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}
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, APRIL 20, 1917.
any laws in force in the Colony. The Governor is to administer such Oaths, or to cause them to be administered by some public officer of the Colony.
225
II. The Executive Council of the Colony shall consist of the Lieutenant- Constitution of
Executive Council, Governor of the Colony (if any), the Senior Military Officer for the time being in command of Our regular troops within the Colony, the persons for the time being lawfully discharging the functions of Colonial Secretary, of Attorney-General, and of Treasurer of the Colony, who are hereinafter referred to as ex officio Members, and of such other persons as at the date of the coming into operation of Our said recited Letters Patent are Members of the said Council, or as We may from time to time appoint by any Instructions or Warrant under Our Sign Manual and Signet, or as the Governor in pursuance of Instructions from Us through one of Our Prin- cipal Secretaries of State may from time to time appoint under the Public Seal of the Colony.
III. Whenever any Member, other than an ex officio Member, of the Provisional Executive Council of the Colony shall, by writing under his hand, resign bers of the appointment of his seat in the Council, or shall die, or be declared by the Governor by an Executive Council. Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony to be incapable of exercis- ing 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, or shall be suspended from the exercise of his functions as a Member of the Council, the Governor may, by an Instrument under the Public Seal of the Colony, provisionally appoint any public officer to be temporarily an Official or Unofficial Member of the Council, and any person not a public officer to be temporarily an Unofficial 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 a Member of the Council if his appointment is disallowed by Us, or if the Member in whose place he was appointed shall be released from suspension, or, the case may be, shall be declared by the Governor by an Instrument under the Public Seal cap- able of again discharging his functions in the Council, or shall return to the Colony, or shall cease to sit in the Council as an ex officio Member.
IV. The Governor shall, without delay, report to Us, for Our confirma- Such provisional tion or disallowance, through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, appointments to be immediately every provisional appointment of any person as a Member of the said reported. Executive Council. Every such person shall hold his place in the Council during Our pleasure, and the Governor may by an Instrument under the Public Seal revoke any such appointment.
V. The Official Members of the Executive Council shall take prece- dence of the Unofficial Members, and among themselves shall have seniority and precedence as We may specially assign, and, in default thereof, first, the ex officio Members in the order in which their offices are above men- tioned (except that the Senior Military Officer, if below the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in Our Army, shall take precedence after the person lawfully discharging the functions of Attorney-General), and then other Official Members and all Unofficial Members according to the priority of their respective appointments, or if appointed by or in pursuance of the same Instrument, according to the order in which they are named therein.
Precedence.
VI. The Governor shall forthwith communicate these Our Instructions Governor to com- to the Executive Council, and likewise all such others, from time to time, tions to Executive municate Instruc- as We may direct, or as he shall find convenient for Our service to impart Council. to them.
business unless
VII. The Executive Council shall not proceed to the despatch of Executive Council business unless duly summoned by authority of the Governor, nor unless not to proceed to two Members at the least (exclusive of himself or of the Member presiding), summoned by be present and assisting throughout the whole of the meetings at which authority. any such business shall be despatched.
Governor's
Quorum.