Employers (No. 2) Bill.

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES.

Clause.

1. Register of theatrical employers to be established in local areas.

Theatrical employers to register.

5. Certificates of Registration to be issued.

6.

7.

8.

Offences under the Act.

Punishment for offences under the Act.

Cancelled and suspended certificates.

9. Persons who may not be registered.

10. Certain convicted persons not to act as servants or agents for theatrical employers.

11. Directors, &c., liable for offences by corporation. 12. Application.

Registration (No. 2).

A

BILL

ΤΟ

Provide for the Registration of Employers of A.D. 1924. Theatrical Performers and for purposes incidental thereto.

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty,

BE it enacted t advice and consent of the

Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

blished in

1. The registration authority in every adminis- Register of trative area shall forthwith establish and keep a register theatrical (hereinafter referred to as "the register of theatrical employers employers"). The register of theatrical employers shall to be esta 10 be in the form set out in the First Schedule to this Act local areas. or in a form to the like effect, and shall be open to inspection by any member of the public during ordinary office hours on payment of a fee not exceeding one shilling.

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2. In the administrative county of London the Registration London County Council, and in every other administra- authority to tive area the public authority which is lawfully empowered be the same to grant licences to houses or other places for the public music and performance of stage plays or for music or dancing, shall dancing 20 be the registration authority.

as theatre,

authority.

3. Every theatrical employer as hereinafter defined Publication shall, not more than six weeks nor less than twenty-one of intention days before registering himself as a theatrical employer, to register. insert in a London newspaper devoted to the interest 25 of the stage profession, in two different issues, a notice

Registration (No. 2).

A.D. 1924. stating that he intends so to register, with the date

Theatrical employers

to register.

Certificates

tion to be

issued.

thereof.

4. On or before the

day of every theatrical employer as hereinafter defined shall register himself as a theatrical employer with the regis- 5 tration authority of the area where he resides or carries on business, and shall furnish such authority with the particulars set out in the Second Schedule to this Act. If any circumstance occurs in relation to any theatrical employer which affects the accuracy of any particulars 10 as respects the theatrical employer in the register of theatrical employers, the theatrical employer in question shall forthwith in writing inform the registration authority with which he has been registered, and on receipt of such information the registration authority shall 15 forthwith cause the entries respecting that theatrical employer to be amended accordingly. The registration authority may charge a fee of not exceeding twenty shillings for such registration but shall not be entitled to charge any fee for such amendments as aforesaid.

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5. The registration authority shall as soon as possible of registra after registration by a theatrical employer issue to him a certificate of registration under the hand of a duly authorised officer of the registration authority. Such certificate shall be in the form set out in the Third 25 Schedule to this Act or in some other similar form, and if it appears to be regular on the face of it shall be admissible as evidence in any court of law without further proof.

Offences under the Act.

6. Any theatrical employer shall be guilty of an 30 offence under this Act :

(a) Who with intent to defraud or to avoid the
payment of wages, salary or other fees due or
payable or accruing due or payable to a theatri-
cal performer engaged or employed by such 35
theatrical employer absconds;

(b) Who recurringly fails to pay salaries, or wages
due or payable to theatrical performers, also
railway fares to the town or place where they
were originally engaged or employed by such 40
theatrical employer;

(c) Who is or acts as or purports to be or holds himself out to be or carries on the business

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Registration (No. 2).

of a theatrical employer either without being A.D. 1924.
registered or after his certificate of registration
has been cancelled by the order of any court
or during any period for which his certificate
of registration has by any court been ordered
to be suspended;

(d) Who supplies false or misleading or incorrect
particulars to the registration authority or fails
within a reasonable time to inform the regis-
tration authority of any change of circumstances
as required by section three of this Act;
(e) Who on the hearing of any charge under this
Act fails to produce to the court his certificate
(if any) of registration without lawful excuse,
or produces a false certificate.

7. Any offence under this Act shall render the person Punishment committing the same liable on summary conviction to a for offences fine not exceeding fifty pounds with or without imprison- under the ment for a period not exceeding six months, and in 20 addition to any other penalty the court may in its discretion :

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(a) Make a declaration that the person convicted is
unfit to be a theatrical employer;

(b) Order the certificate of any registered theatrical
employer to be delivered up to be cancelled;
(c) Order the certificate of any registered theatrical
employer to be suspended for such a period as
the court may deem meet;

(d) Order the person convicted to pay the whole or
any part of the costs of the prosecution.
Any person convicted of any offence under this Act
who is ordered to pay a fine or costs and makes default
in such payment may be ordered to be imprisoned for
a period not exceeding six months.

Act.

8. Any registered theatrical employer whose certi- Cancelled ficate of registration has been ordered to be cancelled and susor suspended as aforesaid shall forthwith deliver up his pended said certificate to the clerk of the court by which the order has been made, and the clerk of the court shall 40 endorse the certificate with a record of the order for

certificates.