State Act
Section 364
Art. 364 – The applications for the relief of rent (quita), addressed to the Governor-General, shall be given entry in the respective administration office, indicating in it the name or names of the plots, their location and probable quantity of the loss of income, its causes, the impossibility to sow the plots and all the grounds in support of the request and the proof that the lease holder has fulfilled the technical conditions of the cultivation. § 1. The rebate (quita) of each plot shall be applied by the respective lessee. When the plots are continuous or that the distance from each other in not more than 500m, or, when the reason for the quita of the rent of vaingana]112, when the plots are irrigated with the waters of only one reservoir, the quita can be applied in one application by the affected lessee. § 2. When application is processed the administrator shall order to notify the interested party and the attorney of the comunidade to appear in the administration office, in order to appoint of one or three experts. § 3. The appointment of experts be made in terms of general law, being the third expert appointed by the administrator. If the parties agree that there shall be only one expert, such appointment will be done by the administrator. § 4. At the time of the appointment of the experts, the administrator shall fix the date of the inspection, direct to notify the experts, the parties and the attorney of the comunidade to appear at the place of the respective plots on the designated day and hour. § 5. In the inspection the loss of income shall be assessed, its causes and quantity, the impossibility of sowing and all that may concur for the clarification of the matter, drawing a detailed report. § 6. The interested parties may formulate queries and the administrator may direct any steps that may think essential to clarify the matter. § 7. If any lessee, the attorney of the comunidade or its managing committee, do not agree with the result of the inspection, it shall proceed for the direct measurement of the produce, it being the duty of the administrator to promote all the necessary diligences for correct execution of this measurement. When by the measurement it is found that the experts have acted in bad faith in the inspection, the administrator shall report this fact to the Judicial Court, within the period of forty eight hours, and, if it is in the case of public servants, shall report also to the Director or head of the respective department. § 8. On the conclusion of the investigation, the administrator shall order to hear the comunidade and the managing committee and forward the process with his remarks, to the Directorate of Civil Administration Services for the decision of the Governor-General. § 9. The Governor-General, in view of what has been recorded in the process, shall resolve if the applicants deserve or not the rebate (quita) and, in the former case, shall determine the reduction that should be made in the rent of each plot.