Public Stores Ordinance Cap113 Vol Iii

To make provision for the protection of public stores.

[12TH MAY, 1953.]

Short title.

This Ordinance may be cited as the Public Stores Ordinance.

Interpretation.

In this Ordinance “store” includes all goods and chattels, and any single store or article.

Stores to which the Ordinance applies.

This Ordinance shall apply to all stores under the care, superintendence, or control of a

Secretary of State or the Admiralty, or any public department or office, or of any person in the service of Her Majesty, and such stores are in this Ordinance referred to as Her Majesty’s stores. The Secretary of State, Admiralty, public department, office, or person having the care, superintendence, or control of such stores, is hereinafter in this Ordinance included in the expression “public department”.

Marks in Schedule appropriated for public stores.

If any person with intent to conceal Her Majesty’s property in any stores takes out, destroys, or obliterates, wholly or in part, any such mark as aforesaid, or any mark whatsoever denoting the property of Her Majesty in any stores, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for seven years.

A police officer may stop search and detain any vessel or vehicle in which there is reason to suspect that any of Her Majesty’s stores stolen or unlawfully obtained may be found or any person reasonably suspected of having or conveying in any manner any of Her

Majesty’s stores stolen or unlawfully obtained.

Unlawful possession of Her Majesty’s stores.

If any person is brought before a magistrate charged with conveying or with having in his possession or keeping any of Her Majesty’s stores reasonably suspected of being stolen or unlawfully obtained, and does not give an account to the satisfaction of the court how he came by the same, he shall be deemed guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for three months.

Superintendent or from some person authorised by the Marine Superintendent in that behalf

(proof of which permission shall lie on the party accused), to gather or search for stores, or to creep, sweep, or dredge in the sea or any tidal water, within one hundred yards from any vessel belonging to Her Majesty or in Her Majesty’s service, or from any mooring place or

 Power delegated to Minister for Finance. G.N.S. 121/64

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anchoring place appropriated to such vessels or without permission from the Commissioner of Police to gather or search for stores within one thousand yards from any aerodrome used by the Royal Air Force or any battery or fort or other place used for firing practice by any of the armed forces of Her Majesty or the North Borneo Police Force or any other police or volunteer force embodied under any written law and any person contravening the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for three months.

Penalty on dealer, etc., found in possession of stores, and not accounting for them.

If any stores are found in the possession or keeping of a person being in Her Majesty’s service, or in the service of a public department, or being a dealer in marine stores or in old metals, or a pawnbroker (within the meaning of any written law for the time in force relating to such dealers or to pawnbrokers), and he is taken or summoned before a magistrate, and the magistrate sees reasonable grounds for believing the stores found to be or to have been Her

Majesty’s property, then if such person does not satisfy the magistrate that he came lawfully by the stores so found, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of five hundred dollars.

Criminal possession explained.

For the purpose of this Ordinance stores shall be deemed to be in the possession or keeping of any person if he knowingly has them in the actual possession or keeping of any other person, or in any house, building, lodging, apartment, field, or place, open or enclosed, whether occupied by himself or not, and whether the same are so had for his own use or benefit or for the use or benefit of another.

Ordinance to apply to stores marked before its passing.

This Ordinance shall apply to stores bearing any such mark or part of a mark as is in this Ordinance mentioned whether applied before or after the passing of this Ordinance.

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SCHEDULE.

MARKS APPROPRIATED FOR USE IN OR ON

HER MAJESTY’S STORES.

STORES.

MARKS.

Hempen cordage and wire rope

White, black or coloured worsted threads laid up with yarns and the wire respectively.

Canvas, fearnought, hammocks, and seamen’s bags.

A blue line in a serpentine form.

Bunting.

A double tape in the warp.

Candles.

Blue or red cotton threads in each wick or wicks of red cotton.

Timber, metal or any stores not before enumerated, whether similar to the above or not.

The name of Her Majesty, her predecessors, her heirs or successors, or of any public department, or any branch thereof, or the broad arrow, or a crown, or Her Majesty’s arms whether such broad arrow, crown, or arms be alone or be in combination with any such name as aforesaid, or with any letters denoting any such name. A foul anchor, a number prefixed with the letters “A.P.” or the letters

“A.M.” in combination with a crown. The letters “C.N.B.” with or without any accompanying letters or design.