1 Short title.
This Act may be cited as the Corn Returns Act,1882.
2 Extent of Act.
This Act shall not extend to . . . F1 Ireland.
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2
4 Return from towns of purchases of British corn, and publication of average price. C1
Weekly returns of the purchases of British corn shall be made, . . . . . . F3, in manner provided by this Act from F4such F5areas as may from time to time be prescribed and the average price of British corn shall be from time to time ascertained from those returns, and published by the Board of Trade in manner provided by this Act.
5F25 Weekly returns of purchases of British corn. C10
Every person carrying on in an area for the time being prescribed under section 4 of this Act a business consisting of or including the buying of British corn by wholesale from the growers shall weekly at such times and in such manner as may be prescribed make to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or, in Scotland, to the Secretary of State a return in writing signed by that person specifying with respect to such period of seven days as may be prescribed the aggregate amount of each sort of British corn, if any, bought by that person from the growers and the aggregate purchase price thereof, and giving such additional particulars of the purchases comprised in the return as may be prescribed.
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6
F7C2C38
In the F8returns made in pursuance of this Act each sort of British corn shall be computed with reference to the hundredweight of one hundred and twelve imperial standard pounds.
9 Computation and publication of averages by Board of Trade. C4
The Board of Trade shall cause the average prices of each sort of British corn to be computed from F9the returns made in pursuance of this Act, as follows:
. . . F10
1
In each week the average price during the next preceding week of each sort of British corn shall be computed, and shall be published in the London Gazette:
2
After each of the quarter days, the twenty-fifth day of March, the twenty-fourth day of June, the twenty-ninth day of September, and the twenty-fifth day of December, the average price of each sort of British corn during the quarter ending on that quarter day shall be forthwith computed and published in the London Gazette:
3
After the twenty-fifth day of December in every year the average price of each sort of British corn shall be computed for the year, and the seven years ending on that day, and shall be published in the London Gazette in the month of January next following:
C54
The average price of any sort of British corn for any week shall be ascertained by adding together the total quantities of that sort of British corn appearing from F9the returns made in pursuance of this Act to have been bought during such week, and the total prices for those quantities as appearing from F9the said returns and by dividing the total prices by the total quantities as so ascertained. The quarterly or yearly average prices shall be ascertained by adding together the weekly averages of the weeks included in such quarter or year, and dividing the total by the number of weeks in such quarter or year respectively.
C55
The septennial average price shall be ascertained by adding together the average annual prices for the seven years, and dividing the total by seven:
C6C76
The annual and septennial average shall state the average for the F11hundred-weight of one hundred and twelve imperial standard pounds.
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F12
11 Penalty for failure to make return.
C912 Penalty for false return. C8
Any person who in any return made in pursuance of this Act . . . F15 makes any . . . F16 fraudulent statement, also any person who includes or procures to be included in any such return any British corn not bona fide bought as specified in the return, or any corn which is not British corn, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.
Where the Board of Trade have reason to believe that a return or any particular in a return is false in any particular, they may cause that return, or so much as relates to that particular, to be omitted in the computation of the average prices in pursuance of this Act.
13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F17
14 Regulations as to execution of Act and supply of books, &c.
The Board of Trade may from time to time make, and when made revoke, vary, and add to, regulations F18with respect to the matters to be prescribed and generally with respect to the execution of this Act and such regulations shall be duly observed by all persons to whom they relate, and such regulations may F19make different provisions for different circumstances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F20
15 Expenses.
The expenses by . . . F21 the Board of Trade in the execution of this Act shall, subject to the approval of the Treasury, be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.
16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F22
17 Recovery of fines.
Any fine under this Act may be recovered in manner provided by the Summary Jurisdiction (England) Acts, and shall be paid into Her Majesty’s Exchequer in such manner as the Treasury may direct.
18 Definitions.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
The expression “British corn” means wheat, barley, F23rye, maize and oats, the produce of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man, and any such wheat, barley, F23rye, maize or oats is in this Act referred to as a sort of British corn:
The expression “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations of the Board of Trade under this Act for the time being in force:
The expression “person” includes a body of persons, corporate or unincorporate:
The expression “bought” means the agreement to buy, whether made by sale-note, or otherwise, and irrespective of actual delivery in pursuance thereof.