The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1880. THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS BY

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 46, 18 September 1880, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1880.

THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS BY

LOCAL BODIES.

The above subject is one which certainly demands attention at the hands of many of our readers, and an extended experience of the way in which tune is frittered away by such bodies, to the disadvantage of all concerned, may render the hints which follow of some service.

It is highly necessary for any public body to know before commencing business what is to be done on the day of meeting. A business, or " agenda" paper, should therefore be prepared by the clerk, and completed and filled up by the chairman previous to each meeting. The order in which business should betaken, ought to be decided upon by the Board, and no departure from it should be allowed except by the unanimous consent of all the members, to be obtained without a debate being allowed. It will generally be found convenient to have some such order of rotation as the following : —

1. Beading and confirmation of minutes of previous meeting. 2. Business arising directly out of such previous meeting. 8. Beport of treasurer, stating funds in hand. Funds available for future expenditure. Assets and liabilities likely to fall due before next meeting. Also, Eeports of engineer, overseer, &c, showing amount of work done, cost incurred, and amount required

to complete works in hand.

4. Letters to be read. 5. Motions, of which due notice have

been given, to be discussed. There are also some half a dozen regulations which, if strictly adhered to, assist greatly in expediting public business. For instance, a regulation may be passed to the effect that "it is the duty of the members (a quorum being present) to proceed to the transaction of business punctually at the time appointed." If this regulation is passed and acted upon, no time is lost in waiting for a dilatory chairman or member. If every speaker is bound to rise and address the chair ; if no member is allowed to speak twic3 on the same subject, the mover only having a right to reply ; if no motions or amendments are accepted except in writing, with both the prox)oser's and seconder's name attached ; if no important motion is allowed to be discussed without due notice being given, and if no second amendment can be brought forward until the previous one has been disposed of — if only these few rules are enforced, the transaction of business will proceed much more freely and smoothly than is usually the case.

Important resolutions may in most cases be defined as all motions involviug an expenditure of more than, say j£so, or in the case of very small bodies, perhaps even a less amount. It is generally wise to vest considerable powers in the hands of the chairman, especially if he has been elected upon the understanding that, should a vote "of censure be passed upon him by a majority of the hoard, he will at once resign his office. It is well to give power to the chairman to decide abso2ute2j' any question o£ orcler reierreci bo him. If his decision fail to give satisfaction, an addition to the standing orders, after due notice, will generally prevent a recurrence of the evil. It should be alwaj's remembered that, as a rule, the most capable and business-like person is elected chairman of a local body, and it is but seldom that his colleagues can aftord to dispense with his counsel and active assistance. On taking the chair, therefore, he ought to be left as free as possible from any trammels of office ; his chairmanship should be regarded as placing him rather in the position of the " first among equals," than as removing him into the position of an arbitrator and umpire, such as that -occupied by a Speaker in a House of Parliament numbering some hundreds of members. Nevertheless, with a view to the furtherance of business, and with the object of avoiding even the appearance of ever being placed in the position of judge over his own cause, a chairman will generally find it greatly to his advantage to enlist the assistance of his friends and colleagues, and to request one of them to propose, and another to second, any resolution emanating from him. Finally, if a meeting is disorderly, and the chairman's call to order be not obeyed, it is not unusual to give him the power to dissolve the meeting. But unfortunately, it is not every chairman who can be trusted to exercise so extended a power ■wisely, and therefore it is perhaps better bo reskAeb ib \>y an appeal bo bhe xneebrng, which, when made by fche .chairman, must be put to the vote and dealt with at once without debate. We hope to recur to this subject again before long.