ABC of Chairing

A digital version of Citrine's ABC of Chairmanship, 1939.
Appendix A

Branch Procedure at a Glance

A. Commencement

  1. Quorum must be present
  2. Chair declares meeting open
  3. Secretary reads notice convening meeting
  4. Chair reads the Agenda

B. Minutes

  1. Secretary reads the minutes
  2. Motion taken confirming same
  3. No discussion except on their accuracy
  4. Amended if inaccurate or incomplete
  5. Chair signs minutes and initials corrections

C. Correspondence

  1. Secretary reads correspondence as a whole
  2. Questions allowed on matters arising
  3. Motions and amendments moved
  4. Correspondence finally passed as read

or

  1. Letters are grouped in subject order and each subject treated as a separate item

D. Motions

  1. Must be moved in the affirmative and moved and seconded
  2. Chair reads motion and inquires whether wording is accurate
  3. No alteration or withdrawal except by unanimous consent
  4. Discussion then follows
  5. Members allowed one speech only
  6. Chair decides who has got the floor
  7. Mover replies at the end of the debate
  8. Chair reads the motion and puts the question

E. Amendments

  1. See 15 to 20. Amendment raises a new issue.
  2. When there are several amendments, taken in sequence and separately
  3. Mover of original motion replies at end of discussion
  4. Amendment read and put to the vote
  5. Process repeated on further amendments
  6. Survivor put to vote finally as an amended (or substantive) motion

F. Closing Debate

  1. Chair may ask: ‘Are you ready to vote?’
  2. Motion: ‘That the question be now put’, may be moved at any time
  3. When moved on an amendment, applies to it only
  4. Put without discussion
  5. If defeated, period must elapse before being again moved

G. Working Party or Special Committee Reports

  1. First motion should approve the general policy
  2. May be amended by (a) reference back, (b) postponing consideration, or (c) referring it to another committee
  3. If policy is approved, each paragraph is moved and put separately
  4. Amendments then on details only
  5. Final motion: ‘That the report (as amended) be approved’, put without discussion

H. Executive and District Reports

  1. First read in full to the branch, and accepted ‘as read’
  2. Questions and amendments on policy allowed
  3. Reports must be acted upon despite motions, until altered by the controlling body (see 37)

I. Branch Committee Reports

  1. See 35, 38 to 40

J. Delegations

  1. See 39, 40, 38

K. Previous Question

  1. Not allowed on amendment or in committee
  2. Treated like an amendment, and limited discussion permissible but undesirable
  3. If carried, motion is shelved indefinitely
  4. If lost, motion is immediately put to the vote

L. Next Business

  1. May be moved at any time
  2. See 45
  3. If lost, discussion proceeds (see 33)

M. Points of Order

  1. Member raising point must prove (a) irrelevancy, or (b) unparliamentary language, or (c) transgression of rules, or (d) infringement of standing orders, or (e) possibility of acting unlawfully, or ask question on procedure.
  2. Must be raised immediately and put briefly
  3. Time taken must not encroach on speaker’s allowance
  4. Points of explanation in special cases only

N. Adjournment of Meeting or Debate

  1. Where moved to shelve a question, no discussion or amendment is allowed. Otherwise open to amendment
  2. See 46
  3. When adjournment of debate is carried, debate resumed on date specified
  4. If no date mentioned, main debate is shelved
  5. Adjournment of meeting supercedes main question
  6. Adjournment of meeting may also be moved as a motion when no other question is under discussion
  7. When carried, Chair declares meeting closed
  8. See 33