Agriculture (Amendment) Act, 1944

Dissolution of committees of agriculture.

5.—(1) If and whenever—

(a) the Minister is satisfied, after the holding of a local inquiry under section 24 of the Principal Act, as amended by this Act, that the duties of a committee of agriculture for a county are not being duly and effectively discharged by such committee, or

(b) a committee of agriculture for a county wilfully neglects to comply with any lawful order, direction, or regulation of the Minister, or

(c) a committee of agriculture for a county fails to comply with any judgment, order, or decree of any court, or

(d) a committee of agriculture for a county refuses after due notice to allow its accounts to be audited by a local government auditor assigned in that behalf under section 68 of the Local Government Act, 1941 (No. 23 of 1941),

the Minister may by order dissolve such committee and, as he may think fit, either order a new appointment to be made, by the council of such county, of members of such committee or transfer the property and the several powers and duties of such committee to any body or person or persons.

(2) Whenever the Minister makes an order under this section dissolving a committee of agriculture, he may appoint such and so many persons as he shall think fit to perform the duties of such committee, and may from time to time remove all or any such persons and appoint others in their place, and may fix the tenure of office, duties and remuneration (if any) of all such persons.

(3) The remuneration of all persons appointed under the foregoing sub-section to perform the duties of a committee of agriculture for a county shall be paid out of the moneys raised by means of the agricultural rate by the council of that county.

(4) Where the Minister has, under sub-section (1) of this section, dissolved a committee of agriculture for a county and transferred the property, powers and duties of such committee to any body, person or persons, the Minister shall, in the first or second election year after such dissolution, by order cause a new appointment to be made, by the council of such county, of members of such committee, and upon the making of such new appointment all the properties, powers, and duties of the dissolved committee shall vest in the committee so appointed, notwithstanding such transfer.

In this sub-section the expression “election year” has the meaning assigned to it by section 25 of the Local Elections Act, 1937 (No. 14 of 1937).

(5) The Minister may from time to time by order do all such things and make all such regulations as in his opinion shall be necessary for giving full effect to any order made by him under this section.