(1)Where the total receipts of a business under armament contracts in any accounting period falling wholly or partly within the three years beginning with the first day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine amount—
(a)in a case where the period is twelve months, to two hundred thousand pounds; or
(b)in a case where the period is less than twelve months, to such sum as bears to two hundred thousand pounds the like proportion as the length of the period bears to twelve months,
it shall be the duty of the person carrying on the business, as soon as may be after the said receipts amount to the said sum, and in any case not later than twenty-one days after the end of the accounting period, to notify the Minister to that effect.
(2)It shall be the duty of any person who, for the purpose of enabling himself to perform an armament contract, had, whether before or after the passing of this Act, entered into another contract with any persons carrying on a business in the United Kingdom (being a contract for the supply of anything by them to him, or the execution of any works by them for him, under which payments fall to be made to them during the three years beginning with the first day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine), to send to those persons, as soon as may be after the passing of this Act, or, as the case may be, after entering into the contract, a notice in writing stating that the contract has been entered into for that purpose.
(3)It shall be the duty of the person carrying on a business—
(a)if required by the Minister by notice in writing so to do, to furnish within such time, not exceeding twenty-eight days, as may be specified in the notice, such particulars as may be so specified, being particulars reasonably required for the purpose of enabling the Minister to perform his functions under this Act;
(b)in such classes of cases as the Minister may by order specify, to furnish to the Minister, without being served with any such notice as aforesaid such particulars as may be specified in the order of any contracts entered into by him for the purpose of enabling him to fulfil any armament contracts.
(4)Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred pounds and, if the default in respect of which he was so convicted continues after the conviction, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds for each day on which the default so continues:
Provided that it shall be a defence for any person charged with failing to make a report under subsection (1) of this section to prove that, by reason of the failure of any other persons to send him a notice under subsection (2) of this section, he had no means of knowing that his receipts under armament contracts had amounted to the sum mentioned in subsection (1) of this section.
(5)Any person who, in giving a notice or furnishing particulars under this section, knowingly makes any false statement, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.