summary jurisdiction, for the hearing and determination A.D. 1926.
thereof in a juvenile court as defined by the the Children
Act, 1908.

(3) For the purpose of any application under this 5 Act and subject to any rules under this section the

Court shall appoint some person or body to act as guardian ad litem of the infant upon the hearing of the application with the duty of safeguarding the interests

of the infant before the Court, and where the body so 10 appointed is a local authority the Court may authorise

the authority to incur any necessary expenditure, and may direct out of which fund or rate such expenditure is to be defrayed, but nothing in this section shall be

deemed to authorise the Court to appoint a local 15 authority to act as guardian ad litem of an infant except with the consent of that authority.

9. It shall not be lawful for any adopter or for any Restriction parent or parents except with the sanction of the Court on pay.

to receive any payment or other reward in consideration ments or to 20 of the adoption of any infant under this Act or for any

adoption. person to make or give or agree to make or give to any adopter or to any parent or parents any such payment or reward.

10. Where at the date of the commencement of this Provisions 25 Act any infant is in the custody of, and being brought as to

up, maintained, and educated by any person or two existing spouses jointly as his, her, or their own child under any adoptions. de facto adoption, and has for a period of not less than

two years before such commencement been in such 30 custody,and been so brought up, maintained and educated,

the Court may, upon the application of such person or spouses, and notwithstanding that the applicant is a male and the infant a female make an adoption order

authorising him, her, or them to adopt the infant without 35 requiring the consent of any parent or guardian of the

infant to be obtained, upon being satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case it is just and equitable and for the welfare of the infant that no such consent

should be required and that an adoption order should 40 be made.

11.-(1) The Registrar-General shall establish and Adopted maintain at the General Registry Office a register to be children called the Adopted Children Register, in which shall be register.

A.D. 1926. made such entries as may be directed to be made therein

by adoption orders, but no other entries.

(2) Every adoption order shall contain a direction to the Registrar-General to make in the Adopted Children Register an entry recording the adoption in the form 5 set out in the Schedule hereto.

(3) If upon any application for an adoption order there is proved to the satisfaction of the Court

(a) the date of the birth of the infant; and
(b) the identity of the infant with a child to which 10

any entry or entries in the Registers of Births

relates ; the adoption order shall contain a further direction to the Registrar-General to cause such birth, entry or entries in the Registers of Birth, to be marked with the word 15 “Adopted," and to include in the entry in the adoption register recording the adoption the date stated in the order of the adopted child's birth in the manner indicated in the Schedule hereto.

(4) The prescribed officer of the Court shall cause 20 every adoption order to be communicated in the prescribed manner to the Registrar-General, and upon receipt of such communication the Registrar-General shall cause compliance to be made with the directions contained in such order in regard both to marking any entry in the 25 Registers of Birth with the word “ Adopted,” and in regard to making the appropriate entry in the Adopted Children Register.

(5) A certified copy of any entry in the Adopted
Children Register if purporting to be sealed or stamped 30
with the seal of the General Register Office shall, without
any further or other proof of such entry-
(a) where the entry does not contain any record

of the date of the birth of the adopted child
be received as evidence of the adoption to which 35

the same relates; and
(b) where the entry contains a record of the date

of the birth of the adopted child shall be received
not only as evidence of the adoption to which
the same relates but also as evidence of the 40
date of the birth of the adopted child to which
the same relates in all respects as though the
same were a certified copy of an entry in the
Registers of Births.

(6) The Registrar-General shall cause an index of A.D. 1926. the Adopted Children Register to be made and kept in the General Register Office, and every person shall be

entitled to search such index and to have a certified
5 copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register in

all respects upon, and subject to the same terms, condi-
tions and regulations as to payment of fees and otherwise
as are applicable under the Births and Deaths Regis-

tration Acts, 1836 to 1901, in respect of searches in
10 other indexes kept in the General Register Office, and

in respect of the supply from such office of certified
copies of entries in the certified copies of the Registers
of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(7) The Registrar-General shall, in addition to the
15 Adopted Children Register and the index thereof, keep

such other registers and books, and make such entries
therein as may be necessary, to record and make traceable
the connexion between any entry in the register of

births which has been marked Adopted ” pursuant
20 to this Act and any corresponding entry in the Adopted

Children Register, but such last-mentioned registers and
books shall not be nor shall any index thereof be open
to public inspection or search, nor, except under an

order of a court of competent jurisdiction, shall the
25 Registrar-General furnish any person with any informa-

tion contained in or with any copy or extract from any
such registers or books.

(8) Regulations made by the Registrar-General under
the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1836 to 1901,
30 may make provision as to the duties to be performed by

Superintendent Registrars and Registrars of Births and
Deaths in the execution of this Act.

12.-(1) This Act may be cited as the Adoption of Short title, Children Act, 1926.

commence.

ment and 35

(2) This Act shall come into operation on the first day of August nineteen hundred and twenty-six.

(3) This Act shall not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland:

extent.