CONSTITUTION OF COUNCILS-HONGKONG
Members.
not exceeding six in number at any one time, as at the date of the coming into operation of Our said recited Letters Patent are Unofficial Members Unofficial of the said Council, or as the Governor, in pursuance of Instructions from Us, through one of our Principal Secretaries of State, may from time to time appoint by an Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony, and all such persons shall be styled Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council.
371
appointments in
absent, &c.
XIV.--Whenever any Official Member other then an ex Officio Provisional Member of the Legislative Council of the Colony shall, by writing under place of Official his hand, resign his seat in the Conncil, or shall die, or be suspended from Members the exercise of his functions as a Member of the Council, or be declared by the Governor by an Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony to be incapable of exercising his functions as a Member of the Council, or be absent from the Colony, or shall be acting in an office the holder of which is an ex Officio Member of the Council, the Governor may, by an Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony, provisionally appoint some person to be temporarily an Official Member of the Council in the place of the Member so resigning, or dying, or being suspended, or declared incapable, or being absent, or sitting as an ex Officio Member.
Such person shall forthwith cease to be an Official Member of the Council if his appointment is disallowed by Us, or if the Member in whose place he was appointed shall return to the Colony, or shall be released from suspension, or shall be declared by the Governor by an Instrument under the Public Seal capable of again discharging his functions in the said Council, or shall cease to sit in the Council as an ex Officio Member.
appointments to
The Governor shall, without delay, report to Us, for Our confirmation Provisional or di allowance, through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, every be immediately provisional appointment of any person as an Official Member of the reported. Legislative Council. Every such person shall hold his place in the Council Revocation of during Our pleasure, and the Governor may by an Instrument under the such appoint. Public Seal revoke any such appointment.
ments.
appointments in
XV.-If any Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council shall die, or Provisional become incapable of discharging his functions as a Member of the Council, place of Unoffici or be suspended or removed from his seat in the Council, or be absent from al Members absent, &c. the Colony, or if he resign by writing under his hand, or if his seat become vacant, the Governor may, by an Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony, provisionally appoint in his place a fit person to be temporarily an Unofficial Member of the said Council.
Such person shall forthwith cease to be a Member if his appointment is disallowed by Us, or if the Member in whose place he was appointed shall return to the Colony, or, as the case may be, shall be released from suspension, or shall be declared by the Governor by an Instrument under the Public Seal capable of again discharging his functions in the said Council.
•
be immediately
The Governor shall, without delay, report to Us, for Our confirmation Provisional or disallowance, to be signified through one of Our Principal Secretaries of appointments to State, every provisional appointment of any person as an Unofficial Member reported. of the Legislative Council. Every such person shall hold his place in the Revocation of Council during Our pleasure, and the Governor may by an Instrument such appoint- under the Public Seal revoke any such appointment.
ments.
by Unofficial
XVI.-Every person who at the date of the coming into operation of Vacation of seats Our said recited Letters Patent is an Unofficial Member of the Legislative Members. Council may retain his seat until the end of six years from the date of his appointment, and every Unofficial Member appointed after the date of the coming into operation of Our said recited Letters Patent shall vacate his seat at the end of six years from the date of the Instrument by which or in pursuance of which he is appointed, unless it is otherwise provided by that Instrument.