The Short Title of this Act is “The Police Offences Amendment Act, 1903”; and it shall form part of and be read together with “The Police Offences Act, 1884” (hereinafter referred to as “the principal Act”.

Every public billiard-room shall be closed from eleven o’clock at night until eight o’clock on the following morning, except on Saturdays, when it shall be closed from eleven o’clock at night until eight o’clock on the following Monday morning.

No game of billiards or any other game shall be played in any public billiard-room during the hours the billiard-room is required to be closed.

Every person who, being the proprietor or manager of a public billiard-room, fails to close the billiard-room as aforesaid, or permits any game to be played therein during the hours the billiard-room is required to be closed, is liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

For the purposes of this Act “public billiard-room” means a billiard-room where billiards or any similar games are played for payment, but does not include a billiard-room in premises licensed under “The Licensing Act, 1881,” or in a club.

For the purpose of enforcing the last preceding section any constable may, with or without warrant, at any time of the day or night, enter any public billiard-room to which that section applies, and if he finds any person there in breach of this Act may demand his name and address, and, if he has reasonable ground to suppose that the name or address given is false, may require evidence of the correctness thereof.

If such person fails on such demand to give his name or address, or such evidence, the constable may without warrant arrest him, and take him as soon as practicable before a Justice of the Peace; and in case the person gives his name and address the said Justice may order the release of the said person on bail.

Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds who when required by a constable under this section to give his name and address fails so to do, or gives a false name, or gives false evidence with respect to such name and address.

Every person found in any such public billiard-room during the hours the billiard-room is required to be closed is liable, unless he satisfies the Court that he was lawfully there, to a fine not exceeding two pounds.

Where under any by-law made under any other Act any public billiard-room is required to be closed from an earlier hour than eleven o’clock at night the provisions of sections two and three hereof shall extend and apply to such earlier hour, and not to eleven o’clock at night.

Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds who, without the authority of the Colonial Secretary (the proof whereof shall rest on the person claiming to act under the authority),—

Section fifteen of the principal Act is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the words “or make it illegal to spray with arsenic or other poisonous liquid any noxious weeds at any time between the thirtieth day of April and the thirty-first day of December in any year:

Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds who removes any stone, sand, or boulders from any foreshore to the danger of any road, land, harbour-works, or public works.

For the purposes of this section “foreshore” shall be deemed to be that portion of the shore lying between high- and low-water marks at spring tides.

Every person who, without the special permission first had and obtained of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, of the local authority, or of the controlling authority of any educational or other public reserve, as the case may require (the proof of which permission shall rest on the person claiming to act thereunder),—

shall for every such offence be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds, and may in addition thereto be adjudged to pay to the Crown, or to the local or controlling authority, such sum as the Court shall deem sufficient to defray the cost of obliterating or removing such letters, words, figures, or device, which sum shall be recoverable in like manner as a penalty.