Oct. 22.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3007

(d.) The Returning Officer and every scrutineer shall be required faithfully and impartially to perform the duties of their offices, and shall not directly or indirectly make known the state of the poll or give or pretend to give any information by which the state of the poll may be known before the final declaration thereof by the Returning Officer, or make known for which candidate any voter has voted, or communicate to any person any information likely to defeat the secrecy of the ballot.

(15.) If any dispute or question arises touching the regularity of any election, such dispute or question shall be determined by a Stipendiary Magistrate in manner provided by sections 45 to 54 of the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1908, all the provisions of which shall, mutatis mutandis, apply.

5. The election of members by associations of employers and of employees shall be conducted in any reasonable manner determined by the Board.

6. The ordinary term of office for all members of the Board shall be two years, except that in the case of members appointed in one thousand nine hundred and twenty-six under subclauses (1), (2), (4), and (5) of clause 2 hereof the first term only shall be one year; but every member shall hold office until the appointment or election of his successor. Retiring members shall be eligible for reappointment or re-election.

7. (1.) A casual vacancy shall be created in the same way and for the same causes as are set out in section 20 of the Education Act in the case of members of an Education Board.

(2.) Every casual vacancy shall be filled in the same manner and by the same appointing or electing authority as in the case of the vacating member; provided that the member appointed or elected shall hold office only for the residue of the term of the vacating member.

(3.) The appointment or election of a member to fill a casual vacancy shall be made not later than fifty days after the vacancy occurs.

8. Whenever a vacancy occurs it shall be the duty of the Board forthwith to report the fact to the Minister if the vacancy is to be filled by the Governor-General, or to the Secretary to the Education Board if the vacancy is to be filled by that Board.

9. The Board shall hold an annual meeting in the month of May in each year, at such time and place as the Board shall direct.

10. From time to time, as may be necessary, the Board shall appoint a Secretary, and shall appoint him or some other person with authority to receive and to pay moneys on its account. The Board shall in each case forthwith inform the Minister of such appointment.

11. (1.) At the annual meeting and at such other times as may be necessary the Board shall elect a Chairman.

(2.) During the election of Chairman the Secretary to the Board shall preside. The person presiding shall have no vote; ties shall be decided by lot.

(3.) The Chairman’s ordinary term of office shall be one year, and he shall be eligible for re-election.

(4.) If the Chairman shall from any cause cease to be a member of the Board or resign the office of Chairman, the Board shall as soon thereafter as conveniently may be elect another member of the Board to be Chairman in his stead, who shall hold office only until the next annual meeting.

12. At all meetings of the Board the Chairman, or in his absence such member of the Board as the majority of the members assembled shall choose, shall preside, and such Chairman or presiding member shall have a deliberative vote, and in all cases of equality of votes shall also have a casting-vote.

At all meetings of the Board a majority of all the members then in office shall constitute a quorum.

13. Subject to the provisions of this scheme, the Board shall make, and may from time to time revoke, vary, or amend, regulations for the conduct of business at its meetings, for determining how meetings shall be convened, and for such other like matters as may be requisite for the conduct of the business of the Board.

14. Minutes of the proceedings of the Board shall be regularly entered in a proper book to be kept for that purpose, and at every meeting of the Board the minutes of the previous meeting shall be read over and signed by the Chairman of the meeting at which the