The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 21

District Bye-Laws

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District Bye-Laws.

District Officers.

1.	The District Officers shall meet at such time and place as may be mutually agreed upon. Three shall form a quorum.
2.	The chair shall be occupied by the officer present who may be highest according to rank in the Order; the order of precedence being as follows:—D.C.R., D.D.R., P.D.C.R.
3.	When a quorum is not present within a quarter of an hour after the time fixed for any meeting, or adjournment thereof, the officer or officers present shall not have power to transact any business beyond recording their attendance; and, if he or they think fit, adjourning the meeting, of which adjournment due notice shall be given to each officer not then present.
4.	No officer of the District shall be allowed to leave any meeting without the consent of such meeting.
5.	The presiding officer shall have a casting vote only.
6.	Any subject that may be once settled by vote at any meeting of District Officers cannot be again entertained at the same meeting.
7.	No documents from Districts or Tents shall be received without the seal of such District or Tent being impressed thereon.
8.	Communications forwarded to the District by private members, relating to the business of their Tents, must have the Tent Seal affixed. Provided the impression of the Tent Seal be refused, the document may be forwarded accompanied by a statement to that effect.
9.	In every case in which a question of law or practice is submitted for the consideration of the District Officers, the circumstances under which such question has arisen must be briefly stated, for the information and guidance of the District. If the question is one of law, the number of the law referred to must be stated.
10.	No District Officer shall appear as an advocate for or against any appeal from the decision of the District Officers or District Council.
11.	The D.S. shall record all the decisions of the District Officers on questions of law in a book to be kept specially for that purpose, and classify such decisions in the form found to be most convenient for reference.
12.	If, during the intervals of the District Officers' meetings, any questions are received in reference to which the D.S. is fully convinced, from previous decisions, what the opinion of the District Officers would be, he shall be at liberty to at once return an official answer to such questions.
13.	The D.T. shall submit the Bank Book of the Order at page 41 the first meeting of District officers in every month, such book to be made up to date.
14.	All accounts and other documents to be submitted to quarterly or annual meeting shall be previously submitted to the District Officers, for approval, or report thereon.
15.	Abstracts of the Quarterly Returns, and a report to be submitted to the District Council, shall be prepared once in each quarter, such report to contain a general summary of the progress of the District during the preceding three months.
16.	A half-yearly balance-sheet and statement of accounts, duly audited, shall be submitted by the District Officers at the June quarterly meeting of the District Council.

Quarterly Meetings.

1.	The Quarterly Meetings of the District Council shall be held in the months of July, October, January, and April, commencing each evening at half-past seven o'clock.
2.	The quorum shall be as provided for in General Law.
3.	The business of the Quarterly Meeting shall be conducted as follows:— 1. Password collected. 2. Meeting opened as in Tents, by Presiding Officer. 3. Representatives take obligation of office. 4. Roll called, and fines recorded for non-attendance unless satisfactory apology submitted. 5. Minutes of preceding meeting read and confirmed. 6. District Officers' report, balance-sheet, and Auditors' report, laid on table, and printed copies supplied each Tent Representative. All printed documents to be considered as read. 7. Accounts for payment considered and ordered upon. 8. Correspondence read and considered. 9. Business arising out of minutes of previous meeting dealt with; postponed business to take precedence. 10. General business. 11. Consideration of appeals. 12. Meeting closed as in Tents, by Presiding Officer.
4.	No Officer or Representative shall be allowed to leave the meeting without the consent of the Presiding Officer, and obtaining the retiring password.
5.	All Officers and Representatives shall wear the distinctive regalia to which they are entitled by their rank in the Order, or be fined 2s. 6d. for each day's sitting.

Order of Debate at Quarterly Meetings.

6.	No discussion shall take place except upon a motion or amendment moved and seconded, and in writing, with the names of proposer and seconder attached.
7.	Only one amendment can be entertained at one time. If the amendment be carried, it shall take the place of the original motion, and there will be no necessity to put the original motion to the meeting. It is competent, whether the page 42 amendment is carried or not, to receive other amendments, one at a time, to be disposed of in like manner and decided on, until the subject is finally disposed of.
8.	No member shall propose more than one amendment upon a motion, and no member shall speak more than once upon either motion or amendment, except the mover of the motion first proposed, who shall be entitled to reply. The seconder of a motion or amendment shall not be held to have spoken thereon if he has only seconded same without remark. In the case of proposed amendments being lost, the presiding officer shall put the original motion to the vote.
9.	Any Representative may, by consent of the Presiding Officer, offer an explanation of any particular expression used by him, but must confine himself strictly to the explanation.
10.	In all eases where a vote is to be taken, it shall be decided by the usual exclamation "Aye" or "No," and if a division be called for, it shall be taken by the "Ayes" going to the right of the Chair, and the "Noes" to the left. The Presiding Officer may appoint one teller from each side, who shall report to him the result, and he shall immediately declare the numbers for or against. No division shall be taken unless called for by six members.
11.	No Representative shall leave the meeting whilst a vote is being taken, and all Representatives must vote.
12.	Any subject that may be once settled by vote or division cannot be again entertained at the same Council Meeting.
13.	An amendment to proceed with next business (which shall take precedence of all matters before the meeting), upon which no discussion shall be allowed, shall, if carried, supersede the original motion, and every amendment thereon.
14.	The Presiding Officer shall have a casting vote only.
15.	On all questions, and during all discussions, the member speaking shall address the meeting through the Presiding Officer, and shall be standing.
16.	In all cases where a point of order is raised, the member raising same shall state his point of order clearly and distinctly; and if a member be speaking, such member shall take his scat until the point of order is decided; the Presiding Officer to decide the matter promptly, and not allow a discussion.
17.	Any member violating any of the above rules shall be fined for every such violation two shillings and sixpence. A repetition of the offence, or continuing disorderly, having been first called to order by the Chair, to be deemed a separate offence. Any member refusing to retract any offensive expression, having been first directed to do so by the Chair, shall be lined two shillings and sixpence, and be debarred from taking part in any discussion until such retraction be duly made.

Order of Conducting Appeal Cases.

18.	At the meeting of the Quarterly District Council, after notice of appeal has been read, the Presiding Officer shall call upon the person appearing on behalf of the appellant, and also page 43 on the person responding, to name any personal evidence they wish to produce in the case, and who may have given evidence at the Tent meeting, when such persons, if present, must retire.
19.	The appellant shall then be called upon to sustain his appeal, and after hearing the case, and previous to discussion upon any resolution, all persons interested as appellant and witnesses, and respondent and witnesses, shall retire.
20.	Representatives may, through the Presiding Officer, cross-examine all parties giving evidence.
21.	The Presiding Officer, after the parties interested have retired, shall call upon the meeting to decide upon the merits of the case.

Annual Meetings.

1.	The Annual Meetings of the Order shall be held at such place as may be fixed upon at the previous Annual Meeting, and on such day or days in the month of February as may be decided upon at the Quarterly Meeting next subsequent to the close of the December quarter.
2.	The chair shall be occupied by the District Chief Ruler, or, in the event of the absence of such officer, by the officer present who may be highest according to rank in the Order, the order of precedence being as follows:—D.C.R., D.D.R., P.D.C.R.
3.	The quorum shall be as provided for in General Law.
4.	The business of the Annual Meeting shall be conducted in the following order:— 1. Password collected. 2. Meeting opened. 3. Representatives take obligation. 4. Roll called and fines recorded. 5. Presiding Officer's address. 6. Reports, balance-sheets, and other printed documents laid upon table. 7. Correspondence. 8. District Officers' report, accounts, committees' reports, &c., considered and ordered upon in the order of their arrangement on Business Paper. 9. Salaries and allowances considered and ordered upon. 10. Levies for ensuing year fixed. 11. Election of Office-bearers for ensuing year. 12. Business from Tents considered.
5.	All reports, statements of accounts, and other printed documents, shall be furnished to or be prepared by the District Officers at least ten days before the time fixed for the Annual Meeting, and copies of the same furnished to each Tent Representative (through the Tent Secretary) or other member of the Annual Meeting, at least four days previous to the date of such meeting being held.
6.	No Officer or Representative shall be allowed to leave the meeting without the consent of the Presiding Officer, and obtaining the retiring password.page 44
7.	All Officers and Representatives shall wear the distinctive regalia to which they are entitled by their rank in the Order, or be lined 2s. 6d. for each day's sitting.
8.	No document shall be received from any District or Tent without the seal of such District or Tent being duly affixed thereto.
9.	No standing order shall be altered or repealed, unless notice thereof shall have been inserted in the Business Paper. Any one or more of the standing orders may, however, be suspended pro tempore, in case of emergency, provided that a majority of the members present shall deem such suspension necessary.

Order of Debate at Annual Meetings.

10.	It shall not be competent for any member to propose any alteration of the General Laws of the Order, unless notice of such intended alteration shall have been previously inserted in the Business Paper supplied to the Tents; nor shall any amendment of the Laws be effected otherwise than in the spirit of the alterations specified in the Business Paper.
11.	No discussion shall take place except on a motion or amendment moved and seconded, and in writing, with the names of proposer and seconder attached.
12.	Only one amendment can be entertained at one time. If the amendment be carried, it shall take the place of the original motion, and there will be no necessity to put the original motion to the meeting. It is competent, whether the amendment is carried or not, to receive other amendments, one at a time, to be disposed of in like manner and decided on, until the subject is finally disposed of.
13.	No member shall propose more than one amendment upon a motion, and no member shall speak more than once upon either motion or amendment, except the mover of the motion first proposed, who shall be entitled to reply. The seconder of a motion or amendment shall not be held to have spoken thereon if he has only seconded same without remark. In the case of proposed amendments being lost, the Presiding Officer shall put the original motion to the vote.
14.	Any Representative may, by consent of the Presiding Officer, offer an explanation of any particular expression used by him, but must confine himself strictly to the explanation.
15.	In all cases where a vote is to be taken, it shall be decided by the usual exclamation "Aye" or "No," and if a division be called for, it shall be taken by the "Ayes" going to the right of the Chair, and the "Noes" to the left. The Presiding Officer may appoint one teller from each side, who shall report to him the result, and he shall immediately declare the numbers for or against.
16.	Any ten members may call for a division upon any question, when the same is put to the vote; and every member then present, unless otherwise disqualified, shall vote.page 45
17.	No Representative shall leave the meeting whilst a vote is being taken, and all Representatives must vote.
18.	Any subject that may be once settled by vote or division cannot be again entertained at same Annual Meeting.
19.	An amendment to proceed with next business (which shall take precedence of all matters before the meeting), upon which no discussion shall be allowed, shall, if carried, supersede the original motion, and every amendment thereon.
20.	The Presiding Officer shall have a casting vote only.
21.	On all questions, and during all discussions, the member speaking shall address the meeting through the Presiding Officer, and shall be standing.
22.	In all cases where a point of order is raised, the member raising same shall state his point of order clearly and distinctly; and if a member be speaking, such member shall take his seat until the point of order is decided, the Presiding Officer to decide the matter promptly, and not allow a discussion.
23.	Any member violating any of the above rules shall be fined for every such violation two shillings and sixpence. A repetition of the offence, or continuing disorderly, having been first called to order by the Chair, to be deemed a separate offence. Any member refusing to retract any offensive expression, having been first directed to do so by the Chair, shall be fined two shillings and sixpence, and be debarred from taking part in any discussion until such retraction be duly made.

Order of Conducting Appeal Cases.

24.	No Tent or District Officer, or Member of District Council, shall be allowed to appear as an advocate in any appeal from the decision of such Tent, District Officers, or District Council.
25.	At the Annual Meeting, after a notice of appeal has been read, the Presiding Officer shall call upon the person appearing on behalf of the appellant, and also on the person responding, to name any personal evidence they wish to produce in the case, and who may have given evidence at the Tent or District Council meeting, when such persons, if present, must retire.
26.	The appellant shall then be called upon to sustain his appeal; and after hearing the case, and previous to discussion upon any resolution, all persons interested, as appellant and witnesses, and respondent and witnesses, shall retire.
27.	Representatives may, through the Presiding Officer, cross-examine all parties interested.
28.	The Presiding Officer, after the parties interested have retired, shall call upon the meeting to decide upon the merits of the case.

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