This Act may be cited as the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1924, and shall be read together with and deemed part of the Coal mines Act, 1908 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act).

Section eight of the principal Act is hereby amended by inserting in paragraph (gg) of subsection one as set out in section three of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1919, after the words “does not exceed twenty acres in area,” the words “a locality-plan in duplicate of the area applied for, with the boundaries thereof defined by a compass traverse connected with a fixed and clearly indicated survey mark, or with the corner of a section or the angle of a road, shall be filed with the application; and.”

The rent under every lease granted under the principal Act shall be payable half-yearly in advance on the first day of January and the first day of July in each year.

The royalty reserved under any such lease shall be calculated for half-yearly periods ending on the thirtieth day of June and the thirty-first day of December in each year, and shall, subject to the provisions of this section, be payable within one week after the close of any such half-yearly period.

If the royalty calculated in accordance with the terms of the lease for any half-yearly period exceeds the rent for that period, the royalty payable for that period shall be reduced to the amount by which the royalty so calculated exceeds the rent.

If the royalty calculated in accordance with the terms of the lease for any half-yearly period does not exceed the rent for that period, but exceeds fifty per centum of the rent, the royalty payable for that period shall be reduced to an amount equal to fifty per centum of the rent.

In every case other than the cases provided for in the two last preceding subsections royalty shall be payable in accordance with the terms of the lease.

The provisions of this section shall apply with respect to all leases under the principal Act, whether granted before or after the passing of this Act, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the leases.

Section fourteen of the principal Act is hereby amended by repealing paragraph (d) of subsection one thereof.

Where by reason of exceptional circumstances or unfavourable conditions over which the lessee has no control it appears desirable to grant relief to the holder of a coal-mining lease granted under the principal Act the Minister may, on the recommendation of the Warden or Commissioner as the case may be, postpone the payment of the rent imposed by the lease, or remit any rent due or that may be in arrears, or reduce the rent for such period as he thinks fit:

Provided that in the case of a lease granted over any endowment lands or education reserves, for the granting of which the consent of any person other than the Minister or of any body of persons, is required, no such postponement, remission, or reduction shall be granted without the like consent.

In granting any such postponement, remission, or reduction as aforesaid the Minister may impose such conditions as he thinks fit, and in particular may in any case of the postponement of rent require that interest at a rate not exceeding five per centum per annum shall be payable on the amount of rent postponed.

Section twenty-two of the principal Act is hereby amended by repealing paragraph (b) of subsection two thereof, and substituting the following paragraph:—

If in the course of bona fide prospecting operations marketable coal is raised by the holder of a coal-prospecting license, whether granted before or after the commencement of this Act, the Warden or Commissioner, as the case may be, may, with the consent of and subject to conditions imposed by the Minister, authorize the sale or other disposal of such coal on payment by the licensee of a royalty of not less than twopence and not more than one shilling a ton of coal so sold or disposed of.

In connection with the ventilating of mines the following provisions shall apply:—

Section eighty-two of the principal Act is hereby amended by inserting in subsection two, after the words “the said section eighty,” the words “or, where there is no miners’ association, any other organization or society consisting wholly or principally of persons employed in or about a mine and approved by the Minister for the purpose.”

For the purpose of determining whether bathhouses shall be erected or reopened at any mine pursuant to section nine of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1914, a vote of workmen as required by subsection two of that section shall be taken within three months after the date of opening in the case of a new mine, and, in any other case, on a requisition signed by not less than ten workmen working underground in the mine:

Provided that if a vote is taken and not carried no further vote on the question of erecting or reopening bathhouses shall be taken for at least three months from the date of such prior vote.

The owner of a mine shall complete the erection of bath houses within twelve months from the date of the carrying of the vote in favour thereof, or, if a vote has been taken and carried prior to the commencement of this Act, within twelve months from such commencement, and shall reopen any bathhouses within one month of the carrying of a vote in favour of such reopening.

Section nine of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1919, is hereby amended by repealing subsection one thereof, and substituting the following subsections:—

Section seven of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1922, is hereby amended by omitting from subsection one thereof the words “more than eight but not more than twenty men are employed,” and substituting the words “more than ten but not more than twenty men are employed, of an underviewer’s certificate or higher certificate where more than eight but not more than ten men are employed.”