Tobacco Act, 1934

Purchase of tobacco from growers by rehandlers.

33.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, every person who is the holder of a rehandler's licence shall purchase, at the price and on the terms and conditions applicable to such purchase under this Part of this Act, at the premises to which such licence relates all tobacco in a suitable condition for rehandling grown by the holder of a grower's licence in the year to which such rehandler's licence relates and offered for sale in accordance with the provisions of this Act at such premises before the 31st day of December in the year in which such tobacco was grown, or such later date as the Minister may fix in relation to tobacco grown in that year.

(2) Any holder of a rehandler's licence who desires to refuse to purchase the tobacco or any part of the tobacco offered for sale to him under the immediately preceding subsection shall forthwith intimate to the vendor his intention to so refuse and apply to the Minister to be exempted from the obligation to purchase such tobacco.

(3) The Minister may, if he so thinks fit, on the application under this section of any holder of a rehandler's licence exempt such holder from the obligation to purchase the tobacco to which such application relates otherwise imposed by this section on such holder.

(4) If any holder of a rehandler's licence fails to comply with the obligation imposed on him by this section, such holder shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof, in the case of a first offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding twenty-five pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.

(5) An offence under this section may be prosecuted by or at the suit of the Minister as prosecutor.