The Short Title of this Act shall be “The Rabbit Nuisance Act 1876 Amendment Act, 1877.”

In addition to the power of proclaiming districts given by the third section of “The Rabbit Nuisance Act, 1876” (hereinafter called “the said Act”), the Governor may from time to time, by Order in Council, direct that any part or parts of the colony, to be defined therein, shall be a district for the purposes of the said Act, and all the powers of the said Act as to altering and re-defining any district constituted thereunder shall extend and apply to districts constituted under this Act.

Section five of the said Act shall be read and construed as if the words “either three or” in the fifth line of such section were omitted therefrom.

The several districts named in the first column of the Schedule hereto, and which were proclaimed by the several Proclamations mentioned in the second column of the same Schedule, shall be and be deemed to have been districts duly constituted under the provisions of the said Act, and the persons whose names are mentioned in the third column of the said Schedule, opposite the said districts respectively, shall be and be deemed to have been, as on and from the respective dates set opposite their names in the fourth column of the said Schedule, Trustees of the said several districts, and shall hold office until the first day of March next.

If at any election of Trustees held under the said Act no persons are duly elected as such Trustees, or if a less number of persons is elected than by law required to be elected, then the Governor may appoint such and so many as are qualified to be such Trustees as the occasion may require.

If any Trustee shall die, or by writing addressed to the Chairman shall resign his office as such Trustee, or shall cease to reside permanently in the district, or shall absent himself from four consecutive meetings of such Trustees, or shall otherwise become incapable to act as such Trustee, the Governor may appoint a person in lieu of the Trustee so dying, resigning, ceasing to reside, absenting himself, or otherwise becoming incapable to act as aforesaid; and the person so appointed shall hold office as Trustee for the period or residue of the period his predecessor in such office would have held the same had be remained a member.

The Governor may from time to time, by Proclamation, declare that “The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876,” shall come into force in any district constituted under the said Act or this Act, without such request as is mentioned in section three of that Act, and may, without such request as is mentioned in section four of that Act, from time to time rescind such Proclamation.

All regulations heretofore made under the said Act providing that elections under the said Act shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by “The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876,” or incorporating that Act, and providing for the election of Trustees, are hereby declared to be valid.

The Governor may, upon the constitution of a district under the said Act, appoint Returning Officers to conduct first elections under the said Act and any regulations made thereunder.

It shall be lawful for the Colonial Treasurer to issue and pay, out of moneys appropriated for that purpose by the General Assembly, to any person, for every rabbit skin exported from the colony by such person, the sum of one halfpenny per skin: Provided that such person shall first prove to the satisfaction of the principal officer of Customs at the port where such skin is exported that the skin exported is that of a rabbit taken or destroyed within a district constituted under the said Act or this Act.

The Governor may from time to time make and revoke regulations prescribing the mode of proving any claim as aforesaid, and the terms and conditions under and subject to which such claims shall be made and paid.

If any person shall knowingly and wilfully liberate in any part of the colony any live rabbit or rabbits, every person so offending shall upon conviction before any two Justices, and at their discretion, be liable to be committed to gaol with or without hard labour for any term not exceeding six months, or to forfeit and pay a penalty not exceeding fifty pounds. All proceedings under this provision shall be held and determined in a summary way.