There are two amendments. The first is: Section 6, sub-section (2). To delete in line 2 the word "Trustees" and to insert in lieu thereof the words "National Executive." The section reads at present: "The first ordinary meeting of the Trustees shall be summoned by the chairman of the Trustees...." That was an obvious mistake, a drafting error. The trustees will not have come into being at that time. They are being appointed by the National Executive of the cattle trade, and the first ordinary meeting of the trustees must be summoned by the chairman of the National Executive, so that the amendment inserted in the Seanad was quite correct. I move: "That the Committee agree with the Seanad in the amendment."
SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS (COMPENSATION) BILL, 1928—FROM THE SEANAD.
The Dáil went into Committee.
Question put and agreed to.
Mr. HOGAN
I move: "That the Committee agree with the Seanad in the following amendment:—
‘Section 10. To add at the end of the section a new sub-section as follows:—
‘(3) If any person forges or counterfeits any stamp supplied by the Trustees under this section or uses, sells, or exposes or offers for sale any stamp which is to his knowledge a forgery or counterfeit of any stamp so supplied such person shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.'"
Section 10 deals with the method of the payment of the charges and sets out that the payment shall be by purchasing stamps from the trustees and putting them on a certain form which will be handed to the captain of the ship on the loading of the cattle. These stamps will be printed by the trustees, who will make arrangements for selling them. The stamps themselves will merely cost the price of the printing and the paper, but it was suggested that attempts might be made to forge these stamps and that provision should be included in the Bill for a penalty in the case of anybody who attempted to counterfeit or forge them. To meet that point this sub-section was added in the Seanad. I think that is necessary, because stamps will be put on, not only by the owners, but by drovers and all sorts of people, and it is only right that there should be a provision in the Bill to provide against the forging of stamps that would be quite easily forgable.
Is there no means of copywriting these stamps?
Mr. HOGAN
I could not say. I am afraid I do not know much about copywriting. I do not understand the Deputy. I have just been informed that it is open to the trustees to apply for copyright in these stamps, and if they apply of course they will get it, but what is the relevance?
Should it not be compulsory on the trustees to copyright them?
Mr. HOGAN
It is not in the Bill. In any event, whether they are copyrighted or not, no one should be allowed to forge them without a penalty.
But a person may do that without thinking that he is forging.
Mr. HOGAN
That is most unlikely. I suppose that they will print a good-looking bull on these stamps—a bull rampant. I do not know what they propose, but it is most unlikely that anybody will, by chance and for some unknown reason, bring out a similar stamp, and, moreover, put it on one of these loading documents.
I understand that the designing of stamps is quite a popular pastime, under the approval of the Government.
Mr. HOGAN
As far as I am concerned, I am afraid I am in deep water on this question. I do not profess to understand it. But it is quite clear, I think, that there should be something in the Bill providing a penalty in the case of anybody who forges and puts such a stamp on a document.
Question put and agreed to.
The Dáil went out of Committee.
Question—"That the Dáil agree with the Committee in its report"—put and agreed to.
Ordered: That a Message be sent accordingly to the Seanad.