316
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
mittee, and shall report their arrangement to the
Council.
Time for sitting of Committee to be fixed.
60. The Committee of Selection shall, subject
to the order fixing the interval between the second
reading of any Bill and the sitting of the com-
mittee thereon, fix the time for holding the first
sitting of every committee on a Bill.
What are opposed Bills.
61. The Committee of Selection shall not treat
any Bill as an opposed Bill unless (a) a petition shall
have been presented against it praying that the
petitioners may be heard by themselves, their
counsel, or agents; or unless (b) the Chairman of
Committees shall have reported to the Council
that the Bill in question ought to be treated as an
opposed Bill under rule 56.
Committee on opposed Bill.
62. The Committee of Selection shall refer
every opposed Bill or every group of opposed Bills
to a committee consisting of a chairman and four
members not locally or otherwise interested in
such Bill, or in any Bill of such group, as the case
may be.
Committee on unopposed Bills.
63. The Committee of Selection shall refer
every unopposed Bill to a committee consisting of
the Chairman of Committees and one of the
members ordered to prepare and bring in the Bill,
and one other member not locally or otherwise
interested in the Bill; or in case the Chairman of
Committees shall be locally or otherwise interested
in the Bill, then to a committee consisting of one
of the members ordered to prepare and bring in
the Bill, and two other members not locally or
otherwise interested in the Bill.
Notice to Members of Committee.
64. The Committee of Selection shall give to
each member due notice in writing of his appoint-
ment as a member of a committee on any Bill or
group of Bills, and in every case where a declara-
tion is required to be signed and returned by such
member, the Committee of Selection shall
transmit to him a blank form of the declaration
required, with a request that such member will
fill up, sign, declare, and return the same forth-
with.
Report of Members not answering.
65. The Committee of Selection shall report to
the Council the name of every member from
whom they shall not have received within a
reasonable time such declaration so filled up,
signed, and declared, or a sufficient excuse in lieu
thereof.
Discharge and substitution of Members.
66. The Committee of Selection shall have
power, from time to time, to discharge any mem-
ber of a committee and to substitute another in
his place.
Power to send for Persons and Papers.
67. The Committee of Selection shall have
power, in the execution of their duties, to send
for persons, papers, and records.
Proceedings of Committees on opposed Bills.
Declaration by Member.
68. Each member of a committee on an opposed
Bill or group of Bills shall, before he be entitled
to attend, sign and declare the following decla-
ration :-
"I, A.B., do hereby declare that my consti-
tuents have no local interest, and that I have no
personal interest in the Bill (describing
it) (or as the case may be in any Bill of the
groups) (describing it), and that I will
never vote in any question which may arise in
committee without having first duly heard and
attended to the evidence relating to such question."
And no such committee shall proceed to
business until the above declaration shall have
been signed and declared by each of its members.
Quorum.
69. No committee shall be allowed to proceed,
unless at least three of the members shall be
present, unless by special leave of the Council.
Members not to be absent.
70. No member of a committee shall absent
himself from the committee of which he is a
member, unless in case of sickness, or by leave of
the Council.
Substitute for Chairman.
71. If the chairman shall be absent from the
committee, the member next in rotation on the
list of members who shall be present shall act as
chairman.
If Quorum not present.
72. If at any time, during the sitting of any
committee, there shall be present less than three
of the members (except when special leave of the
Council shall have been obtained to reduce the
quorum), the chairman shall suspend the pro-
ceedings of such committee until three at least
shall be present; and if, at the expiration of half
an hour from the time fixed for the meeting of
the committee on any day, or from the time when
the chairman shall have suspended the proceed-
ings, there shall be present less than three mem-
bers (except in the above-mentioned case of
special leave), the committee shall be adjourned
to the next day on which such committee may,
under the general or special orders of the Council,
be at liberty to sit, and then shall meet at the
hour at which the committee would have sat if no
adjournment had taken place.
Report of absent Members.
73. If any member (without such excuse as
mentioned in the 70th rule) shall be absent from
the committee of which he is a member for the
space of one hour after the time appointed for its
sitting, or shall absent himself from his duties on
such committee, the chairman of the committee
of which he is a member, or, if the chairman be
the defaulter, then his substitute, under rule 71,
shall report him to the Council at its next sitting.
Report of Deficiency of Members.
74. If at any time, after the committee on a
Bill shall have been formed, a quorum of members
cannot attend, either in consequence of any mem-
bers dying, or becoming disqualified or incom-
petent, or otherwise, the chairman or his
substitute, under rule 71, shall report the facts
to the Committee of Selection, who shall substi-
tute another member in the place of each member
deficient, and shall otherwise deal with the matter
as the circumstances may require.
Decision by Votes.
75. All questions before Committees on Bills
shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the
members present, and whenever the votes are
equal the chairman shall have a casting vote in
addition to his original vote.
Times of Sitting and Notice.
76. The committee on each group of Bills shall,