RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE AUCKLAND LAND ASSOCIATION.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 572, 8 October 1851, Page 4

RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE AUCKLAND LAND ASSOCIATION.

TH E object of this Society is to enable the Members, by a small weekly subscription, to secure the purchase of a piece of Land which he may desire to possess, but which, unassisted by the advantages to be obtained by co-operation, he might otherwise be unable to effect, — and thus to encourage the exercise of foresight and economy. The Society shall consist of all such persons as shall agree to pay, weekly, the sum of two shillings, in manner hereinafter provided, and shall agree to observe all the Rules and Regulations hereinafter contained, or any new or amended Rule or Regulation for the ordering of this Society which may hereafter be legally made and adopted by the Society. Each person so agreeing shall sign the book of Rules hereinafter ordered to be kept for that purpose, and shall thereupon receive from the Secretary to the Society a certificate of Membership in the form in the Appendix hereto contained, and marked A. The affairs of the Society shall be conducted "by one President, one Vice -President, a Treasurer, three Trustees, a Committee of seven Members, and a Secretary, and three Auditors. The President shall be elected hy the Members at a General Meeting, and shall continue to hold Office during One Year. The Vice-President shall be elected in like manner, and shall continue in Office for One "Year. The Treasurer shall be elected in like manner, and shall continue in Office for One Year. The Trustees shall be elected in like manner, and shall continue in Office for the whole term of the continuance of the Society (unless removed by a General Meeting). The Committee of Seven shall be elected in like manner, and shall continue in Office for One Year. The Secretary shall be elected in like manner, and shall hold his Office for One Year, unless removed by a General Meeting. The Auditors shall be elected in like manner, and shall hold Office for One Year. In the event of death, resignation, or inability to act, by reason of removal from the Colony, continued sickness, or other unforeseen cause, of either the President or VicePresident, or either of the Trustees, the ! Treasurer, the Secretary, or either of the Auditors, it shall be lawful for a General Meeting of Members to declare the office of such President, Vice-President, Trustee, Treasurer, Secretary, or Auditor, vacant ; and forthwith to elect a successor. Provided, that in the event of the Secretary being absent from his duties for more than one week, without appointing a Deputy who shall be a Member of the Committee, or, if not a Member of the Committee, without obtaining the sanction of three Members of the Committee for the appointment, the Committee shall forthwith appoint a Deputy, and call a General Meeting for the purpose of considering such neglect, and taking such steps as to the said Meeting shall seem most advisable. In the event of three vacancies occurring in the Committee, such vacancies shall be filled up by a General Meeting to be called for that purpose. The Treasurer, on his acceptance of Office, shall enter into surety with two sureties, in the foim in the Appendix marked B. He shall

superintend the keeping, by the Secretary, of lcgular Books of Account in such form as the Committee shall direct, in which books shall be opened a distinct account with each Member of the Society ; and therein shall lie entered all leceipts and disbursements, shewing whether on account of the particular fund or benefit for which the Society is formed, or whether on account of any other benefit or provision. There shall also he shewn in such accounts what sums, if any, and on what account, are due and in anear from each Member, All individual accounts shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection of the person to whom the account lefers. The Treasurer shall also superintend the preparing, by the Secretary, of a general account of the assets and liabilities of the Society, which account, and also the individual account, shall be open to inspection by the Committee, and also to the Members assembled in a General Meeting, but at no other time. The Treasurer shall, when he has a balance of cash in hand amounting to £20, pay the same into an account to be opened by him in the Union Bank of Australia for that purpose, and all cheques upon the said account shall he signed by himself and two of the Trustees, and countersigned by the Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Trusses to keep, or cause to be kept, a book wherein shall be entered a memorandum of every transaction to which they shall be parties, which book shall be open to inspection by the Committee and , by the members assembled in General Meeting. It shall be the duty of the Auditors to audit the accounts when presented to them, and, upon being satisfied of their correctness, to sign and pass the same. And further, it shall be their duty to report to the Committee any special circumstance relating to the accounts which shall come to their knowledge. The duties of the Secretary shall be to issue all notices calling Meetings, whether of the Committee or the Members ; he shall attend all such Meetings, and take minutes of the proceedings at such Meetings, entering the same, afterwards, in Books to he called respectively the " Committee Meeting Minute Book" and the "General Meeting Minute Book." He shall keep the Account Books regularly posted and conduct the correspondence of the Society, except such as may relate to legal proceedings. He shall twice a week attend at such hours and places as shall be appointed by the Committee, for the purpose of receiving the subscriptions and other payments of the Members ; and shall once a week account to the Treasurer for all monies received, and pay the balance to the Treasurer, who shall give him a receipt for each payment. He shall fairly transcribe the Rules into a Book to be kept for that purpose, and shall, from time to time, make any alteration therein and addition thereto, as shall be legally authorised, attesting in the margin the date of such alteration or addition, together with a memorandum of the authority under which such alterations or additions were respectively made. He shall make all copies which are or may hereafter be required by Law to be made of such Rules, and all alterations thereof and additions thereto ; and shall take the steps necessary for obtaining the allowance of such Rules and alterations and additions, and for filing the same respectively. He shall fill up and sign all certificates required to be given by himself under the Rule of this Society, and shall till up all bonds required by the said Meeting, and shall attend to the due execution of the said bonds by the parties thereto respectively. He shall prepare all statements of the funds and effects of the said Society, which are or may be by Law, or by the Rules of this Society, required, fairly transcribing the same into a book to be kept by him. for that purpose.

General Meetings. There shall be Two General Half- Yearly Meetings of the Members of the said Society, one whereof shall be held on the Ist Monday of March, and the other on the Ist Monday of September in each and every year •, and prior to each of such Meetings the Treasurer and Trustees of the said Society shall cause to be prepared a general statement of the funds and effects of the said Society, specifying in whose hands the same shall be then deposited, and also an account of all sums received and expended on account of the said Society since the last periodical statement, and shewing the specific fund upon account of which the same was received or expended ; and shall Jay the same, attested by the Auditors and countersigned by the Secretary, before the said Halfyearly Meeting. If at any time 50 Members shall forward to the Secretary a request, in writing, that he will call a Special General Meeting of the Members of the Society, such request stating the special business for which such Meeting is required, the Secretary shall forthwith call a Special General Meeting of the Members. Notice of the General Half- Yearly Meetings of the Society, and of the business to be transacted, shall be inserted in the local newspapers one week prior to the day appointed for such Meeting. Notice of any Special Meeting of the Members of the Society, and the business on account of which such Meeting is called, shall be inserted in the local newspapers one week prior to the day appointed for such Meeting.

General Rules as to Meetings. No business shall be transacted at any Special Meeting other than, that for which the Meeting was called. At all Meetings, whether of the Committee or of the Members, the following shall be the routine of business :—: — Minutes to be lead and confirmed. The Treasurer's balance to be declared. All letters and communications to be read. Motions to be taken in order.

Meetings of Committee. The Committee shall meet once in every month, on a day to be fixed by the Committee at their first meeting after their election to office, and at such other time as shall be considered necessary, such necessity to be signified by a written lequest of any four Members of the Committee to the Secretary, requesting him to call a Special Meeting. The President, Vice-Piesident, and Treasurer, shall be ex-officio Members of the Committee, and to be entitled to attend.all Meetiugs of the Committee.

The Secretary shall send to any person entitled to attend Meetings of the Committee a written notice of the time and plnce of Meeting, and. if a Special Meeting, the business to be transacted to be notified ; such notice to be left at the last known place of abode of such person two days before the day of Meetins- ; and no business shall be transacted at such Special Meeting that is not mentioned in such notice. At the time appointed in such notice, the President, if present, shall the chair; if not present, the Vice- President; if neither the Piesident nor the Vice-President shall be piesent, then the Members' present shall nominate one of their body to take the chair. Five Membeis of the Committee shall foim a quorum. At a Special Meeting cf the Committee, seven shall be necessary to form a quorum. Every person who shall have affixed his rume to the Subscription List at present opened, shall become a Member of the Society upon payment of an entrance fee of 25., such entrance fee to be passed to the general Fund. The Subscriptions- of Members shall be paid to the Secretary on such days, at such hours, and at such places as the Committee may appoint ; and such notification of appointment shall be published once in each of the local papers. That should the Subscription of any Member, who has not drawn his riejhtof priority to the benefits of the Society, be five weeks in airear, the said Member shall be liable to a fine of 6d. for each week after the fifth week he shall be so in arrear ; and should the Sub- j scription of any Member who has drawn his right of priority to the benefits of the Society be three weeks in arrear, the said Member shall be liable to a fine of 6d. for each week after the third week he shall be so in arrear ; the fines to be applicable to the general funds of the Society ; — but should any Member be in arrear with either his Subscriptions or Fines for eight weeks, he shall cease to be a Member of the Society, and shall forfeit all claim on the funds of the Society, ! and the amount which may have been paid by him shall sink into the general fund of the Society. Provided, that if the Member so in arrear shall make it appear to the satisfaction of the Committee that he was prevented by ! sickness, want of employment, or other inevitable accident, from paying the amount due from him, the Committee may re-admit him a member of the Society upon payment of all arrears in such manner as the Committee may direct. That each member may subscribe for as many shares in the Society as he pleases ; and each Member shall have one vote and no more at every Meeting of the Members, with the exception of the Chairman who shall have a deliberative vote, and, in the event of an equality of votes, a casting vote. Immediately after the allowance and filing of these Kules the Committee shall meet, and two of their number shall be appointed to assist the Secretary in forming a list of four Members in the order in which they shall be entitled to the benefit of the Society, which list shall be formed in the following manner : — The Secretary shall write the name of each Member of the Association on a separate piece of caid, which shall then be placed in a receptacle from which four shall be drawn, which four, in the order drawn, shall be inserted in a List to be made, and the names so inserted shall indicate the order of priority in which the Members shall be entitled to the benefits of this Society. If any Member, whose name shall be drawn, shall hold a greater number of shares than one, but not exceeding five, he shall be entitled to have precedence for each share up to that number. The Shares in this Society shall be transferable ? the transfer to be effected by the Member leaving with the Secretary a notice and lequest in the form in the Appendix marked. D, which the Secretary shall forthwith register in a book kept for that purpose. In the event of a Member dying intestate or without having appointed a successor, his Share or Shares shall devolve upon his nearest of kin. Piovided that he dies, leaving more than one person related to him in the same degree as his next of kin, the Share shall devolve upon the eldest, and, upon proof, within three months of the death of the Shareholder (provided, the said decease shall not occur within the last three months of the existence of the Society, in which case as long a time only shall be allowed as shall not interfere with the winding up the affairs of the Association) ; and the relationship of the claimant being given to the satisfaction of the Commit* see, the Committee shall order the Secretary to transfer the Share or Shares of such deceased Member to the claimant accordingly, who shall forthwith stand in the same position in relation to the other Members of the Society as the deceased Member stood prior to his decease. Every Member of the Society shall have power to appoint a person to succeed him after his death as a Member of the Society, and the person so appointed shall, on decease of the Shareholder, become entitled to the Shares of such deceased Member. No particular form of appointment shall be requisite, but if the appointment be contained in a will disposing of other property, production of the probate or of letters of administration, with the will annexed, to the Secretary, shall be considered sufficient proof of such appointment, and he shall forthwith transfer the Shares of such deceased Member accordingly. Should the power of appointment be exercised in an informal document, or in a document not requiring probate or letters of administration, the transfer shall be made upon proof being given to the satisfaction of the Committee of the authenticity thereof. | As often as the Treasurer shall have a ba- ! lance in hand sufficient to meet the sum to which the Member next in relation is entitled, equal to the proportion of £20 for each Share, he shall, through the Secretary, notify the same to the Member so next in rotation for participation in the benefits of the Society, who shall forthwith be entitled to select a piece of land of the value to which he is entitled, to be purchased out of the funds of the Society ; and upon the Trustees being satisfied as to the value of the land so selected, and the goudness of the title thereto, a purchase shall be made in the name of the Trustees, who shall give an undei taking to transfer the same to the Member so entitled, conditional upon his paying, either by his oidmary subscription or otherwise, the balance of the sum

which he shall receive from the Society, with such additional sum as may be his just propoition of the expences which shall he due from him to the Society, with interest at 8 per cent., accruing up lolj.hat time. Provided, that if the Member scv 'entitled to select as aforesaid shall not signify his intention to avail himself of his right of selection within 10 days, the right of selection shall pass on to the next in rotation, and so on, until the right shall have been exercised ; and the name of any Member, so failing to exercise his right, shall remain on the list in the same position with 1 elation to the other Members, as it did before such right devolved upon him. Should any Member wish to purchase a piece of land of greater value than he is entitled to from the Society, he shall he at liberty so to do, upon paying to the Trustees the balance between the sums to which he is entitled from the Society and the purchase -money thereof; and the Trustees shall forthwith complete the purchase, upon being satisfied as to the goodness of the title to the land in question and its value as security. That every Member for whom any land shall have been purchased shall be allowed to pay the balance due by him on account thereof, either in one sum or by instalments, at his option ; but the amount of interest, payable by him on the balance, shall be reduced only upon each entire payment of £1. That all costs, charges, and expenses relative to the tiansfer of any property to be purchased under the Rules of this Society, shall be paid by the peison for whose benefit the same is purchased. &c, &c, &c. Office of the Association, Mr. A. W. Hansard's, Shonland Street, Auckland.