Plebiscite (Draft Constitution) Act, 1937

Returning officers' expenses.

11.—(1) The plebiscite returning officer and every returning officer for a constituency shall be entitled to his reasonable charges, not exceeding the sums specified in the appropriate scale of maximum charges framed under this section, in respect of services and expenses of the several kinds mentioned in the said scale which have been properly rendered or incurred by him for the purposes of or in connection with the plebiscite.

(2) The amount of any such charge as is mentioned in the foregoing sub-section of this section shall be paid by the Minister for Finance out of the central fund or the growing produce thereof on an account to be submitted to him in accordance with regulations made by him under this section, but the said Minister may, if he thinks fit, before payment of the charges of any returning officer for a constituency apply to the Judge of the Circuit Court having jurisdiction in such constituency for the taxation of such account and thereupon such Judge shall cause such account to be taxed and the amount payable thereunder to be determined by the county registrar.

(3) The Minister for Finance may, if he so thinks fit, on the application of the plebiscite returning officer or any returning officer for a constituency, make to such officer, on such terms as the said Minister shall think proper, an advance on account of the charges of such officer under this section.

(4) The taxation under this section of the account of a returning officer for a constituency shall, if the Judge so directs on the application of such returning officer, include the taxation and determination of the amount of any claim made by any person against such returning officer in respect of any matter charged for in such account.

(5) The Minister for Finance shall prescribe for the purposes of this section scales of maximum charges by the plebiscite returning officer and returning officers for constituencies respectively, and shall also make regulations prescribing the time when and manner and form in which accounts are to be rendered to him for the purpose of payment of charges under this section.