Original Rules
CHATHAM BOOK SOCIETY
Founded 1883
RULES
1. The Society shall be called the Chatham Book Society. The Members shall meet on every Thursday evening at 8.p.m. at such place as they may from time to time appoint.
2. Each Member shall pay a weekly subscription of one shilling and threepence and a fine of threepence for every week which he omits to attend the meetings of the Society.
3. Any Member may introduce a non-resident friend as a visitor.
4. That the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Auditor and Secretary shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting in each year, and the Secretary shall keep a regular account of all monies received and expended, to enter Minutes of the proceedings and to transact all other business of the Society.
5. In the case of a vacancy, the name of the proposed candidate, together with the names of his proposer and seconder shall be posted on the Notice Board at least fourteen days before the Ballot for his election takes place. Three black balls shall be a negative to his admission. In the event of the Secretary being notified by at least three Members of the Society that they object to the candidature of any proposed candidate he (the Secretary) shall inform the proposer of and seconder of the candidate so objected to, and they shall use their discretion as to the advisability of withdrawing his name from the list of candidates.
6. Any new Member shall not participate in the distribution of books, except he pays all arrears from the former distribution.
7. The Society shall consist of thirty Members, or such other number may from time to time be determined on.
8. No political or theological discussions shall be permitted at any meeting
9. Any Member may propose any book or books for admission at any Meeting of the Society, such book or books to be submitted to the Purchasing Committee, who have power to purchase or reject same. Should any book or books be rejected by them, the proposer can demand a ballot be taken of all Members.
10. No Member shall lend any book belonging to the Society to any person whomsoever under a penalty of one shilling.
11. If an Member shall deface or injure a book belonging to the Society, the Secretary shall report the same to a Meeting, and such Meeting shall order what recompense shall be made to the Society for the injury done to such book.
12. If any Member shall loose a book belonging to the Society he shall forfeit to the Fund the original cost of such book if it be a single book, and if it be one of a set he shall forfeit the cost of the whole set and take to himself the remaining volumes.
13. At the Annual Meeting on the first Thursday in October, the Rules of the Society shall be read, and any of them may be rescinded altered or amended and new Rules made.
14. Any Member being absent from four consecutive Meetings, and a satisfactory reason being not forthcoming within one month, he shall be considered no longer a Member of the Society.
15. Any Member who shall grossly misbehave himself at any Meeting of, or in any matter concerning the Society, may be removed from any Office he may hold therein, or may be wholly expelled therefrom, or may be censured by the vote of the Meeting, but Notice for the Motion for such removal, expulsion or censure shall be publicly given at two successive Meetings immediately preceding that at which such Motion is made, and every Member so expelled shall forfeit all money he shall have paid to the Fund of the Society and be deprived of all advantages he might otherwise claim as Member thereof.