CO882-10 — Page 478

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

LIL CO. 882 10

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- |COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

Initiation of Money Votes.

Who is to preside at Meetings of the Council.

Voting.

Questions of paramount im- portance.

verolution

Governor to report measures passed under powers conferred under Article 54.

Council may

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or

any such Bill" by which any provision of this Order is repealed, altered or amended, or which is in any way repugnant to inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Order.

(2) A Bill so reserved shall take effect so soon as His Majesty shall have given His assent thereto, either by Order in Council or through one of His Principal Secretaries of. State, and the Governor shall have signified such assent by Proclamation in the Government Gazette.

LI. The Council shall not pass, nor shall the Governor assent to, any law, vote, or resolution imposing any tax or disposing of or charging any part of the public revenue, unless such law, vote, or resolution shall have been proposed by, or by the direction of, or shall have the express approval of, the Governor.

LII (1) The Governor shall be President and may attend and preside in the Council, but at Meetings of the Council at which he does not attend the Vice-President shall preside, unless prevented by illness or other grave cause. In the absence of the Governor and of the Vice-President, any member of the Council appointed by the Governor in writing, or, in default of such appointment, the member present who stands first in order of precedence shall preside.

(2) The Vice-President shall be elected by the Council and shall hold office until the next dissolution of the Council after his election unless he shall previously resign such office or cease, from any cause whatever, to be a member of the Council.

LIII(1) Subject to the provisions contained in Article 54 of this Order, all questions proposed for decision in the Council shall be determined by a majority of the votes given on such questions, and the President, Vice-President or other presiding Member shall have an original vote on all such questions, and also a casting vote if the votes shall be equally divided.

(2) The votes of the Members of the Council shall be taken in the order of precedence.

LIV. (1) If the Governor is of opinion that the passing of any Bill or of any clause of it, or of any amendment to any such Bill, or of any resolution, or vote, is of paramount importance to the public interest, he may declare such Bill, clause, amendment, Lor vote to be of paramount importance.

(2) In any such case only the votes of the ex-officio Members and Nominated Official Members shall be recorded, and any such Bill, clause, resolution, or vote shall be deemed to have been passed by the Council if a majority of the votes of such ex-officio Members and Nominated Official Members are recorded in favour of any such Bill, clause, amendment, resolution, or vote.

LV. (1) The Governor shall forthwith report to one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State every case in which he shall make any such declaration of opinion as is mentioned in Article LIV, of this Order with the reasons for his opinion.

(2) If any Member objects to any such declaration of opinion, he may, within seven days of the making thereof, submit to the Governor a statement in writing of his reasons for so objecting, and a copy of such statement shall be appended to the report of the Governor required by this Article.

LVI. The Council shall not be disqualified for the transaction transact business of business by reason of any vacancy or vacancies among the ex- notwithstanding officio, Nominated or Elected Members.

vacancies. Quorum.

LVII. No business, except that of adjournment, shall be transacted unless there shall be present six Members, besides the President, Vice-President or Presiding Member.

do

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LVIII. Subject to the provisions of this Order the Council shall, Rules to be in the transaction of business and passing of laws, conform as nearly observed by as may be to the directions as to the transaction of business and Council. passing of laws by the now existing Legislative Council of Ceylon conveyed to the Governor of Ceylon in certain Instructions under His Majesty's Sign Manual and Signet, bearing date the eleventh day of September, 1920 until otherwise provided by His Majesty, and to such further instructions under His Majesty's Sign Manual and Signet as may be hereafter addressed to the Governor in the behalf.

LIX. (1) The course of business and procedure and the preser- Standing Orders. vation of order at meetings of the Council shall be regulated by the rules and orders set forth in Schedule III. to this Order.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Order, and such Instructions as aforesaid, the Council may from time to time make rules and orders/supplement to the rules and orders set forth in Schedule III. to this Order, and may rescind, vary, or amend any such rules and orders as above referred to.

LX. The sessions of the Council shall be held at such times and Sessions of places as the Governor shall from time to time, by Proclamation in Council. the Government Gazette, appoint. There shall be at least one session of the Council every year, and there shall not be an interval of twelve months between the last sitting in one session and the first sitting in the next session. The first session shall be held within two months of the holding of the first general election of Members of the Council hereinafter referred to.

LXI. The Governor may at any time, by Proclamation, prorogue Prorogation or or dissolve the Council.

dissolution of Council.

LXII. The Governor shall dissolve the Council at the expiration Duration of of five years from the date of the publication in the "Government Council. Gazette "

of the return of the first Member elected at the last preceding general election, if it shall not have been sooner dissolved.

LXIII. The first general election of Members of the Legislative Times of first and Council shall be held at such time not more than six months after subsequent

the publication of this Order in the Government Gazette, and a general elections. general election shall be held at such time within two months after every dissolution of the Council, as the Governor shall, by Proclama- tion, appoint:

Provided always that the Governor may, by Proclamation, postpone the holding of the first general election under this Order for a further period not exceeding four months, if, in his opinion, it is not practicable to hold the same within the period of six months herein before provided.

LXIV. (1) The Governor in Executive Council may from time to time make rules to supplement the rules contained in Schedules I. and II. to this Order, or may rescind, vary, or amend any of such rules as above referred to.

Power to supple ment rules in Schedules I. and II. and as to publication and

Rules.

(2) All rules made under this Article or under Article XXXVII, confirmation of or XXXVIII. of this Order shall be published in the Government (lazette, and shall, thereupon, subject to the provisions of the next following clause, be as legal, valid, effectual, and binding as if they had been enacted in this Order.

(3) All rules made under this Article or under Article XXXVII, or XXXVIII. of this Order shall be laid as soon as conveniently may be before the Legislative Council; and if a resolution is passed within forty days of their being so laid before the Legislative Council praying that any such rule shall be annulled, such rules

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