No. 53/1931:

THE STATISTICS (SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD) ORDER, 1931.

THE STATISTICS (SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD) ORDER, 1931.

THE STATISTICS (SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD) ORDER, 1931, MADE BY THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE UNDER SUB-SECTION OF SECTION 16 of THE STATISTICS ACT, 1926 .

WHEREAS it is provided by sub-section (1) of section 16 of the Statistics Act, 1926 , that the Minister for Industry and Commerce may by Order do all or any of the following things, that is to say :—

(a) prescribe the subject-matter, nature, character and periodicity of the statistics to be collected under this Act, and the time at or the occasion on which the same are to be collected ;

(b) prescribe, subject to the provisions of this section, the person or classes of persons by whom returns are to be made or information is to be given for the purpose of any statistics collected under this Act ;

(c) make regulations for the collection, compilation, abstraction, or publication of statistics generally or any particular class or classes of statistics under this Act ;

(d) prescribe the schedules, forms, instructions and other documents to be used in the collection, compilation, abstraction or publication of statistics generally or of any particular class or classes of statistics under this Act ;

(e) prescribe any matter or thing which is referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed by regulations made under this Act.

NOW, I, PATRICK McGILLIGAN, the Minister for Industry and Commerce, in pursuance of the powers conferred on me by subsection (1) of section 16 of the Statistics Act, 1926 , and all other powers enabling me in that behalf do hereby order:

1. —Statistics shall be collected of the following subject matter, nature and character, that is to say, the number and dressed weight of cattle, calves, sheep, lambs and pigs slaughtered for the purpose of sale as fresh meat during each of the weeks ending 19th September, 17th October, 14th November, 12th December and 26th December in the year 1931, and each of the weeks ending 16th January, 20th February, 19th March, 16th April, 14th May, 18th June, 16th July and 13th August in the year 1932.

2. —The following are the persons or classes of persons by whom returns are to be made or information is to be given for the purpose of the said statistics, that is to say, all persons by or for whom any of the said animals is slaughtered for sale by such persons as fresh meat.

3. —The said statistics shall be collected by means of and in the manner provided by the form set out in the schedule hereto.

4. —The forms shall be transmitted by post to all persons by whom returns are to be made or information given, and shall be returned by post duly filled up and completed by such persons, at the following periods :

(a) Forms for the returns relating to the weeks ending 19th September, 17th October and 14th November, 1931, shall be transmitted not later than 5th September, 1931, and shall be returned not later than 21st November, 1931.

(b) Forms for the returns relating to the weeks ending 12th December, 26th December, 1931, 16th January and 20th February, 1932, shall be transmitted not later than 28th November, 1931, and shall be returned not later than 27th February, 1932.

(c) Forms for the returns relating to the weeks ending 19th March, 16th April and 14th May, 1932, shall be transmitted not later than 5th March, 1932, and shall be returned not later than 21st May, 1932.

(d) Forms for the returns relating to the weeks ending 18th June, 16th July and 13th August, 1932, shall be transmitted not later than 4th June, 1932, and shall be returned not later than 20th August, 1932.

5. —The Interpretation Act, 1923 , applies to the interpretation of this Order in like manner as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of the Oireachtas.

6. —This Order may be cited for all purposes as the Statistics (Slaughter of Animals for Food) Order, 1931.

Dated this 31st day of July, 1931.

PATRICK McGILLIGAN.

Department of Industry and Commerce.

SCHEDULE.

Form to be used for the collection of the Statistics referred to in the foregoing Order.

Department of Industry and Commerce.

(Statistics Branch),

Lower Castle Yard (South),

Dublin.

........................

To................................

..............................

..............................

A Chara,

I am directed by the Minister for Industry and Commerce to transmit to you the accompanying form which you are required to fill up and sign in conformity with the Statistics Act, 1926 , and the Statistics (Slaughter of Animals for Food) Order, 1931, made thereunder. I am also to draw your attention to the following extracts from sections of the Statistics Act :—

Section 7.—(1) Every person who is duly required under and in accordance with this Act to fill up or otherwise complete any schedule, form or other document shall to the best of his knowledge, ability or belief (as the case may require) duly and correctly fill up or otherwise complete such document according to the instructions contained therein or otherwise communicated to him under this Act and shall then return or otherwise dispose of such document in accordance with such instructions, and if he shall fail or refuse so to fill up or otherwise complete or so to return or otherwise dispose of such document he shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

(2) Every person who is lawfully required by an officer of statistics to give or furnish to such officer any written or verbal information or to answer any question asked of him by such officer shall to the best of his knowledge, ability or belief (as the case may require) give or furnish such information or answer such question, and if he fails or refuses so to do shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

(3) Every person who is found guilty by a court of summary jurisdiction of an offence under this section shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding three months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

Section I.—In this Act..................................the expression " officer of statistics" means and includes every officer in the civil service and every other person who is for the time being employed in or about the collection, abstraction, compilation or publication of statistics under this Act..........................

Section 14.—(I) Save for the purpose of a prosecution for an offence under this Act, no officer of statistics shall publish or disclose to any person, other than another officer of statistics concerned with the matter in the course of his duties as such officer the contents or any part of the contents of any individual schedule, form, or other document filled in or otherwise completed by any person in pursuance of a requisition made under this Act or the contents or any part of the contents of any record or document (not being a record or document open to public inspection) which was inspected or of which a copy was taken or obtained by an officer of statistics in exercise of any power in that behalf conferred on him by this Act or any verbal information or answer given relating to any individual person, business or concern.

(2) Every officer of statistics who shall publish or disclose the contents or any part of the contents of any such individual schedule, form, or other document as aforesaid or any such record or document as aforesaid or any verbal information or answer given relating to any individual person, business or concern in contravention of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

The accompanying form should be filled up, signed and returned to me together with this letter in the enclosed post free envelope not later than...............

The form should not be detached from this letter.

Mise le meas,

STANLEY LYON,

Director.

DECLARATION.

I hereby declare that the information contained in this form is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.

Signature of person furnishing

information ................................

Title and address of Establishment

covered by the Return ...................................

....................................

.......................................

Date of signing Return..................

*It is the number slaughtered during the week and not the number sold that should be stated.

†Pigs slaughtered for curing or for direct export as fresh pork should not be included.