SANDY’S CORNER

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 October 1946, Page 4

SANDY’S CORNER

POOR OLD DEAD RECORD “Belmont Golf Record Shattered!” —newspaper headline. With tender thoughts we went out last night .at sunset to try and do something about it. There it was, the poor old record, lying dead at the 19th. With hands soft as silk we tried to revive it, but failed! CHAIRMANSHIP AND PROCEDURE To the “Sauce” of Knowledge, Wan- • ganui. Dear “Sandy,”—l was asked at a meeting of a local sports club, a ruling on the following (and I give my answers: (a) Does a chairman have a vote?—Yes. (b) If it is a secret ballot. Ices the chairman have a casting vote in the event of even voting?— Yes; otherwise how would the question be settled? (c) If a chairman refrains from voting and there is a tie, can he then use his casting vote?— “Reserved decision,” but I think yes. (d) Can a chairman propose a resolution without vacating the chair? I said “yes,” because I have seen it done, even at County Council meetings (but your reply will be “that it is not usual.”) I will look forward to an instructive column (as many r good chairman seems to hesitate before answering my queries). Thanking you.—Yours, etc., ■

D. F. SCARROW Raetihi, Oct. 1, 1946.

We are glad you have raised this question, because so many people who are supposed to be chairman have a very hazy idea of chairmanship and should make a study of procedure. Your answers, in lhe main, are sound. A chairman has all the rights of a member, can vote on any matter, can move a motion, second one, move an amendment, or rnn second one. He can do nil that from his position in the chair. With regard to question “C,” if a chairman uses his vote after a ballot has been counted i| might, be regarded as a casting vote, in that it decides the issue, but the position would have been the same (presumably) if the chairman had used his vote in the first place. No chairman worthy of the name should refrain from voting in a deliberative sense. In your question (“C”) you create a chairman refraining from casting a deliberative vole until he knows the others have voted. Tn regard to use of the casting vote, there is no ‘rule of law” on the matter, but the accepted thing is to use a casting vote to leave matters a< they are. In bodies where there is keen political feeling, however, a strong tendency d?\elops to vote “with the party." A chairman who does that uses the casting vote as a party man. not as a chairman, because a sound chairman is guided by a belief that if voting is oven then he should leave well alone, and make no change. II is well to bear in mind, however, that these answers relate io simple issues of “aye" and “no," or to a secret ballot on one issue. A chairman should refrain from using a casting vote for the election of say six members of a committee from 10 nominations. It often has happened that there is a tie for perhaps the last place, perhaps the last two places. The safe procedure there would bp for a chairman to ask the meeting to vote on the candidates who have ended with an equal number of votes each. Rather than give a casting vote (see question “B") the chairman should declare elected those clearly elected, and then call for another secret ballot on lhe two (or more) who tied. If there was another tie( in the case of two candidates) It would be safe then to use a casting vote. A returnin': office . by the way, has power to decide a tie by tossing a coin.—“S.”