7Pit and district committees, and area and national boards
The Board of Trade shall by regulations provide for the constitution—
(a)of a pit committee for every coal mine where a resolution in favour thereof is passed by a majority (to be ascertained by ballot in accordance with the said regulations) of the workers employed in or about the mine, except that it shall not be necessary to constitute a pit committee for any mine which is a small mine within the meaning of the [1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 50.] Coal Mines Act, 1911;
(b)of a district committee for each of the districts mentioned in Part I. of the Second Schedule to this Act;
(c)of an area board for each of the areas mentioned in Part II. of that schedule;
(d)of a National Board;
having such functions as may, subject to the provisions of this Act, be prescribed by the regulations, and the procedure and meetings of the several committees and boards shall be such as may be prescribed by the regulations :
Provided that—
(i)where a district is co-extensive with an area, the district committee shall perform the functions of the area board as well as of the district committee;
(ii)districts and areas may be varied by order of the Board of Trade after consultation with the National Board and with the consent of the district committees or area boards affected;
(iii)where a mine situate in one district has, for industrial purposes, been customarily dealt with as if it were a mine situate in an adjoining district, that mine shall, for the purposes of this Part of the Act, if the owner and the workers employed in or about the mine so agree, be treated as being situate in such adjoining district.