Section 24

The Board may require any person by or on whose behalf goods have been, or are in the course of being, or are about to be, imported, exported, carried coastwise, shipped as ships’ stores or transhipped, or any person who is or has been concerned or interested in those goods or in their importation, exportation, carriage coastwise, shipment as ships’ stores or transhipment, to produce such documents and answer such questions and to furnish such information and in such form as the Board may, in its discretion, consider necessary for the effective exercise of its powers and performance of its duties under this Act and under any orders made under section 3.

Any such requisition may be made verbally, or in writing served on the person to whom it is addressed and any such service shall be good service if the requisition is left with the person, or is left with any adult at the usual or last known place of residence or business of the person, or is served on the person by post at his usual or last known place of residence or business.

Every person required to produce any document, answer any question or furnish any information shall produce the document, answer the question or furnish the information within such time as may be stated in the requisition or if no time is so stated within a reasonable time.

Any person who fails without lawful excuse to comply with any requisition under this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Any information given and any answer made to any question put in compliance with this section may be proved in evidence against the person giving or making the same or his principal in any prosecution, notwithstanding that it may tend to criminate the one or the other.[25