposes of an arbitration under this section the provisions of the Companies Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845, or, in the case of a winding-up in Scotland, the Companies Clauses Consolidation (Scotland) Act, 1845, with respect to the settlement of disputes by arbitration, shall be incorporated with this Act; and in the construction of those provisions this Act shall be deemed to be the special Act, and “the company” shall mean the transferor company, and any appointment by the said incorporated provisions directed to be made under the hand of the secretary, or any two of the directors, may be made under the hand of the liquidator, or, if there is more than one liquidator, then of any two or more of the liquidators.
8 & 9 Vict. c. 16.
8 & 9 Vict. c. 17.

193 Power to apply to court.
(1) Where a company is being wound up voluntarily the liquidator or any contributory or creditor may apply to the court to determine any question arising in the winding up, or to exercise, as respects the enforcing of calls, or any other matter, all or any of the powers which the court might exercise if the company were being wound up by the court.
(2) The court, if satisfied that the determination of the question or the required exercise of power will be just and beneficial, may accede wholly or partially to the application on such terms and conditions as the court thinks fit, or may make such other order on the application as the court thinks just.

194 Power of liquidator to call general meeting.
(1) Where a company is being wound-up voluntarily, the liquidator may. summon general meetings of the company for the purpose of obtaining the sanction of the company by special or extraordinary resolution, or for any other purposes he may think fit.
(2) In the event of the winding up continuing for more than one year, the liquidator shall summon a general meeting of the company at the end of the first year from the commencement of the winding up, and of each succeeding year, or as soon thereafter as may be convenient, and shall lay before the meeting an account of his acts and dealings and of the conduct of the winding up during the preceding year.

195 Final meeting and dissolution.
(1) In the case of every voluntary winding-up, as soon as the affairs of the company are fully wound up, the liquidator shall make up an account of the winding up, showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company has been disposed of; and thereupon shall call a general meeting of the company for the purpose of laying before it the account, and giving any explanation thereof.
(2) The meeting shall be called by advertisement in the Gazette, specifying the time, place, and object thereof, and published one month at least before the meeting.
(3) Within one week after the meeting, the liquidator shall make a return to the registrar of companies of the holding of the meeting, and of its date, and in default of so doing shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.
(4) The registrar on receiving the return shall forthwith register it, and on the expiration of three months from the registration of the return the company shall be deemed to be dissolved :
Provided that the court may, on the application of the liquidator or of any other person who appears to the court to be interested, make an order deferring the date at which the dissolution of the company is to take effect for such time as the court thinks fit.
(5) It shall be the duty of the person on whose application an order of the court under this section is made, within seven days after the making of the order, to file with the registrar an office copy of the order, and if that person fails so to do he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.

196 Costs of voluntary liquidation.
All costs, charges, and expenses properly incurred in the voluntary winding up of a company, including the remuneration of the liquidator, shall be payable out of the assets of the company in priority to all other claims.

197 Saving for rights of creditors and contributories.
The voluntary winding up of a company shall: not bar the right of any creditor or contributory to have it wound up by the court, if the court is of opinion, in the case of an application by a creditor, that the rights of the creditor or, in the case of an application by a contributory, that the rights of the contributories will be prejudiced by a voluntary winding up.

198 Power of court to adopt proceedings of voluntary winding up.
Where a company is being wound up voluntarily, and an order is made for winding up by the court, the court may if it thinks fit by the same or any subsequent order provide for the adoption of all or any of the proceedings in the voluntary winding up.

Winding Up subject to Supervision of Court.

199 Power to order winding up subject to supervision.
When a company has by special or extraordinary resolution resolved to wind up voluntarily, the court may make an order that the voluntary winding up shall continue but subject to such supervision of the court, and with such liberty for creditors, contributories, or others to apply to the court, and generally on such terms and conditions as the court thinks just.

200 Effect of petition for winding up subject to supervision.
A petition for the continuance of a voluntary winding up subject to the supervision of the court shall, for the purpose of giving jurisdiction to the court over actions, be deemed to be a petition for winding up by the court.

201 Court may have regard to wishes of creditors and contributories.
The court may, in deciding between a winding up by the court and a winding up subject to supervision, in the appointment of liquidators, and in all other matters relating to the winding up subject to supervision, have regard to the wishes of the creditors or contributories as proved to it by any sufficient evidence.

202 Power for court to appoint or remove liquidators.
(1) Where an order is made for a winding up subject to supervision, the court may by the same or any subsequent order appoint any additional liquidator.
(2) A liquidator appointed by the court under this section shall have the same powers, be subject to the same obligations, and in all respects stand in the same position as if he had been appointed by the company.
(3) The court may remove any liquidator so appointed by the court or any liquidator continued under the supervision order and fill any vacancy occasioned by the removal, or by death or resignation.

203 Effect of supervision order.
(1) Where an order is made for a winding up subject to supervision, the liquidator may, subject to any restrictions imposed by the court, exercise all his powers, without the sanction or intervention of the court, in the same manner as if the company were being wound up altogether voluntarily.
(2) A winding-up subject to the supervision of the court is not a winding-up by the court for the purpose of the following provisions of this Act, namely, those contained in sections one hundred and forty-seven, one hundred and forty-eight, one hundred and forty-nine, except subsection (10), one hundred and fifty-two, one hundred and fifty-three, one hundred and fifty-four, one hundred and fifty-five, one hundred and fifty-six, one hundred and fifty-seven, one hundred and fifty-eight, one hundred and fifty-nine, one hundred and sixty, one hundred and sixty-one, one hundred and sixty-two, one hundred and seventy-three, and one hundred and seventy-five, hut, subject as aforesaid, an order for a winding up subject to supervision shall for all purposes, including the staying of actions and other proceedings, the making and enforcement of calls, the power in Scotland to remit the winding up to a permanent Lord Ordinary, and the exercise of all other powers, be deemed to be an order for winding up by the court.

204 Appointment of voluntary liquidator as liquidator in winding up by court in Scotland or Ireland.
Where an order has been made in Scotland or Ireland for winding up a company subject to supervision, and an order is afterwards made for winding up by the court, the court may by the last-mentioned or by any subsequent order appoint any person who is then liquidator, either provisionally or permanently, and either with or without any other person, to be liquidator in the winding up by the court.

Supplemental Provisions.

205 Avoidance of transfers, &c. after commencement of winding up.
(1) In the case of voluntary winding up, every transfer of shares, except transfers made to or with the sanction of the liquidator, and every alteration in the status of the members of the company made after the commencement of the winding up, shall be void.
(2) In the case of a winding up by or subject to the supervision of the court, every disposition of the property (including things in action) of the company, and every transfer of shares, or alteration in the status of its members, made after the commencement of the winding up, shall, unless the court otherwise orders, be void.

206 Debts of all descriptions to be proved.
In every winding up (subject in the case of insolvent companies to the application in accordance with the provisions of this Act of the law of bankruptcy) all debts payable on a contingency, and all claims against the company, present or future, certain or contingent, ascertained or sounding only in damages, shall be admissible to proof against the company, a just estimate being made, so far as possible, of the value of such debts or claims as may be subject to any contingency or sound only in damages, or for some other reason do not bear a certain value.

207 Application of bankruptcy rules in winding up of insolvent English and Irish companies.
In the winding up of an insolvent company registered in England or Ireland the same rules shall prevail and be observed with regard to the respective rights of secured and unsecured creditors and to debts provable and to the valuation of annuities and future and contingent liabilities as are in force for the time being under the law of bankruptcy in England or Ireland, as the case may be, with respect to the estates of persons adjudged bankrupt; and all persons who in any such case would be entitled to prove for and receive dividends out of the assets of the company may come in under the winding up, and make such claims against the company as they respectively are entitled to by virtue of this section.

208 Ranking of claims in Scotland.
In the winding up of a company registered in Scotland, the general and special rules in regard to voting and ranking for payment of dividends provided by sections forty-nine to sixty-six of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act, 1856, or any other rules in regard thereto which may be in force for the time being in the sequestration of the estates of bankrupts in Scotland, shall, so far as is consistent with this Act, apply to creditor of the company voting in matters relating to the winding tip, and ranking for payment of dividends ; and for this purpose sequestration shall be taken to mean winding up, trustee to mean liquidator, and sheriff to mean the court.
19 & 20 Vict. c. 79.

209 Preferential payments.
(1) In a winding up there shall be paid in priority to all other debts—
(a) All parochial or other local rates due from the company at the date hereinafter mentioned, and having become due and payable within twelve months next before that date, and all assessed taxes, land tax, property or income tax assessed on the company up to the fifth day of April next before that date, and not exceeding in the whole one year's assessment;
(b) All wages or salary of any clerk or servant in respect of services rendered to the company during four months before the said date, not exceeding fifty pounds; and
(c) All wages of any workman or labourer not exceeding twenty-five pounds, whether payable for time or for piece work, in respect of services rendered to the company during two months before the said date : Provided that where any labourer in husbandry lias entered into a contract for the payment of a portion of his wages in a lump sum at the end of the year of hiring, he shall have priority in respect of the whole of such sum, or a part thereof, as the court may decide to be due under the contract, proportionate to the time of service up to the said date ; and
(d) Unless the company is being wound up voluntarily merely for the purposes of reconstruction or of amalgamation with another company, all amounts (not exceeding in any individual case one hundred pounds) due in respect of compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906, the liability wherefor accrued before the said date, subject nevertheless to the provisions of section five of that Act.
6 Edw. 7. c. 58.
(2) The foregoing debts shall—
(a) Rank equally among themselves and be paid in full, unless the assets are insufficient to meet them, in which case they shall abate in equal proportions ; and
(b) In the case of a company registered in England or Ireland, so far as the assets of the company available' for payment of general creditors are insufficient to meet them, have priority over the claims of holders-of debentures under any floating charge created by the company, and be paid accordingly out of any property comprised in or subject to that charge.
(3) Subject to the retention of such sums as maybe necessary for the costs and expenses of the winding up, the foregoing debts shall be discharged forthwith so far as the assets are sufficient to meet them.
(4) In the event of a landlord or other person distraining or having distrained on any goods or effects of the company within three months next before the date of a winding-up order, the debts to which priority is given by this section shall be a first charge on the-goods or effects so distrained on, or the proceeds of the sale thereof :
Provided that in respect of any money paid under any such charge the landlord or other person shall have the same rights of priority as the person to whom the payment is made.
(5) The date herein-before in this section referred to is—
(a) in the case of a company ordered to be wound up compulsorily which had not previously commenced to be wound up voluntarily, the date of the winding-up order; and
(b) in any other case, the date of the commencement of the winding up.

210 Fraudulent preference.
(1) Any conveyance, mortgage, delivery of goods, payment, execution, or other act relating to property which would, if made or done by or against an individual, be deemed in his bankruptcy a fraudulent preference, shall, if made or done by or against a company, be deemed, in the event of its being-wound up, a fraudulent preference of its creditors, and be invalid accordingly.
(2) For the purposes of this section the presentation of a petition for winding up in the case of a winding up by or subject to the supervision of the court, and a resolution for winding up in the case of a voluntary winding-up, shall be deemed to correspond with the act of bankruptcy in the case of an individual.
(3) Any conveyance or assignment by a company of all its property to trustees for the benefit of all its creditors shall be void to all intents.

211 Avoidance of certain attachments, executions, &c. in case of company registered in England or Ireland.
Where any company (being a company registered in England or Ireland) is being wound up by or subject to the supervision of the court, any attachment, sequestration, distress, or execution put in force against the estate or effects of the company after the commencement of the winding-up shall be void to all intents.

212 Effect of floating charge.
Where a company is being wound up, a floating charge on the undertaking or property of the company created within three months of the commencement of the winding up shall, unless it is proved that the company immediately after the creation of. the charge was solvent, be invalid, except to the amount of any cash paid to the company at the time of or subsequently to the creation of, and in consideration for, the charge, together with interest on that amount at the rate of five per cent. per annum.

213 Effect in case of company registered in Scotland of diligence within sixty days of winding up by or subject to supervision of court.
In the winding up, by or subject to the supervision of the court, of a company registered in Scotland, the following provisions shall have effect :—
(1) The winding up shall, in the case of a winding up by the court as at its commencement, and in the case of a winding up subject to supervision as at the date of the presentation of the petition on which the supervision order is pronounced, be equivalent to an arrestment iii execution and decree of forthcoming, and to an executed or completed poinding ; and no arrestment or poinding of the funds or effects of the company, executed on or after the sixtieth day prior to the commencement of the winding up by the court, or to the presentation of the petition on which a supervision order is made, as the case may be, shall be effectual; and those funds or effects, or the proceeds of those effects, if sold, shall be made forthcoming to the liquidator : Provided that any arrester or poinder before the date of the winding up, or of the petition, as the case may be, who is thus deprived of the benefit of his diligence, shall have preference out of those funds or effects for the expense bona fide incurred by him in such diligence :
(2) The winding up shall, as at the respective dates afore said, be equivalent to a decree of adjudication of the heritable estates of the company for payment of the whole debts of the company, principal and interest, accumulated at the said dates respectively, subject to such preferable heritable rights and securities as existed at the said dates and are valid and unchallengeable, and the right to poind the ground herein-after provided:
(3) The provisions of sections one hundred and twelve to one hundred and seventeen, and of section one hundred and twenty, of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act, 1856, shall, so far as is consistent with this Act, apply to the realisation of heritable estates affected by such heritable rights and securities as aforesaid ; and for the purposes of this Act the words “sequestration ” and “trustee ” occurring in those sections shall mean respectively “winding up” and “liquidator”; and . the expression “the Lord Ordinary or the court” shall mean “the court ” as defined by this Act with respect to Scotland:
19 & 20 Vict. c. 79.
(4) No poinding of the ground which has not been carried into execution by sale of the effects sixty days before the respective dates aforesaid shall, except to the extent herein-after provided, be available in any question with the liquidator: Provided that no creditor who holds a security over the heritable estate preferable to the right of the liquidator shall be prevented from executing a poinding of the ground after the respective dates aforesaid, but that poinding shall in competition with the liquidator be available only for the interest on the debt for the current half-yearly term, and for the arrears of interest for one year immediately before the commencement of that term.

214 General scheme of liquidation may be sanctioned.
(1) The liquidator may, with the sanction following (that is to say)—
(a) in the case of a winding up by the court in England with the sanction either of the court or of the committee of inspection ;
(b) in the case of a winding up by the court in Scotland or Ireland, and in the case of any winding up subject to supervision, with the sanction of the court; and
(c) in the case of a voluntary winding up, with the sanction of an extraordinary resolution of the company,
do the following things or any of them :—
(i) Pay any classes of creditors in full ;
(ii) Make any compromise or arrangement with creditors or persons claiming to be creditors, or having or alleging themselves to have any claim, present or future, certain or contingent, ascertained or sounding only in damages against the company, or whereby the company may be rendered liable ;
(iii) Compromise all calls and liabilities to calls, debts, and liabilities capable of resulting in debts, and all claims, present or future, certain or contingent, ascertained or sounding only in damages, subsisting or supposed to subsist between the company and a contributory, or alleged contributory, or other debtor or person apprehending liability to the company, and all questions in any way relating to or affecting the assets or the winding up of the company, on such terms as may be agreed, and take any security for the discharge of any such call, debt, liability or claim, and give a complete discharge in respect thereof.
(2) In the case of a winding up by the court in England the exercise by the liquidator of the powers of this section shall be subject to the control of the court, and any creditor or contributory may apply to the court with respect to any exercise or proposed exercise of any of those powers.

215 Power of court to assess damages against delinquent directors, &c.
(1) Where in the course of winding up a company it appears that any person who has taken part in the formation or promotion of the company, or any past or present director, manager, or liquidator, or any officer of the company, has misapplied or retained or become liable or accountable for any money or property of the company, or been guilty of any misfeasance or breach of trust in relation to the company, the court may, on the application of the official receiver, or of the liquidator, or of any creditor or contributory, examine into the conduct of the promoter, director, manager, liquidator, or officer, and compel him to repay or restore the money or property or any part thereof respectively with interest at such rate as the court thinks just, or to contribute such sum to the assets of the company by way of compensation in respect of the misapplication, retainer, misfeasance, or breach of trust as the court thinks just.
(2) This section shall apply notwithstanding that the offence is one for which the offender may be criminally responsible.
(3) Where in the case of a winding-up in England an order for payment of money is made under this section, the order shall be deemed to be a final judgment within the meaning of paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section four of the Bankruptcy Act, 1883.
46 & 47 Vict. c. 52.
(4) So much of this section as refers to promoters, and to property of a company other than money, shall not apply to a winding up in Scotland or Ireland.

216 Penalty for falsification of books.
If any director, officer, or contributory of any company being wound up destroys, mutilates, alters, or falsifies any books, papers, or securities, or makes or is privy to the making of any false or fraudulent entry in any register, book of account, or document belonging to the company with intent to defraud or deceive any person, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and be liable to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.

217 Prosecution of delinquent directors, &c.
(1) If it appears to the court in the course of a winding up by or subject to the supervision of the court that any past or present director, manager, officer, or member of the company has been guilty of any offence in relation to the company for which he is criminally responsible, the court may on the application of any person interested in the winding up, or of its own motion, direct the liquidator to prosecute for the offence, and may order the costs and expenses to be paid out of the assets of the company.
(2) If it appears to the liquidator in the course of a voluntary winding up that any past or present director, manager, officer, or member of the company has been guilty of any offence in relation to the company for which he is criminally responsible, the liquidator, with the previous sanction of the court, may prosecute the offender, and all expenses properly incurred by him in the prosecution shall be payable out of the assets of the company in priority to all other liabilities.

218 Penalty on perjury.
if any person, on examination on oath authorised under this Act, or in any affidavit or deposition in or about the winding up of any company or otherwise in or about any matter arising under this Act, wilfully and corruptly gives false evidence, he shall be liable to the penalties for wilful perjury.

219 Meetings to ascertain wishes of creditors or contributories.
(1) Where by this Act the court is authorised, in relation to winding up, to have regard to the wishes of creditors or contributories, as proved to it by any sufficient evidence, the court may, if it thinks fit, for the purpose of ascertaining those wishes, direct meetings of the creditors or contributories to be called, held, and conducted in such manner as the court directs, and may appoint a person to act as chairman of any such meeting and to report the result thereof to the court.
(2) In the case of creditors, regard shall be had to the value of each creditor's debt.
(3) In the case of contributories, regard shall be had to the number of votes conferred on each contributory by the articles.

220 Books of company to be evidence.
Where any company is being wound up, all books and papers of the company and of the liquidators shall, as between the contributories of the company, be prima facie evidence of the truth of all matters purporting to be therein recorded.

221 Inspection of books.
After an order for a winding up by or subject to the supervision of the court, the court may make such order for inspection by creditors and contributories of the company of its books and papers as the court thinks just, and any books and papers in the possession of the company may be inspected by creditors or contributories accordingly, but not further or otherwise.

222 Disposal of books and papers of company.
(1) When a company has been wound up and is about to be dissolved, the books and papers of the company and of the liquidators may be disposed of as follows (that is to say):—
(a) In the case of a winding up by or subject to the supervision of the court in such way as the court directs;
(b) In the case of a voluntary winding up in such way as the company by extraordinary resolution directs.
(2) After five years from the dissolution of the company no responsibility shall rest on the company, or the liquidators, or any person to whom the custody of the books and papers has been committed, by reason of tire same not being forthcoming to any person claiming to be interested therein.

223 Power of court to declare dissolution of company void.
(1) Where a company has been dissolved, the court may at any time within two years of the date of the dissolution, on an application being made for the purpose by the liquidator of the company or by any other person who appears to the court to be interested, make an order, upon such terms as the court thinks fit, declaring the dissolution to have been void, and thereupon such proceedings may be taken as might have been taken if the company had not been dissolved.
(2) It shall be the duty of the person on whose application the order was made, within seven days after the making of the order, to file with the registrar of companies an office copy of the order, and if that person fails so to do he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day during which the default continues.

224 Information as to pending liquidations in England.
(1) Where a company is being wound up in England, if the winding up is not concluded within one year after its commencement, the liquidator shall, at such intervals as may be prescribed, until the winding up is concluded, send to the registrar of companies a statement in the prescribed form and containing the prescribed particulars with respect to the proceedings in and position of the liquidation.
(2) Any person stating himself in writing to be a creditor or contributory of the company shall be entitled, by himself-or by his agent, at all reasonable times, on payment of the prescribed fee, to inspect the statement, and to receive a copy thereof or extract therefrom; but any person untruthfully so stating himself to be a creditor or contributory shall be guilty of a contempt of court, and shall be punishable accordingly on the application of the liquidator or of the official receiver.
(3) if a liquidator fails to comply with the requirements of this section he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds for each day during which the default continues.
(4) If it appears from any such statement or otherwise that a liquidator has in his hands or under his control any money representing unclaimed or undistributed assets of the company which have remained unclaimed or undistributed for six months after the date of their receipt, the liquidator shall forthwith pay the same to the Companies Liquidation Account at the Bank of England, and shall be entitled to the prescribed certificate of receipt for the money so paid, and that certificate shall be an effectual discharge to him in respect thereof.
(5) For the purpose of ascertaining and getting in any money payable into the Bank of England in pursuance of this section, the like powers may be exercised, and by the like authority, as are exerciseable under section one hundred and sixty-two of the Bankruptcy Act, 1883, for the purpose of ascertaining and getting in the sums, funds, and dividends referred to in that section.
46 & 47 Vict. c. 52.
(6) Any person claiming to be entitled to any money paid into the Bank of England in pursuance of this section may apply to the Board of Trade for payment of the same, and the Board may, on a certificate by the liquidator that the person claiming is entitled, make an order for the payment to that person of the sum due.
(7) Any person dissatisfied with the decision of the Board of Trade in respect of any claim made in pursuance of this section may appeal to the High Court.

225 Judicial notice of signature of officers.
In all proceedings under this part of this Act, all courts, judges, and persons judicially acting, and all officers, judicial or ministerial, of any court, or employed in enforcing; the process of any court, shall take judicial notice of the signature of any officer of the High Court in England or Ireland, or of the Court of Session in Scotland, or of the registrar of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction, and also of the official seal or stamp of the several offices of the High Court in England or Ireland, Court of Session, or court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction, appended to or impressed on any document made, issued, or signed under the provisions of this Part of this Act, or any official copy thereof.

226 Special commission for receiving evidence.
(1) The judges of the county courts in England who sit. at places more than twenty miles from the General Post Office, and the judge exercising the bankruptcy jurisdiction of the High Court in Ireland and the assistant barristers and recorders; in Ireland, and the sheriffs of counties in Scotland, shall be commissioners for the purpose of taking evidence under this Act, where a company is wound up in any part of the United Kingdom, and the court may refer the whole or any part of the examination of any witnesses under this Act to any person, hereby appointed commissioner, although he is out of the jurisdiction of the court that made the winding-up order.
(2) Every commissioner shall, in addition to any powers which he might lawfully exercise as a judge of a county court, judge of the High Court, assistant barrister or recorder, or sheriff, have in the matter so referred to him all the same powers of summoning and examining witnesses, of requiring the production or delivery of documents, of punishing defaults by witnesses, and of allowing costs and expenses to witnesses, as the court which made the winding-up order.
(3) The examination so taken shall be returned or reported, to the court which made the order in such manner as that court directs.

227 Court may order examination of persons in Scotland.
(1) The court may direct the examination in Scotland of any person for the time being in Scotland, whether a contributory of the company or not, in regard to the trade, dealings, affairs, or property of any company in course of being wound up, or of any person being a contributory of the company, so far as the company may be interested therein by reason of his being a contributory ; and the order or commission to take the examination shall be directed to the sheriff of the county in which the person to be examined is residing or happens to be for the time ; and the sheriff shall summon that person to appear before him at a time and place to be specified in the summons for examination on oath as a witness or as a haver, and to produce any books or papers called for which are in his possession or power.
(2) The sheriff may take the examination either orally or on written interrogatories, and shall report the same in writing in the usual form to the court ; and shall transmit with the report the books and papers produced, if the originals thereof are required and specified by the order or commission, or otherwise copies thereof or extracts therefrom authenticated by the sheriff.
(3) If any person so summoned fails to appear at the time and place specified, or refuses to be examined or to make the production required, the sheriff shall proceed against him as a witness or haver duly cited and failing to appear or refusing to give evidence or make production may be proceeded against by the law of Scotland.
(4) The sheriff shall be entitled to such and the like fees, and the witness shall be entitled to such and the like allowances, as sheriffs when acting as commissioners under appointment from the Court of Session and as witnesses and havers are entitled to in the like cases according to the law and practice of Scotland.
(5) If any objection is stated to the sheriff by the witness, either on the ground of his incompetency as a witness, or as to the production required, or on any other ground, the sheriff may, if he thinks fit, report the objection to the court, and suspend the examination of the witness until it has been disposed of by the court.

228 Affidavits, &c. in United Kingdom and colonies.
(1) Any affidavit required to be sworn under the provisions or for the purposes of this Part of this Act may be sworn in Great Britain or Ireland, or elsewhere within the dominions of His Majesty, before any court, judge, or person lawfully authorised to take and receive affidavits or before any of His Majesty's consuls or vice-consuls in any place outside His Majesty's dominions.
(2) All courts, judges, justices, commissioners, and persons, acting judicially shall take judicial notice of the seal or stamp or signature (as the case may be) of any such court, judge, person, consul, or vice-consul attached, appended, or subscribed to any such affidavit, or to any other document to be used for the purposes of this Part of this Act.

229 Companies liquidation account defined.
(1) An account, called the Companies Liquidation Account, shall be kept by the Board of Trade with the Bank of England, and all moneys received by the Board in respect of proceedings under this Act in connection with the winding up of companies in England shall be paid to that account.
(2) All payments out of money standing to the credit of the Board of Trade in the Companies Liquidation Account shall he made by the Bank of England in the prescribed manner.

230 Investment of surplus funds on general account.
(1) Whenever the cash balance standing to the credit of (he Companies Liquidation Account is in excess of the amount which in the opinion of the Board of Trade is required for the time being to answer demands in respect of companies' estates, the Board shall notify the excess to the Treasury, and shall pay over the whole or any part of that excess as the Treasury may require, to the Treasury, to such account as the Treasury may direct, and the Treasury may invest the sums paid over, or any part thereof, in Government securities, to be placed to the credit of the said account.
(2) When any part of the money so invested is, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, required to answer any demands in respect of companies' estates, the Board shall notify to the Treasury the amount so required, and the Treasury shall thereupon repay to the Board such sum as may be required to the credit of the Companies Liquidation Account, and for that purpose may direct the sale of such part of the said securities as may be necessary.
(3) The dividends on investments under this section shall be paid to such account as the Treasury may direct, and regard shall be had to the amount thus derived in fixing the fees payable in respect of proceedings in the winding up of companies in England.

231 Separate accounts of particular estates.
(1) An account shall be kept by the Board of Trade of the receipts and payments in the winding up of each company in. England, and, when the cash balance standing to the credit of the account of any company is in excess of the amount which, in the opinion of the committee of inspection, is required for the time being to answer demands in respect of that company's estate, the Board shall, on the request of the committee, invest the amount not so required in Government securities, to be placed to the credit of the said account for the benefit of the company.
(2) When any part of the money so invested is, in the opinion of the committee of inspection, required to answer any demands in respect of the estate of the company, the Board of Trade shall, on the request of the committee, raise such sum as may be required by the sale of such part of the said securities as may be necessary.
(3) The dividends on investments under this section shall be paid to the credit of the company.
(4) When the balance at the credit of any company's account in the hands of the Board of Trade exceeds two thousand pounds, and the liquidator gives notice to the Board that the excess is not required for the purposes of the liquidation, the company shall be entitled to interest on the excess at the rate of two per cent. per annum.

232 Certain receipts and fees to be applied in aid of expenditure.
The Treasury may issue to the Board of Trade in aid of the votes of Parliament, out of the receipts arising in respect of the winding up of companies in England from fees, fee stamps, and dividends on investments by the Treasury under this Act, any sums which may he necessary to meet the charges estimated by the Board in respect of salaries and expenses under this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England.

233 Officers and remuneration.
(1) The Board of Trade may, with the approval of the Treasury, appoint such additional officers as may be required by the Board for the execution as respects England of this Part of this Act, and may remove any person so appointed.
(2) The Board of Trade, with the concurrence of the Treasury, shall direct whether any and what remuneration is to be allowed to any officer of, or person attached to, the Board performing any duties under this Part of this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England, and may vary, increase, or diminish that remuneration as they think fit.
(3) The Lord Chancellor, with the concurrence of the Treasury, shall direct whether any and what remuneration is to be allowed to any person (other than an officer of the Board of Trade) performing any duties under this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England, and may vary, increase, or diminish that remuneration as he thinks fit.

234 Annual accounts of English, winding up.
(1) The Treasury shall annually cause to be prepared and laid before both Houses of Parliament an account for the year ending with the thirty-first day of March, showing the receipts and expenditure during that year in respect of proceedings under this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England, and the provisions of section twenty-eight of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1875, shall apply to the account as if the account had been required by that section.
38 & 39 Vict. c. 77.
(2) The accounts of the Board of Trade under this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England shall be audited in such, manner as the Treasury direct, and, for the purpose of the account to be laid before Parliament, the Board shall make such returns and give such information as the Treasury direct.

235 Returns by officers in English winding up.
The officers of the courts acting in the winding up of companies in England shall make to the Board of Trade such returns of the business of their respective courts and offices, at such times and in such manner and form as may be prescribed, and. from those returns the Board shall cause books to be prepared which shall, under the regulations of the Board, be open for public information and searches.

236 Proceedings of Board of Trade.
(1) All documents purporting to be orders or certificates made or issued by the Board of Trade for the purposes of this Act and to be sealed with the seal of the Board, or to be signed by a secretary or assistant secretary of the Board, or any person authorised in that behalf by the President of the Board, shall he received in evidence and deemed to be such orders or certificates without further proof unless the contrary is shown.
(2) A certificate signed by the President of the Board of Trade that any order made, certificate issued, or act done, is the order, certificate, or act of the Board, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact so certified.

Rules and Fees.

237 Rules and fees for winding up in England.
(1) The Lord Chancellor may, with the concurrence of the President of the Board of Trade, make general rules for carrying into effect the objects of this Act so far as relates to the winding up of companies in England.
(2) All general rules made under this section shall be laid before Parliament within three weeks after they are made, if" Parliament is then sitting, and, if Parliament is not sitting, within three weeks after the beginning of the next session of Parliament, and shall be judicially noticed, and shall have effect as if enacted by this Act.
(3) There shall be paid in respect of proceedings under this Act in relation to the winding up of companies in England such fees as the Lord Chancellor may, with the sanction of the Treasury, direct, and the Treasury may direct by whom and in what manner the same are to be collected and accounted for, and to what account they are to be paid.
(4) All rules made and directions given by the Lord Chancellor under this section shall be adopted by the authority for the time being empowered to make rules for regulating the practice or procedure in the chancery court of the county palatine of Lancaster, but as so adopted shall have effect with the substitution of the words “vice-chancellor ” for the word “judge, ” and of the word “registrar ” for the word “master, ” and of the words “chambers of the registrar ” for the words “chambers of the judge ” and " judge's chambers, " and any directions as to the remuneration to be allowed to officers of that court in respect of proceedings under this Act shall be subject to the sanction of the Chancellor of the Duchy and County Palatine of Lancaster.
(5) The authority having power to make rules or give directions under this section may, by any such rules or directions, repeal, alter, or amend any rules made and directions given by the like authority under the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890, which are in force at the commencement of this Act.
53 & 54 Vict. c. 63.

238 Powers to make rules of procedure.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act with respect to rules and fees in relation to the winding up of companies in England, rules of procedure for the purposes of this Act, including rules as to costs and fees, may be made—
(a) As regards the High Court in England, by the authority having power to make rules for the Supreme Court in England :
(b) As regards the Court of Session, by act of sederunt:
(c) As regards the High Court in Ireland, by the authority having power to make rules for the Supreme Court in Ireland :
(d) As regards the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction, by the authority having power to make rules for county courts in England.
(2) The authority having power to make rules under this section may by any such rules repeal, alter, or amend any rules made by the like authority under the Companies Act, 1862, or any Act amending the same, which are in force at the commencement of this Act.
25 & 26 Vict. c. 89.

Special Provisions as to Stannaries.

239 Attachment of debt due to contributory on winding up in stannaries court.
When several companies are in course of liquidation by or under the superintendence of the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction and acting under that jurisdiction, if it appears to the judge that a person who is a contributory of one of the companies is also a creditor claiming a debt against one of the other companies, the judge may (if after inquiry he thinks fit) direct that the debt, when allowed, shall be attached, and payment thereof to the creditor suspended for a time certain as a security for payment of any calls that are or may in course of liquidation become due from him to the company of which he is a contributory; and the amount thereof shall be applied to such payment in due course :
Provided that such an order of attachment shall not prejudice any claim which the company so indebted to the creditor may have against him by way of set off, counterclaim, or otherwise, or any lawful claim of lien or specific charge on the debt in favour of any third person.

240 Preferential payments in stannaries cases.
In the application to companies within the stannaries of the provisions of this Act with respect to preferential payments, the following modifications shall be made :—
(1) In the case of a clerk or servant of such a company, the priority with respect to wages and salary given by this Act shall be given to the extent of three months only, instead of four months, and shall not extend to the principal agent, manager, purser, or secretary:
(2) All wages in relation to the mine of a miner, artizan, or labourer employed in or about the mine, including all earnings by a miner arising from any description of piece or other work, or as a tributer or otherwise, but not exceeding an amount equal to three months wages, shall be included amongst the payments which are, under this Act, to be made in priority to other debts :
(3) Wages of any miner, artizan, or labourer, unpaid at the commencement of the winding up, and, subject to the provisions of section five of the Workmen's, Compensation Act, 1906, all amounts (not exceeding in any individual case one hundred pounds) due in respect of compensation under that Act payable to a miner or the dependants of a miner the liability wherefor accrued before the commencement of the winding-up, shall, to the extent aforesaid, be paid by the liquidator forthwith in priority to all costs, except (in the case of a winding-up by the court) such costs of and incidental to the making of the winding-up order as in the opinion of the court have been properly incurred, and to all claims by mortgagees, execution creditors, or any other persons, except the claims of clerks and servants in respect of their wages or salary, and, subject as aforesaid, the court may, by order, charge the whole or any part of the assets of the company, in priority to all claims and to all existing mortgages or charges thereon, with the payment of a sum sufficient to discharge the said wages and amounts due in respect of compensation, with interest at a rate not exceeding five per cent. per annum, and this charge may be made in favour of any person who is willing to advance the requisite amount or any part thereof ; and as soon as. the said sum has been so advanced, the said wages and amounts clue in respect of compensation shall be paid without delay so far as the amount advanced extends, and in such order of payment as the court directs.
6 Edw. 7. c. 58.

241 Provisions as to mine club funds.
(1) On the winding up of a company within the stannaries, contributions of the miners, artizans, or labourers for the purpose of a mine club, or accident, or sick, or benefit fund shall not be deemed to be, or be applied as, part of the assets of the company in liquidation of the debts of the company or otherwise, but shall be accounted for by the purser or any other person in possession of the fund to the liquidator, and shall be recoverable by him, and be applied in accordance with the rules of the club.
(2) Where the company is being wound up voluntarily, the liquidator or any person claiming to be entitled to any such contributions or fund may apply to the court for directions, or to determine any question arising in the matter in the same manner as if the company were being wound up by the court.

Removal of Defunct Companies from Register.

242 Registrar may strike defunct company off register.
(1) Where the registrar of companies has reasonable cause to believe that a company is not carrying on business or in operation, he shall send to the company by post a letter inquiring whether the company is carrying on business or in operation.
(2) If the registrar does not within one month of sending the letter receive any answer thereto, he shall within fourteen days after the expiration of the month send to the company by post a registered letter referring to the first letter, and stating that no answer thereto has been received, and that if an answer is not received to the second letter within one month from the date thereof, a notice will be published in the Gazette with a view to striking the name of the company off the register.
(3) If the registrar either receives an answer from the company to the effect that it is not carrying on business or in operation, or does not within one month after sending the second letter receive any answer, he may publish in the Gazette, and send to the company by post, a notice that at the expiration of three months from the date of that notice the name of the company mentioned therein will, unless cause is shown to the contrary, be struck off the register and the company will be dissolved.
(4) If, in any case where a company is being wound up, the registrar has reasonable cause to believe either that no liquidator is acting, or that the affairs of the company are fully wound up, and the returns required to be made by the liquidator have not been made for a period of six consecutive months after notice by the registrar demanding the returns has been sent by post to the company, or to the liquidator at his last known place of business, the registrar may publish in the Gazette and send to the company a like notice as is provided in the last preceding subsection.
(5) At the expiration of the time mentioned in the notice the registrar may, unless cause to the contrary is previously shown by the company, strike its name off the register, and shall publish notice thereof in the Gazette, and on the publication in the Gazette of this notice the company shall be dissolved: Provided that the liability (if any) of every director, managing officer, and member of the company shall continue and may be enforced as if the company had not been dissolved.
(6) If a company or any member or creditor thereof feels aggrieved by the company having been struck off the register, the court on the application of the company or member or creditor may, if satisfied that the company was at the time of the striking off carrying on business or in operation, or otherwise that it is just that the company be restored to the register, order the name of the company to be restored to the register, and thereupon the company shall be deemed to have continued in existence as if its name had not been struck off; and the court may by the order give such directions and make such provisions as seem just for placing the company and all other persons in the same position as nearly as may be as if the name of the company had not been struck off.
(7) A letter or notice under this section may be addressed to the company at its registered office, or, if no office has been registered, to the care of some director or officer of the company, or, if there is no director or officer of the company whose name and address are known to the registrar of companies, may be sent to each of the persons who subscribed the memorandum, addressed to him at the address mentioned in the memorandum.

PART V Registration Office and Fees.

243 Registration offices in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
(1) For the purposes of the registration of companies under this Act, there shall be offices in England, Scotland, and Ireland, at such places as the Board of Trade think fit.
(2) The Board of Trade may appoint such registrars, assistant registrars, clerks, and servants as the Board think necessary for the registration of companies under this Act, and may make regulations with respect to their duties ; and may remove any persons so appointed.
(3) The salaries of the persons appointed under this section shall be fixed by the Board of Trade with the concurrence of the Treasury, and shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament.
(4) The Board of Trade may require that the office of the registrar of the court exercising in respect of the winding up of companies the stannaries jurisdiction shall be one of the offices for the registration of companies within that jurisdiction.
(5) The Board may direct a seal or seals to be prepared for the authentication of documents required for or connected with the registration of companies.
(6) Any person may inspect the documents kept by the registrar on payment of such fees as may be appointed by the Board of Trade, not exceeding one shilling for each inspection ; and any person may require a certificate of the incorporation of any company, or a copy or extract of any other document or any part of any other document, to be certified by the registrar, on payment for the certificate, certified copy, or extract, of such fees as the Board of Trade may appoint, not exceeding five shillings for a certificate of incorporation, and not exceeding-sixpence for each folio of a certified copy or extract, or in Scotland for each sheet of two hundred words.
(7) A copy of or extract from any document kept and registered at any of the offices for the registration of companies in England, Scotland, or Ireland, certified to be a true copy under the hand of the registrar or an assistant registrar (whose official position it shall not be necessary to prove) shall in all legal proceedings be admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the original document.
(8) Whenever any act is by this Act directed to be done to or by the registrar of companies, it shall, until the Board of Trade otherwise directs, be done in England to or by the existing registrar of joint stock companies, or in his absence to or by such person as the Board may for the time being authorise ; in Scotland to or by the existing registrar of joint stock companies in Scotland; and in Ireland to or by the existing assistant registrar of joint stock companies for Ireland, or to or by such person as the Board may for the time being authorise in Scotland or Ireland, in the absence of the registrar or assistant registrar; but, in the event of the Board altering the constitution of the existing registry offices or any of them, any such act :shall be done to or by such officer and at such place with reference to the local situation of the registered offices of the companies to be registered as the Board may appoint.

244 Fees.
(1) There shall be paid to the registrar in respect of the several matters mentioned in Table B. in the First Schedule to this Act the several fees therein specified, or such smaller fees ;as the Board of Trade may from time to time direct.
(2) All fees paid to the registrar in pursuance of this Act shall be paid into the Exchequer.

PART VI Application of Act to Companies formed and registered under former companies act.

245 Application of Act to companies formed under former Companies Acts.
In the application of this Act to existing companies, It shall apply in the same manner in the case of a limited company, other than a company limited by guarantee, as if the company had been formed and registered under this Act as a -company limited by shares; in the case of a company limited by guarantee, as if. the company had been formed and registered under this Act as a company limited by guarantee ; and in the case of a company other than a limited company, as if the company had been formed and registered under this Act as an unlimited company :
Provided that reference, express or implied, to the date of registration shall be construed as a reference to the date at which the company was registered under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, or under the Companies Act, 1862, as the case may be.

246 Application of Act to companies registered under former Companies Acts.
This Act shall apply to every company registered but not formed under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, or the Companies Act, 1862, in the same manner as it is herein-after in this Act declared to apply to companies registered but not formed under this Act:
Provided that reference, express or implied, to the date of registration shall be construed as a reference to the date at which the company was registered under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, or the Companies Act, 1862, as the case may be.

247 Application of Act to companies re-registered under Companies Act, 1879.
This Act shall apply to every unlimited company registered in pursuance of the Companies Act, 1879, as a limited company, in the same manner as it applies to an unlimited company registered in pursuance of this Act as a limited company:
Provided that reference, express or implied, to the date of registration shall be construed as a reference to the date at which. the company was registered, as a limited company under the Companies Act, 1879.
42 & 43 Vict. c. 76.

248 Mode of transferring shares.
A company registered under' the Joint Stock Companies Acts may cause its shares to be transferred in manner hitherto in use, or in such other manner as the company may direct.

PART VII Companies authorised to register under this Act.

249 Companies capable of being registered.
(1) With the exceptions and subject to the provisions mentioned and contained in this section,—
(i) any company consisting of seven or more members, which was in existence on the second day of November eighteen hundred and sixty-two, including any company registered under the. Joint Stock Companies Acts; and
(ii) any company formed after the date aforesaid, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, in pursuance of any Act of Parliament other than this Act, or of letters patent, or being a company within the stannaries, or being otherwise duly constituted by law, and consisting of seven or more members ; may at any time register under this Act as an unlimited company, or as a company limited by shares, or as a company limited by guarantee ; and the registration shall not be invalid by reason that it has taken place with a view to the company being wound up.
(2) Provided as follows :—
(a) A company having the liability of its members limited by Act of Parliament or letters patent, and not being a joint stock company as herein-after defined shall not register in pursuance of this section :
(b) , A company having the liability of its members limited by Act of Parliament or letters patent shall not register in pursuance of this section as an unlimited company or as a company limited by guarantee:
(c) . A company that is not a joint stock company as herein-after defined shall not register in pursuance of this section as a company limited by shares;
(d) A company shall not register in pursuance of this section without the assent of a majority of such of its members as are present in person or by proxy in cases where proxies are allowed by the regulations of the company at a general meeting summoned for the purpose
(e) Where a company not having the liability of its members limited by Act of Parliament or letters patent is about to register as a limited company, the majority required to assent as aforesaid shall consist of not less than three-fourths of the members present in person or by proxy at the meeting
(f) Where a company is about to register as a company limited by guarantee, the assent to its being so registered shall be accompanied by a resolution declaring that each member undertakes to contribute to the assets of the company, in the event of its being wound up while he is a member, or within one year afterwards, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before he ceased to be a member, and of the costs and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding a specified amount.
(3) In computing any majority under this section when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each member is entitled according to the regulations of the company.
(4) A company registered under the Companies Act, 1862, shall not be registered, in pursuance of this section.

250 Definition of joint stock company.
For the purposes of this Part of this Act, as far as relates to registration of companies as companies limited by shares, a joint stock company means a company having a permanent paid-up or nominal share capital of fixed amount divided into shares, also of fixed amount, or held and transferable as stock, or divided and held partly in one way and partly in the other, and formed on the principle of having for its members the holders of those shares or that stock, and no other persons; and such a company when registered with limited-liability under this Act shall be' deemed to be a company limited by shares.

251 Liability of bank of issue unlimited in respect of notes.
(1) A bank of issue registered under this Act as a limited company shall not be entitled to limited liability in respect of its notes ; and the members. thereof shall be liable in respect of its notes in the same manner as if it had been registered as unlimited; but if, in the event of the company being wound up, the general assets are insufficient to satisfy the claims of both the note-holders and the general creditors, then the members, after satisfying the remaining demands of the note-holders, shall be liable to contribute towards payment of the debts of the general creditors a sum equal to the amount received by the note-holders, out of the general assets.
(2) For the purposes of this section the expression "the general assets'" means the funds available for payment of the general creditor as well as the note-holder,
(3) Any bank of issue registered under this Act as a limited company may state on its notes that the limited liability does not extend to its notes, and that the members of the company are liable in respect of its notes in the same manner as if it had been registered as an unlimited company.

252 Requirements for registration by joint stock companies.
Before the registration in pursuance of this Part of this Act of a joint stock company there shall be delivered to the registrar the following documents (that is to say) :—
(1) A list showing the names, addresses, and occupations of all persons who on a day named in the list, not being more than six clear days before the day of registration, were members of the company, with the addition of the shares or stock held by them respectively, distinguishing, in cases where the shares are numbered, each share by its number ;
(2) A copy of any Act of Parliament, royal charter, letters patents, deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, cost book regulations, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company ; and
(3) If the company is intended to be registered as a limited company, a statement specifying the following particulars (that is to say):—
(a) The nominal share capital of the company and the number of shares into which it is divided, or the amount of stock of which it consists ;
(b) The number of shares taken and the amount paid on each share ;
(c) The name of the company, with the addition of the word “limited ” as the last word thereof ; and
(d) In the case of a company intended to be registered as a company limited by guarantee, the resolution declaring the amount of the guarantee.

253 Requirements for registration by other than joint stock companies.
Before the registration in pursuance of this Part of this Act of any company not being a joint stock company, there shall be delivered to the registrar—
(1) A list showing the names, addresses, and occupations of the directors or other managers (if any) of the company; and
(2) A copy of any Act of Parliament, letters patent, deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, cost book regulations, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company; and
(3) In the case of a company intended to be registered as a company limited by guarantee, a copy of the resolution . declaring the amount of the guarantee.

254 Authentication of statements of existing companies.
The lists of members and directors and any other particulars relating to the company required to be delivered to the registrar shall be verified by a statutory declaration of any two or more directors or other principal officers of the company.

255 Registrar may require evidence as to nature of company.
The registrar may require such evidence as he thinks necessary for the purpose of satisfying himself whether any company proposing to be registered is or is not a joint stock company as hereinbefore defined.

256 On registration of banking company with limited liability, notice to be given to customers.
(1) Where a banking company which was in existence on the seventh day of August eighteen hundred and sixty-two proposes to register as a limited company, it shall, at least thirty days before so registering, give notice of its intention so to register to every person who has a banking account with the company, either by delivery of the notice to him, or by posting it to him at, or delivering it at, his last known address.
(2) If the company omits to give the notice required by this section, then as between the company and the person for the time being interested in the account in respect of which the notice ought to have been given, and so far as respects the account down to the time at which notice is given, but not further or otherwise, the certificate of registration with limited liability shall have no operation.

257 Exemption of certain companies from payment of fees.
No fees shall be charged in respect of the registration in pursuance of this Part of this Act of a company if it is not registered as adimited company, or if before its registration as a limited company the liability of the shareholders was limited by some other Act of Parliament or by letters patent.

258 Addition of “limited ” to name.
When a company registers in pursuance of this Part of this Act with limited liability, the word “limited ” shall form and be registered as part of its name.

259 Certificate of registration of existing companies.
On compliance with the requirements of this Part of this Act with respect to registration, and on payment of such fees, if any, as are payable under Table B. in the First Schedule to this Act, the registrar shall certify under his hand that the company applying for registration is incorporated as a company under this Act, and in the case of a limited company that it is limited, and thereupon the company shall be incorporated, and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to hold lands ; and any banking company in Scotland so incorporated shall be deemed to be a bank incorporated, constituted, or established by or under Act of Parliament.

260 Vesting of property on registration.
All property, real and personal (including things in action), belonging to or vested in a company at the date of its registration in pursuance of this part of this Act, shall on registration pass to and vest in the company as incorporated under this Act for all the estate and interest of the company therein.

261 Saving for existing liabilities.
Registration of a company in pursuance of this Part of this Act shall not affect the rights or liabilities of the company in respect of any debt or obligation incurred, or any contract entered into, by, to, with, or on behalf of, the company before registration.

262 Continuation of existing actions.
All actions and other legal proceedings which at the time of the registration of a company in pursuance of this Part of this- Act are pending by or against; the company, or the public officer or any member thereof, may be continued in the same manner as if the registration had not taken place.; nevertheless execution shall not issue against the effects of any individual member of the company on any judgment, decree, or order obtained in any such action or proceeding; but, in the event of the property and effects of the company being insufficient to satisfy the judgment, decree, or order, an order may be obtained for winding up the company.

263 Effect of registration under Act.
When a company is registered in pursuance of this Part of this Act—
(i) All provisions contained in any Act of Parliament, deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, cost book regulations, letters patent, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company, including, in the case of a company registered as a company limited by guarantee, the resolution declaring the amount of the guarantee, shall be deemed to be conditions and regulations of the company, in the same manner and with the same incidents as if so much thereof as would, if the company had been formed under this Act, have been required to be inserted in the memorandum, were contained in a registered memorandum, and the residue thereof were contained in registered articles :
(ii) All the provisions of this Act shall apply to the company, and the members, contributories, and creditors thereof, in the same manner in all respects as if it had been formed under this Act, subject as follows (that is to say) :—
(a) The regulations in Table A. in the First Schedule to this Act shall not apply unless adopted by special resolution ;
(b) The provisions of this Act relating to the numbering of shares shall not apply to any joint stock company whose shares are not numbered ;
(c) Subject to the provisions of this section the company shall not have power to alter any provision contained in any Act of Parliament relating to the company;
(d) Subject to the provisions of this section the company shall not have power, without the sanction of the Board of Trade, to alter any provision contained in any letters patent relating to the company ;
(e) The company shall not have power to alter any provision contained in a royal charter or letters patent with respect to the objects of the company ;
(f) In the event of the company being wound up, every person shall be a contributory, in respect of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before registration, who is liable to pay or contribute to the payment of. any debt or liability of the company contracted before registration, or to pay or contribute to. the payment of any sum for. the adjustment of the rights of the members among themselves in respect, of any such debt or liability ; or to pay or contribute to the payment of the costs and expenses of winding up. the company, so .far as relates, to such debts or liabilities as aforesaid ; and every contributory shall be liable to contribute to the assets of the company, in the course of the winding up, . all sums due from him in respect of any such liability as, aforesaid ; and, in the event of the death, bankruptcy or insolvency, of any contributory, or marriage of any female contributory, the provisions of. this Act with respect to the personal representatives, heirs, and devisees of deceased contributories, to the. trustees of bankrupt or insolvent contributories, and to the liabilities of husbands and wives respectively, shall apply :
(iii) The provisions of this Act with respect to—
(a) the registration of an unlimited company as limited ;
(b) the powers of an unlimited company on registration as a limited company to increase the nominal amount of its share capital and to provide that a portion of its share capital shall not be capable of being called up except in the event of winding up ;
(c) the power of a limited company to determine that a portion of its share capital shall not be capable of being called up except in the event of winding up ;
shall apply notwithstanding any provisions contained in any Act of Parliament, royal charter, deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, cost book regulations, letters patent, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company :
(iv) Nothing in this section shall authorise the company to alter any such provisions contained in any deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, cost book regulations, letters patent, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company, as would, if the company had originally been formed under this Act, have been required to be contained in the memorandum and are not authorised to be altered by this Act:
(v) Nothing in this Act shall derogate from any power of altering its constitution or regulations which may by virtue of any Act of Parliament, deed of settlement, contract of copartnery, letters patent, or other instrument constituting or regulating the company, be vested in the company.

264 Power to substitute memorandum and articles for deed of settlement.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a company registered in pursuance of this Part of this Act may by special resolution alter the form of its constitution by substituting a memorandum and articles for a deed of settlement.
(2) The provisions of this Act with respect to confirmation by the court and registration of an alteration of the objects of a company shall so far as applicable apply to an alteration under this section with the following modifications :—
(a) There shall be substituted for the printed copy of the altered memorandum required to be delivered to the-registrar of companies a printed copy of the substituted memorandum and articles ; and
(b) On the registration of the alteration being certified by the registrar the substituted memorandum and articles shall apply to the company in the same manner as if it were a company registered under this Act with that memorandum and those articles, and the company's deed of settlement shall cease to apply to the company.
(3) An alteration under this section may be made either with or without any alteration of the objects of the company under this Act.
(4) In this section the expression “deed of settlement” includes any contract of copartnery or other instrument constituting or regulating the company, not being an Act of Parliament, a royal charter, or letters patent.

265 Power of court to stay or restrain proceedings.
The provisions of this Act with respect to staying and restraining actions and proceedings against a company at any time after the presentation of a petition for winding up and before the making of a winding-up order shall, in the case of a company registered in pursuance of this Part of this Act, where the application to stay or restrain is by a creditor, extend to actions and proceedings against any contributory of the company.

266 Actions stayed on winding-up order.
Where an order has been made for winding up a .company registered in pursuance of this Part of this Act no-action or proceeding shall be commenced or proceeded with against the company or any contributory of the company in respect of any debt of the company, except by leave of the court, and subject to such terms as the court may impose.

PART VIII Winding Up of Unregistered Companies.

267 Meaning of unregistered company.
For the purposes of this Part of this Act the expression “unregistered company” shall not include a railway company incorporated by Act of Parliament (except in so far as is provided by the Abandonment, of Railways Act, 1850, and the Abandonment of Railways Act, 1869, and any Acts amending them), nor a company registered under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, or under the Companies Act, 1862. or tinder this Act, hut, save as aforesaid, shall include any partnership, association, or company consisting of more than seven members, and any trustee savings bank certified under the Trustees Savings Banks Act, 1863, and any limited partnership.
13 & 14 Vict. c. 83.
32 & 33 Vict. c. 114.
26 & 27 Vict. c. 87.

268 Winding up of unregistered companies.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, any unregistered company may be wound up under this Act, and all the provisions of this Act with respect to winding up shall apply to an unregistered company, with the following exceptions and additions :—
(i) An unregistered company shall, for the purpose of determining the court having jurisdiction in the matter of the winding up, be deemed to be registered in that part of the United Kingdom where its principal place of business is situate ; or if it has a principal place of business situate in more than one part of the United Kingdom, then in each part of the United Kingdom where it has a principal place of business ; and the principal place of business situate in that part of the United Kingdom in which proceedings are being-instituted shall, for all the purposes of the winding up, be deemed to be the registered office of the company :
(ii) No unregistered company shall be wound up under this; Act voluntarily or subject to supervision :
(iii) The circumstances in which an unregistered company may be wound up are as follows (that is to say):—
(a) If the company is dissolved, or has ceased to carry on business, or is carrying on business only for the purpose of winding up its affairs ;
(b) If the company is unable to pay its debts ;
(c) If the court is of opinion that it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up :
(iv) An unregistered company shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be unable to pay its debts :—
(a) If a creditor, by assignment or otherwise, to whom the company is indebted in a sum exceeding; fifty pounds then due, has served on the company, by leaving at its principal place of business, or by delivering to the secretary or some director, manager, or principal officer of the company, or by otherwise serving in such manner as the court may approve or direct, a demand under his hand requiring the company to pay the sum so due, and the company has for three weeks after the service of the demand neglected to pay the sum, or to secure or compound for it to the satisfaction of the creditor ;
(b) If any action or other proceeding has been instituted against any member for any debt or demand due, or claimed to be due, from the company, or from him in his character of member, and notice in writing of the institution of the action or proceeding having been served on the company by leaving the same at its principal -place of business, or by delivering it to the secretary, or some director, manager, or principal officer of the company, or; by otherwise serving the same in such manner as the. court may approve or direct, the company has not . within ten days after service of the notice. paid, secured, or compounded for the debt or demand, or procured the action or proceeding to be stayed, or indemnified the defendant to his reasonable satisfaction against the action or proceeding, and against all costs, damages, and expenses to be incurred by , him by reason of the same ;
(c) If in England or Ireland execution or other process issued on a judgment, decree, or order obtained in any court in favour of a creditor against the company, or any member thereof as such, or any person authorised to be sued as nominal defendant on behalf of the company, is returned unsatisfied ;
(d) If in Scotland the induciæs of a charge for payment on an extract decree, or an extract registered bond, or an extract registered protest, have expired without payment being made ;
(e) If it is otherwise proved to the satisfaction of the court that the company is unable to pay its debts :
(v) The court having jurisdiction to wind up a railway company under the Abandonment of Railways Act, 1850, and the Abandonment of Railways Act, 1869, and the Acts amending them, shall be the High Court in England or Ireland, or the Court of Session in Scotland, according as the railway was authorised to be made in England, Ireland, or Scotland, and the special provisions of those Acts shall apply to the winding up with the substitution of references to this Act for references to the Companies Acts, 1862 and 1867.
Provided that, subject to general rules and to orders of transfer made, as respects England, under the authority of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1873, and, as respects Ireland, under the authority of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Ireland) Act, 1877, the jurisdiction of the High Court in England or Ireland under this provision shall be exercised by the Chancery Division of that Court:
36 & 37 Vict. c. 66.
40 & 41 Vict. c. 57.
(vi) A petition for winding up a trustee savings bank may be presented by the National Debt Commissioners, or by a commissioner appointed under the Trustee Savings Banks Act, 1887, as well as by any person authorised under the other provisions of this Act, to present a petition for winding up a company :
50 & 51 Vict. c. 47.
(vii) In the ease of a limited partnership the provisions of this Act with respect to winding up shall apply with, such medications (if any) as may be provided by rules made by the Lord Chancellor with the concurrence of the President of the Board of Trade, and with the substitution of general partners for directors.
(2) Nothing in this Part of this Act shall affect the operation of any enactment which provides for any partnership, association, or company, being wound up, or being wound up as a company or as an unregistered company, under any enactment' repealed by this Act, except that references in any such first-mentioned, enactment to any such repealed enactment shall be read as references to the corresponding provision (if any) of this Act.

269 Contributories in winding up of unregistered company.
(1) In the event of an unregistered company being wound up every person shall be deemed to be a contributory who is liable to pay or contribute to the payment of any debt or liability of the company, or to pay or contribute to the payment of any sum for the adjustment of the rights of the members among themselves, or to pay or contribute to the payment of the costs and expenses of winding up the company, and every contributory shall be liable to contribute to the assets of the company all sums due from him in respect of any such liability as aforesaid :
Provided that, in the case of an unregistered company within the stannaries, a past member shall not be liable to contribute to the assets of the company if he has ceased to be a member for two years or more either before the mine ceased to be worked or before the date of the winding-up order.
(2) In the event of the death, bankruptcy, or insolvency, of any contributory, or marriage of any female contributory, the provisions of this Act with respect to the personal representatives, heirs, and devisees of deceased contributories, to the trustees of bankrupt or insolvent contributories, and to the liabilities of husbands and wives respectively, shall apply.

270 Power of court to stay or restrain proceedings.
The provisions of this Act with respect to staying and restraining actions and proceedings against a company at any time after the presentation of a petition for winding up and before the making of a winding-up order shall, in the case of an unregistered company, where the application to stay or restrain is by a creditor, extend to actions and proceedings against any contributory of the company.

271 Actions stayed on winding-up order.
Where an order has been made for winding up an unregistered company, no action or proceeding shall be proceeded with or commenced against any contributory of the company in respect of any debt of the company, except by leave of the court, and subject to such terms as the court may impose.

272 Directions as to property in certain cases.
If an unregistered company has no power to sue and be sued in a common name, or if for any reason it appears expedient, the court may by the winding-up order, or by any subsequent order, direct that all or any part of the property, real and personal (including things in action), belonging to the company, or to trustees on its behalf, is to vest in the liquidator by his official name, and thereupon the property or the part thereof specified in the order shall vest accordingly ; and the liquidator may, after giving such indemnity (if any) as the court may direct, bring or defend in his official name any action or other legal proceeding relating to that property, or necessary to be brought or defended for the purposes of effectually winding up the company and recovering its property.

273 Provisions of Part of Act cumulative.
The provisions of this Part of this Act with respect to unregistered companies shall be in addition to and not in restriction of any provisions herein-before in this Act contained with respect to winding up companies by the court, and the court or liquidator may exercise any powers or do any act in the case of unregistered companies which might be exercised or done by it or him in winding up companies formed and registered under this Act; but an unregistered company shall not, except-in the event of its being wound up, be deemed to be a company under this Act, and then only to the extent provided by this Part of this Act.

PART IX Companies established outside the United Kingdom.

274 Requirements as to companies established outside the United Kingdom.
(1) Every company incorporated outside the United Kingdom which establishes a place of business within the United. Kingdom shall within one month from the establishment of the place of business file with the registrar of companies—
(a) a certified copy of the charter, statutes, or memorandum and articles of the company, or other instrument, constituting or defining the constitution of the company, and, if the instrument is not written in the English language, a certified translation thereof;
(b) a list of the directors of the company ;
(c) the names and addresses of some one or more persons resident in the United Kingdom authorised to accept on behalf of the company service of process and any notices required to be served on the company ;
and, in the event of any alteration being made in any such instrument or in the directors or in the names or addresses of any such persons as aforesaid, the company shall within the prescribed time file with the registrar a notice of the alteration.
(2) Any process or notice required to be served on the company shall be sufficiently served if addressed to any person whose name has been so filed as aforesaid and left at or sent by post to the address which has been so filed.
(3) Every company to which this section applies shall in every year file with the registrar such a statement in the form of a balance sheet as would, if it were a company formed and registered under this Act and having a share capital, be required, under this Act to be included in the annual summary.
(4) Every company to which this section applies, and which uses the word “Limited ” as part of its name, shall—
(a) in every prospectus inviting subscriptions for its shares or debentures in the United Kingdom state the country in which the company is incorporated ; and
(b) conspicuously exhibit on every place where it carries on business in the United Kingdom the name of the company and the country in which the company is incorporated ; and
(c) have the name of the company and of the country in which the company is incorporated mentioned in legible characters in all bill-heads and letter paper, and in all notices, advertisements, and other official publications of the company.
(5) If any company to which this section applies fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section the company, and every officer or agent of the company, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or, in the case of a continuing offence, five pounds for every day during which the default continues.
(6) For the purposes of this section—
The expression “certified ” means certified in the prescribed manner to be a true copy or a correct translation;
The expression “place of business ” includes a share transfer or share registration office ;
The expression “director ” includes any person occupying the position of director, by whatever name called ; and
The expression “prospectus ” means any prospectus, notice, circular, advertisement, or other invitation, offering to the public for subscription or purchase any shares or debentures of the company.
(7) There shall be paid to the registrar for registering any document required by this section to be filed with him a fee of five shillings or such smaller fee as may be prescribed.

275 Power of companies incorporated in British possessions to hold lands.
A company incorporated in a British possession which has filed with the registrar of companies the documents and particulars specified in paragraphs (a), (b), and (e) of subsection (1) of the last foregoing section shall have the same power to hold lands in the United Kingdom as if it were a company incorporated under this Act.

PART X Supplemental.

Legal Proceedings, Offences, &c.

276 Prosecution of offences.
(1) All offences under this Act made punishable by any fine may be prosecuted under the Summary Jurisdiction Acts.
(2) In Scotland all prosecutions for offences or fines under the provisions of this Act relating to—
(a) the appointment of directors ;
(b) the restrictions on commencement of business by a company ;
(c) returns as to allotments ;
(d) false statements in respect-of which a penalty is provided by this Part of this Act;
(e) the filing of copies of a prospectus, an order revoking the dissolution, or an order sanctioning the reorganisation of the share capital of a company ;
(f) the filing of notice of appointment, of a liquidator or of the accounts of a receiver or manager ;
(g) general meetings ;
(h) companies-established outside the United Kingdom;
(i) the issue of debentures and certificates of shares and debenture stock ;
(j) the issue, circulation, and publication of balance sheets;
(k) unqualified persons acting as directors ;
(l) the inspection of registers of. debenture holders and the furnishing of copies of trust deeds ;
shall be at the instance of the Lord Advocate or a procurator fiscal as the Lord Advocate may direct.

277 Applications of fines.
The court imposing any fine under this Act may direct that the whole or any part thereof be applied in or towards payment of the costs of the proceedings, or in or towards the rewarding the person on whose information or at whose suit the fine is recovered, and. subject to any such direction all fines under this Act shall, notwithstanding anything in any other Act,-be paid into the Exchequer.

278 Costs in actions by certain limited companies.
Where a limited company is plaintiff or pursuer, in attraction or other legal proceeding, any judge having jurisdiction in the matter may, if it appears by credible testimony that there is reason to believe that the company will be unable to pay the costs of the defendant if successful in his defence, require sufficient security to be given for those costs, and. may stay all proceedings until the security is given.

279 Power of court to grant relief in certain cases.
If in any proceeding against a director, or person occupying the position of director, of a company for negligence or breach of trust it appears to the court hearing the case that the director or person. is or may be liable in respect of the negligence or breach of trust, but has acted honestly and reasonably, and ought fairly to be excused for the negligence or breach of trust, that .court: may relieve, him, either, wholly or partly, from his liability on such terms as the, court may think proper.

280 Jurisdiction of stannaries court.
(1) In the case of a company subject to the stannaries jurisdiction, the court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction shall have and exercise the like jurisdiction and powers, as well on the common law as on the equity side thereof, as the Court of the Vice-Warden of the stannaries possessed before the commencement of the Stannaries Court (Abolition) Act, 1896, by custom, usage, or statute in the case of unincorporated companies, but only so far as is consistent with the provisions of this Act and with the constitution of companies as prescribed or required by this Act.
59 & 60 Vict. c. 45.
(2) For the purpose of giving fuller effect to that jurisdiction, all process issuing out of the said court, and all orders, rules, demands, notices, warrants, and summonses required Or authorised by the practice of the court to be served on any company, whether registered or not registered, or on any member or contributory thereof, or on any officer, agent, director, manager, or servant thereof, may be served in any part of England without any special order of the judge for that purpose, or by such special order may be served in any part of the British Islands, on such terms and conditions as the court may think fit:
Provided that no such service of process out of the limits of the stannaries in any suit or plaint on the common law side of the court shall be effected without the special-order of the judge made on a statement of the- nature and' object of the suit or plaint.
(3) All decrees, orders, and judgments of the said court may be enforced in the same manner in which decrees, orders, and judgments of the Court of the Vice-Warden of the stannaries could before its abolition have been by law enforced, whether within or beyond the stannaries:

281 Penalty for false statement.
If any person in any return, report, certificate, balance sheet, or other document, required by or for the purposes of any of the provisions of this Act specified in the Fifth Schedule hereto, wilfully makes a statement false in any material particular, knowing it to be false, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable on conviction on indictment .to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and' on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four months, with or without hard labour, and in either case to a fine in lieu of or in addition to such imprisonment as aforesaid :
Provided that the fine imposed on summary conviction shall not exceed one hundred pounds.

282 Penalty for improper use of word " Limited.".
If any person or persons trade or carry on business under any name or title of which “Limited” is the last word, that person or those persons shall, unless duly incorporated with limited liability, be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day upon which that name or title has, been used.

Report by Board of Trade.

283 Annual Report by Board of Trade.
The Board Trade shall cause a general annual report of matters within this Act to he prepared and laid before both Houses of Parliament.

Authentication of Documents issued by Board of Trade.

284 Authentication of documents issued by Board of Trade.
Any approval, sanction, or licence, or revocation of licence, which under this Act may be given or made by the Board of Trade may be under the hand of a secretary or assistant secretary of the Board, or of any person authorised in that behalf by the President of the Board.

Interpretation, &c.

285 Interpretation.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them (that is to say):—
“Existing company ” means a company formed and registered under the Joint Stock Companies Acts, or under the Companies Act, 1862 ;
“Company ” means a company formed and registered under this Act or an existing company;
“Articles ” means the articles of association of a company, as originally framed or as altered by special resolution, including, so far as they apply to the company, the regulations contained (as the case may be) in Table B. in the Schedule annexed to the Joint Stock Companies Act, 1856, or in Table A. in the First Schedule annexed to the Companies Act, 1862, or in that Table as altered in pursuance of section seventy-one of that Act, or in Table A. in the First Schedule to this Act;
“Memorandum ” means the memorandum of association of a company, as originally framed or as altered in pursuance of the provisions of this Act;
“Document ” includes summons, notice, order, and other legal process, and registers ;
“Share ” means share in the share capital of the company, and includes stock except where a distinction between stock and shares is expressed or implied ;
“Debenture ” includes debenture stock ;
“Books and papers ” and “books or papers ” include accounts, deeds, writings, and documents ;
“The registrar of companies, ” or, when used in relation to registration of companies, “the registrar,” means the registrar or other officer performing under this Act the duty of registration of companies in England, Scotland, or Ireland, or in the stannaries, as the case requires;
“The court ” used in relation to a company means the court having jurisdiction to wind up the company ;
“Joint Stock Companies Acts ” means the Joint Stock Companies Act, 1856, the Joint Stock Companies Acts, 1856, 1857, the Joint Stock Banking Companies Act, 1857, and the Act to enable Joint Stock Banking Companies to be formed on the principle of limited liability, or any one or more of those Acts, as the case may require ; but does not include the Act passed in the eighth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, chapter one hundred and ten, intituled An Act for the Registration, Incorporation, and Regulation of Joint Stock Companies;
“The Gazette ” means, as respects companies registered in England, the London Gazette ; as respects companies registered in Scotland, the Edinburgh Gazette; and, as respects companies registered in Ireland, the Dublin Gazette ;
“Real and personal, ” as respects Scotland, means heritable and moveable ;
“General rules ” means general rules made under this Act, and includes forms;
"' Prescribed " means, as respects the provisions of this Act relating to the winding-up of companies, prescribed by general rales, and as respects the other provisions of this Act, prescribed by the Board of Trade ;
“Company within the stannaries ” means a company engaged in or formed for working mines within the stannaries ;
“The court exercising the stannaries jurisdiction ” used in relation to any proceedings means the county court in which the jurisdiction formerly exercised by the court of the vice-warden of the stannaries in respect of those proceedings is for the time being vested ;
“Director ” includes any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called ;
“Prospectus ” means any prospectus, notice, circular, advertisement, or other invitation, offering to the public for subscription or purchase any shares or debentures of a company.
19 & 50 Vict. c. 47.

Repeal of Acts and Transitional Provisions.

286 Repeal of Acts and savings.
(1) The Acts mentioned in the First Part of the Sixth Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Part:
Provided that the repeal shall not affect—
(a) The incorporation of any company registered under any enactment hereby repealed ; or
(b) Table B. in the Schedule annexed to the Joint Stock Companies Act, 1856, or any part thereof, so far as the same applies to any company existing at the commencement of this Act; nor
(c) Table A. in the First Schedule annexed to the Companies Act, 1862, or any part thereof (either as originally contained in that Schedule or as altered in pursuance of section seventy-one of that Act) so far as the same applies to any company existing at, the commencement of this Act; nor
(d) The continuance in force of the enactments set out in the Second Part of the Sixth Schedule to this Act, being the enactments continued in force by section two hundred and five of the Companies Act, 1862.
(2) The mention of particular matters in this section or in any other section of this Act shall not prejudice the general application of section thirty-eight, of the Interpretation Act, 1889, with regard to the effect of repeals.
52 & 53 Vict. c. 63.

287 Saving of pending proceedings for winding up.
The provisions of this Act with respect to winding up shall not apply to any company of which the winding up has commenced before the commencement of this Act, but every such company shall be wound up in the same manner and with the same incidents as if this Act had not passed, and, for the purposes of the winding up, the Act or Acts under which the-winding up commenced shall be deemed to remain in full force.

288 Saving of deeds.
Every conveyance, mortgage, or other deed, made before the commencement of this Act in pursuance of any enactment hereby repealed, shall be of the same force as if this-Act had not passed, and for the purposes of that deed the-repealed enactment shall be deemed to remain in full force.

289 Former registration offices, registers, official receivers, &c continued.
(1) The offices existing at the commencement of this Act in England, Scotland, and Ireland for registration of joint stock companies shall be continued as if they had been established under this Act.
(2) Registers of companies kept in any such existing offices shall respectively be deemed part of the registers of companies to be kept under this Act. '
(3) The existing registrars, assistant registrars, officers, clerks, and servants in those offices shall during the pleasure of the Board of Trade hold the offices and receive the salaries hitherto held and received by them, but subject to any regulations of the Board of Trade with regard to the execution of their duties.
(4) The existing official receivers and officers of the Board of Trade appointed for the execution of the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890, shall during the pleasure of the Board of Trade hold the offices and receive the salaries or remuneration hitherto held and received by them.
(5) Persons, other than officers of the Board of Trade, performing any duties under the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890, and receiving therefor any salary or remuneration by the direction of the Lord Chancellor, shall during his pleasure receive the salaries or remuneration hitherto received by them.
(6) The Companies liquidation Account under this Act shall he deemed to be in continuation of the Companies Liquidation Account under the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890.

290 Saving for existing rules of procedure, &c.
Until revoked and except as varied under the powers of this Act, the general rules and orders, and scales of fees, under the Companies (Winding Up) Act, 1890, in force at the commencement of this Act, and the rules of court in force at the commencement of this Act in England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively with respect to the procedure for reduction of capital, and to winding up companies, and the practice and procedure for winding up companies in England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively in force at the commencement of this Act, shall, so far as they are not inconsistent with this Act, continue in force.

291 Substitution of provisions of this Act for provisions of repealed Acts.
Where any enactment repealed by this Act is mentioned or referred to in any document, that document shall be read as if the corresponding provision (if any) of this Act were therein mentioned or referred to and substituted for the repealed enactment.

292 Saving for 28 & 29 Vict. c. 78. s. 3.
Nothing in this Act shall affect the power of a company to alter its memorandum under the provisions of section three of the Mortgage Debenture Act, 1865.

293 Saving for Life Assurance Companies Acts.
Nothing in this Act shall affect the provisions of the Life Assurance Companies Acts, 1870 to 1872, except that references in those Acts to any provision of the Companies Act, 1862, shall be read as references to the corresponding provision of this Act.
33 & 34 Vict. c. 1.
34 & 35 Vict. c. 1.
35 & 36 Vict. c. 1.

294 Saving for 34 & 35 Vict. c. 31. s. 5.
Nothing in this Act shall affect the provisions of section five of the Trade Union Act, 1871, except that the reference in that section to the Companies Acts, 1862 and 1867, shall be read as a reference to this Act.

295 Short title.
This Act may be cited as the Companies (Consolidation) Act, 1908.

296 Commencement of Act.
This Act shall come into operation on the first day of April nineteen hundred and nine.