PART I PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL

1. —This Act may be cited as the Control of Prices Act, 1932 .

2. —In this Act—

the expression "the Minister" means the Minister for Industry and Commerce;

the expression "protected commodity" means a commodity which if imported into Saorstát Eireann would on importation be liable to a customs duty or a commodity the importation of which into Saorstát Eireann is prohibited or restricted by law;

the word "specification" when used in relation to any commodity means such detailed particulars of such commodity as may be required for the identification of such commodity for the purpose of ascertaining the value thereof;

the word "prescribed" means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act;

the word "inspector" means a person authorised in writing by the Minister to exercise the powers conferred by this Act on an inspector

3. —(1) Each of the following commodities shall be a scheduled commodity for the purposes of this Act, that is to say:—

( a ) the several commodities mentioned in the Schedule to this Act;

( b ) any other commodity which is by order of the Executive Council made under this section declared to be a scheduled commodity for the purposes of this Act.

(2) The Executive Council may by order under this section declare any commodity of common use to be a scheduled commodity for the purposes of this Act.

(3) Every order made under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and if a resolution is passed by either such House within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which such House has sat after such order is laid before it annulling such order, such order shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under such order.

4. —(1) References in this Act to the wholesale price charged or to be charged for a scheduled commodity shall be construed as references to the price at which such commodity is sold or is to be sold wholesale to a person engaged in the business of selling such commodity retail.

(2) In this Act the expression "sell or offer for sale wholesale" in relation to a scheduled commodity means sell or offer for sale wholesale to a person engaged in the business of selling such commodity retail, and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.

5. —Save as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, any offence under any section of this Act may be prosecuted by or at the suit of the Minister as prosecutor.

6. —The Minister may by order make regulations in relation to any matter or thing referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed.

7. —Every order and regulation made by the Minister under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if a resolution is passed by either House of the Oireachtas within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that House has sat annulling such order or regulation, such order or regulation (as the case may be) shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything done previously under such order or regulation.

8. —All expenses of carrying this Act into execution shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.