District Registries.
132Power to form district registries by general orders.
(1)The Lord Chancellor, with the concurrence of the Treasury, shall have power by general orders from time to time to do all or any of the following things:—
(a)To create district registries for the purposes of registration of titles to land within the defined districts respectively, and to alter any districts which may have been so created :
(b)To fix, by notice to be published in the Gazette, the time for the commencement of registration at a district registry so created of titles to land within a district so defined:
(c)To direct registration of land to be commenced in any one or more district or districts pursuant to any such notice :
(d)To appoint district registrars, assistant district registrars, clerks, messengers, and servants to perform the business of registration in any district which may from time to time be created a district for registration under this Act:
(e)To provide for the mode in which district registrars are to be remunerated :
(f)To modify the provisions of this Act with respect to the formation and constitution of district registries, except the provision relating to the qualifications of district registrars, and assistant district registrars.
(2)A person shall not be qualified to be appointed district registrar under this Act unless he is a barrister or solicitor or certificated conveyancer of not less than ten years' standing, and a person shall not be qualified to be appointed an assistant district registrar under this Act unless he is either a barrister or solicitor or certificated conveyancer of not less than five years' standing.
(3)A district registrar or assistant district registrar may, with the assent of the Lord Chancellor, follow another calling.
(4)A seal shall be prepared for each district registry and any instrument purporting to be sealed with such seal shall be admissible in evidence.
133Powers of district registrar, and appeals from him.
Subject to general rules each district registrar, and assistant district registrar shall, as regards the land within his jurisdiction, have the same powers and indemnity as are herein given to the registrars and assistant registrars in the land registry, and there shall be the same right to appeal as in the case of the registrar; an order of a district registrar may be enforced and any breach thereof punished in like manner as if the order had been made by the Chief Land Registrar :
Provided that the Lord Chancellor may, by general rules, make provision—
(a)for the duties of a district registrar as regards all or any of the proceedings preliminary to first registration, or as regards any matters which the district registrar has to determine, or any other matters being performed by the Chief Land Registrar or a registrar or assistant registrar in the land registry; and
(b)for any district registrar obtaining directions from or acting with the sanction of the Chief Land Registrar or a registrar or assistant registrar.
134Application of general orders, &c. to districts.
The general orders, rules, forms, directions, and fees for the time being applying to and payable in the land registry shall also apply to and be payable in all the district registries, subject to any alteration or addition for the time being made for any district by the Lord Chancellor with the advice and assistance of the Rule Committee, and, so far as they relate to fees, with the concurrence of the Treasury.