This Act may be cited as the Supply Regulations Act, 1947.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the expression “supply regulations” means regulations made under this Act; and includes the regulations referred to in section four of this Act.

The Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council, make such regulations (in this Act referred to as supply regulations) as appear to him to be necessary or expedient for maintaining, controlling, and regulating supplies and services essential to the well-being of the community, and for contributing to the equitable distribution of goods in short supply throughout the world.

Supply regulations may empower or provide for empowering such authorities, persons, or classes of persons as may be specified in the regulations to make orders, rules, or by-laws for any of the purposes for which supply regulations are authorized by this Act to be made, and may contain such incidental and supplementary provisions as appear to the Governor-General in Council to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the regulations.

Any supply regulations, and any order, rule, or by-law duly made in pursuance of supply regulations, shall have effect, notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any enactment other than this Act or in any instrument having, effect by virtue of any enactment other than this Act.

All regulations made under this Act shall be laid before Parliament within twenty-eight days after the making thereof if Parliament is then in session, and, if not, shall be laid before Parliament within twenty-eight days after the commencement of the next ensuing session.

The regulations specified in the Schedule to this Act (being emergency regulations within the meaning of the Emergency Regulations Act, 1939) shall continue in force as if they had been made under this Act.

Where any acts have been done before the commencement of any supply regulations and by virtue of those regulations the acts would have been valid and lawful if the regulations had been in force when they were done, the acts shall be deemed to have been validly and lawfully done under the authority of the regulations.

Except as otherwise expressly provided in supply regulations, no action, claim, or demand whatsoever shall lie or be made or allowed by or in favour of any person against the Crown, or any Minister of the Crown, or any officer or person acting in the execution or intended execution of this Act or of any supply regulations for or in respect of any damage, loss, or injury sustained or alleged to have been sustained by reason of anything done or purporting to be done under the authority of this Act or of any supply regulations.

The publication in the Gazette or in accordance with the Regulations Act, 1936, whether before or after the passing of this Act, of any supply regulations, or of any Order in Council, Proclamation, order, rule, by-law, notice, warrant, licence, or other act of authority under this Act or under any supply regulations shall for all purposes be deemed to be notice thereof to all persons concerned, and in any prosecution under this Act the liability of the accused shall be determined accordingly.

Every person who commits, or attempts to commit, or does any act with intent to commit, or counsels, procures, aids, abets, or incites any other person to commit, or conspires with any other person (whether in New Zealand or elsewhere) to commit, any offence against any supply regulations shall be liable to such punishment as is prescribed in that behalf by the regulations or, where no punishment is so provided, shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.

Nothing in this Act or in any supply regulations shall be so construed or shall so operate as to take away or restrict the liability of any person for any offence punishable independently of this Act, but no person shall be punished twice for the same offence.

This Act shall continue in force until the thirty-first day of December, nineteen hundred and forty-eight, and shall then expire.

The expiry of this Act shall not affect the operation thereof in respect of things previously done or omitted to be done.