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Persons not on the lists, or having lost the right to vote before the elections take place, shall not participate in the elections.
Art. 21. The chairman of the municipal council shall be chairman of the electoral meeting. Prior to the opening of the meeting, some of the electors present may be If it is asked by the chairman to assist him in collecting and counting the votes. impossible for the chairman or vice-chairman to preside at the electoral meeting, another chairman shall be appointed by the manager of the railway from among the retiring delegates.
Art. 22. The meeting shall proceed to the elections only on condition of their being present not less than 100 electors.
Art. 23. The delegates shall be elected from among persons having the right to vote at the elections. Any such person, unless he refuses, is eligible for ballot if he receives not less than five nominations, or if he himself expresses a wish to submit his name for ballot,
Art. 24. Elections shall be conducted by closed ballot with ballot balls.
Art. 25. A person in order to be elected as a delegate must receive a greater number of affirmative than negative votes. If the persons who obtain the "ayes" of more than half of the electors present are more than the number of delegates required, then those shall be held to be elected who have received the largest number of affirma- tive votes. In the case of an equal ballot, lots shall be drawn. The persons elected in excess of the number required shall rank as candidate-delegates.
Art. 26. The number of votes, favourable and unfavourable, received by each person proposed for ballot shall be recorded in an electoral list, which shall be read after the elections to the electoral meeting, and be signed by the chairman and the electors present.
Art. 27. After the elections, the electoral meeting shall be closed and the original electoral lists transmitted to the municipal council not later than twenty-four hours after the elections. The municipal council shall prepare a list of the elected delegates and candidates, and send the same together with the electoral lists to the manager of the railway within forty-eight hours.
Art. 28. Complaints regarding irregularities committed at the elections may be addressed to the manager of the railway within three days after the elections.
Art. 29. If, after examination of the minutes relating to the election, and of complaints received, the manager of the railway shall have reason to believe that any substantial infractions of the present regulations regarding elections have occurred at the meeting, he may revoke the elections entirely and give directions to proceed to the election anew, or, if he shall find that any errors have been committed in the election of any of the delegates, he may decide upon their being replaced by the candidate-delegates with the next greatest number of votes.
Art. 30. If the number of elected delegates should be less than forty, a new meeting of electors shall be called to make up the required number in accordance with the procedure already indicated in the present regulations. If after the second election the number of elected delegates shall still be less than forty, the manager of the railway shall appoint the necessary number of delegates from among the residents whose names appear on the final electoral lists, taking into consideration, as far as possible, the number of votes received by each of them at the first or second meeting.
Art. 31. After the elections are over and the number of delegates, if necessary, completed in the way shown in article 30, a final list of the delegates shall be compiled by order of the manager of the railway, and be published for general information.
Assembly of Delegates.
Art. 32. An assembly of delegates, under the presidency of the chairman of the municipal council, shall be formed by sixty delegates elected for a term of three years.
Art. 33. If, during their term of office, any one of the delegates should lose his right of franchise or should resign his office, he shall be considered as retired, and during the rest of the term be replaced by the candidate who received the next greatest number of votes at the elections.
Art. 34. The delegates shall elect from among themselves a secretary and an assistant secretary for the current term of three years.
Art. 35. Meetings of the assembly of delegates shall be summoned, when
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circumstances require, by the chairman by notifications in which the nature of the questions to be considered must be clearly stated, The accounts of the municipal council for the past year shall be examined not later than in September, and the budget for the following year not later than in November.
Meetings of the assembly of delegates shall be called by the chairman either on his own initiative or by order of the manager of the Chinese Eastern Railway, or on receipt of a written request, stating reasons, signed by not less than twenty delegates. On receipt of such an order from the manager of the railway, or of a request signed by twenty delegates, the chairman shall call a meeting to be held within the next five days.
A quorum shall consist of not less than one-half of the whole number of the delegates.
Art. 36. The decisions of a meeting shall be recorded in the minutes, and shall be signed by the chairman, the secretary of the meeting, the municipal council, and by those of the delegates present who wish to do so.
Art. 37. All business shall be brought before the assembly of delegates by the chairman, with the opinion thereon of the municipal council, and sball be decided either by open or closed ballot, at the discretion of the meeting, by majority votes. In case of even ballot, the chairman shall have a casting vote. Questions bearing a personal character shall always be decided by closed ballot. Questions relating to the introduction of new taxes, augmentation of taxes already existing or abolition of such taxes, to the conclusion of long-termed loans, to alienation of property on long-termed lease, to the alteration of the present regulations, and to the dismissal before the expiration of their term of office of the chairman and members of the municipal council shall be decided by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the whole number of delegates.
Note. The assembly of delegates is authorised to form committees from among its members, or from persons whose names are entered on the final electoral lists, for the purpose of preliminary investigation of matters brought before the assembly, or revision of property or moneys in the care of the municipal administration, &c.
Art. 38. The following matters shall be under the control of the assembly of delegates :-
(a.) The confirmation of the estimates of municipal revenue and expenditure for the ensuing year.
(6.) Confirmation of the municipal accounts for the previous year.
(c.) Determination of the basis of assessing, and fixing the amounts of, the taxes mentioned in the present regulations (article 5) and the adoption of rules for the collection of same.
(d.) Establishment of charges for the use of municipal and public constructions and properties.
(e.) Extension of time for payment of, and remission of arrears of, town taxes. (f) Establishment of taxes in natura, and conversion of same into monetary taxes.
(g.) Introduction of new taxes not foreseen in article 5.
(h.) Issue of obligatory orders relating to the welfare and good order of the town. (i) Loans for public requirements and guarantees in the name of the town. (.) Grant of concessions for enterprises and constructions of general usefulness (waterworks, drainage, tramways, lighting, &c.).
(k.) Election of the chairman and members of the municipal council and their dismissal before the expiration of their term of office.
(1) Confirmation and alteration of the instructions issued to the municipal council.
(m.) Sale and lease of the town's immovable property.
(n.) Acceptance of contributions for the benefit of the town.
(0.) Alteration of the plans of the town.
(p.) Regulation of prices of articles of first necessity and fares to be charged by carriages and carts plying for hire, tramways, steam-ships, &c.
(4) Establishment of regulations regarding the relations between employers, employés, and workmen in factories and trade, industrial and commercial estab- lishments.
(r.) Alteration of the present regulations.
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