THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH JULY, 1888.
RULES OF DEBATE.
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14. Every Member except in Committee shall speak standing, and shall address himself to the President.
15. No Member shall interrupt another when speaking, except by rising to order.
A Member rising to order shall simply direct attention to the point which he desires to bring to notice and submit it to the decision of the President.
16. If two Members rise to speak at the same time the President shall call upon one of them to address the Board first. A Member may not read his speech but he may read extracts from written or printed papers in support of his arguments.
17. It shall be the duty of the President to enforce all these Rules, and when the President rises any Member speaking shall immediately resume his seat.
18. No speech shall be made on presenting a letter or communication, beyond such as may be necessary to explain its nature and object.
19. No Member may speak more than once on any question except when the Board is in Com- mittee. The Mover of any Motion may however reply at the close of a debate, and any Member may explain himself if he has been misapprehended in any essential statement.
20. The Mover of any Motion or Amendment may speak in support thereof, but no further debate shall be allowed (whether the Board be in Committee or not), until the Motion or Amendment be duly seconded.
21. If any Amendment be proposed and seconded, it shall be considered before the original question. If an Amendment of a proposed Amendment be moved and duly seconded it shall be con- sidered as if such previous Amendment were an original question.
22. Any Motion or Amendment moved and seconded may be required by the President to be committed to writing by the Mover and delivered to the Secretary.
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23. When Bye-Laws are before the Board for consideration each section shall be read by the Secretary and shall then be put from the Chair, without Motion, by this question:-"That this section shall stand part of the Bye-Laws," and the section shall be treated as a Motion, except that a section may be amended portion by portion, the earlier Amendments having precedence of the later. decision on an earlier portion of the section shall not bar an Amendment of a later portion, but a decision on a later portion of the section shall bar all amendments of an earlier portion, and if an Amendment of a later portion of a section inconsistent with any decision come to upon any earlier portion of the section be proposed, such Amendment cannot be put, and no Amendment of a later section in the Bye-Laws can be put which may be inconsistent with any earlier section as it has been passed, and if by inadvertency any such inconsistent Amendment be put and carried it shall, at any time, be struck out by the President when discovered and brought to the notice of the Chair.
24. On a division, the votes shall be taken by the Secretary in the order in which the Members sit, beginning from the right of the President, and the Secretary shall then read out the result mention- ing the total number of votes for and against respectively.
25. After a question has been put by the President and voted on,-no further discussion there- upon shall be allowed.
26. If any Member dissenting from the opinion of the majority wish to have his dissent recorded; he shall state so forthwith, and may forward the reasons of his dissent in writing to the Secretary who shall record them in the Minutes before confirmation.
27. The Standing Orders of the Board may be suspended by the consent of a majority of the Members present.
28. The matter under discussion and any business not disposed of at the time of any adjourn- ment shall stand as An Order of the Day for the next Meeting of the Board.
29. Any stranger present expressing approbation or disapprobation shall be immediately called upon to withdraw.
30. Papers in connection with matters requiring the consideration of the Board shall be circulated by the Secretary among Members as early as practicable before a Meeting. Papers in connection with matters of less importance may be dealt with by the Board at its Meetings without having been so circulated.
COMMITTEES.
31. Any matter may be referred by the Board for Special Report to a Select Committee of not less than three Members chosen by the Board.
PRIVATE RIGHTS.
32. In any case where individual rights or interests may be peculiarly affected by any act or decision of the Board the parties interested may, upon Motion made by a Member of the Board duly seconded and carried, be heard before the Board or before any Committee thereof either in person or by Counsel.
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