Part I.

For Regulating the Business Proceedings at Vestry Meetings.

1. Two clear days’ notice of every alternate Vestry Meeting (as hereinafter explained) shall be sent by the Vestry Clerk to each Vestryman, at his usual or last known place of abode; and such notice shall state the time and place of such meeting, and the business to be transacted, so far as the same is known, in its appointed order. Provided that whenever the period of adjournment renders two days’ notice impracticable, notice shall be sent as early as possible.

2. Meetings of the Vestry shall be held every Tuesday at three o’clock in the afternoon. But the Vestrymen shall be summoned only for every alternate Tuesday for general business. The business to be done at the other meetings to be confined to the issuing of orders for promoting the construction of works under the 76th Section of the Act, 18th and 19th Vic., cap. 120; unless at any previous meeting a resolution be adopted to make the meeting special for the discussion of a particular subject.

3. Every Vestryman, before taking part in any business at a Vestry Meeting, shall sign his name in the Vestrymen’s Attendance Book, to be placed at the entrance for that purpose.

4. If at the end of half an hour from the time stated in the Notice convening the Meeting there should not be nine Vestrymen present, the meeting shall stand adjourned until the following Tuesday, and the Clerk shall give notice accordingly.

5. The Chairman shall be elected at the precise hour stated in the notice, or as soon as Nine Vestrymen are present; and the first business at ordinary meetings of the Vestry shall be the reading, by the Clerk, of the minutes of the last Meeting, the Chairman shall move their confirmation, and if unopposed, such minutes shall be signed by the Chairman, by the Chairman of the Meeting at which the business recorded was done, and by one other Vestryman who was also present.

6. No motion or discussion shall be allowed upon the minutes, except as to their accuracy, and any objection on that ground must be made by motion, and no motion either for signing or non-signing the minutes shall be admissable.

7. The business shall be proceeded with, after the reading of the minutes, in the following order, viz.:—

(1.) Acts of the Committees to be submitted for the approval of the Vestry.

(2.) Surveyor’s Report.

(3.) The Medical Officer’s Report, at or near 12 o’clock, with the reading of the Complaints’ Book, and the Surveyor’s Return of Works executed relative thereto.

(4.) Applications from persons in attendance.

(5.) Adjourned Questions.

(6.) Motions of which notice has been given, in their order in the Notice Book.

(7.) Clerk’s Report.

8. The following shall be deemed motions of course, and may be moved without notice, viz.: Motions for appointing a Chairman; for the adjournment of any Vestry Meeting; for receiving, entering on Minutes, adopting and carrying out, or referring back, any Report; for reading or answering any correspondence or other documents; for hearing any applicant or evidence; for the precedence of any particular business; for appointing any Members of Committees; for the admission or removal of any person or persons (not being a Vestryman or Vestrymen) to or from the Vestry Hall; and all unopposed motions. Notice of all other motions must be given as hereinafter provided.

9. Every Notice of Motion shall be written in a book to be kept for the purpose, and called the “Notice of Motions Book,” by the Vestryman giving such notice, who shall sign his name, together with the date of his signature, which date shall be at least seven days before the time fixed for the next meeting; and no Notice of Motion shall be altered or withdrawn after such signature, without leave of the Board.

10. All Notices of Motion, duly entered in such Notice Book, shall be printed in the Notice of the next ordinary Vestry Meeting, in the order of their entry.

11. Any motion, of which notice has been given, shall be proposed by the Vestryman who has given the notice; but in case of absence he may depute to another Vestryman his right to move, or any other Vestryman may bring forward such motion, or move a negative thereto.

12. Every motion and amendment must be in writing, and must be seconded before it can be discussed or put to the vote.

13. One amendment only shall be allowed at the same time; but whenever an amendment is lost, a further amendment may be moved.

14. In speaking in Vestry, Vestrymen are to rise, and address the Chair.

15. Any Vestryman is entitled to take the Chairman’s decision on a point of order at any time.

16. If two or more Vestrymen rise to speak at the same time, the Chairman shall decide to whom the priority shall be given.

17. A Vestrymen is not to speak more than once on the same motion, amendment, or point of order, unless it be in explanation, or (by leave of the Chairman) in answer to observations of a personal character, or on a call from the Chairman; provided that the mover of a motion shall be entitled to reply, but shall not introduce new matter; and any Vestrymen having proposed or seconded a motion or amendment, shall be considered as having spoken thereon.

18. The Chairman shall enforce such of the Bye Laws as may be necessary for the preservation of order, and his decision upon all points of order shall be final.

19. All questions (except where voting by ballot is provided) shall be determined by show of hands, or division, if demanded.

20. When a division is demanded, the Chairman shall require the Vestrymen who are in favour of the affirmative of the question to go to the right of the Chair, and those in favour of the negative to the left; and shall appoint four Vestrymen as tellers—two from each side of the question.

21. Printed lists of the names of the Vestrymen, in alphabetical order, shall be provided for the tellers, two of whom (one from the “Noes” and one from the “Ayes”) shall tell from each side of the question, by marking off on such lists the names of the Vestrymen on such side, who are to pass between the tellers respectively for that purpose.

22. No Committee shall be appointed except by motion after due notice; and whenever the Vestry shall have resolved to appoint a Committee the names of the Members of such Committee shall be proposed by the mover of the Committee; provided that any other Vestrymen may thereupon move the addition, omission, or substitution of any Vestryman or Vestrymen as a member or members of such Committee.

23. The election of all paid officers shall be by ballot; and no candidate shall be eligible for election unless he shall have been proposed and seconded by Members of the Vestry; nor shall there be more than one ballot for the same office.

24. Such ballot shall be by means of folding Balloting Papers, containing the name or (if there be more than one appointment of the same description) names of the candidate or candidates voted for, which papers shall be handed, by the Vestrymen voting, to the Chairman, or to some person deputed by him, and deposited in a balloting box by the Chairman, or such person who shall count the balloting papers, and state to the Board the number of them.

25. Any member of the Vestry objecting to a motion of which notice has not been given, or to the immediate consideration of a report brought up by a Committee, may require the same to be placed on the paper for discussion at the next meeting, unless the Vestry Clerk or Surveyor shall state that the subject is urgent, in which case the Board shall determine, by a show of hands, whether the same shall be immediately considered.

26. The public are to have access to all books and minutes of the Vestry, between the hours of 2 and 4 daily; and as soon as adequate accommodation can be provided, the meetings of the Vestry shall be open to the ratepayers of the Parish; and it shall be lawful for all members of the Vestry to attend the Meetings of Committees, but not to take part in their proceedings.

27. Special Meetings for revoking and altering resolutions and acts of the Vestry, as required by the 57th Section, are to be convened on a requisition to the Clerk, signed by seven members of the Vestry; but no such Meeting shall be held unless seven day’s notice thereof shall be given, by notice given to, or sent by post to, or delivered at, the usual place of abode of each Vestryman, which notice shall state the time and place of meeting, and shall specify the object thereof; and no business shall be transacted at any Special Meeting, except such as is stated in the notice thereof.

28. In the event of any urgent business requiring in the opinion of the Clerk an earlier meeting of the Vestry than would take place under the above (27th) Bye-Law, it shall be his duty to call such meeting, giving three day’s notice; or if he shall receive a written requisition, signed by five members, stating the object for which they wish such meeting to be convened, it shall be equally his duty to call such meeting, at three day’s notice, out of the usual course, but no subject shall be discussed at such meeting, except the one stated in the requisition.

By Order, Charles Lahee, Vestry Clerk.

Vestry Hall, King’s Road.

C. & F. Bell, Machine Printers, King’s-road, Chelsea.