Rules of the Navy Records SocietyI. The Name of the Society shall be ‘The Navy Records Society’. II. The objects of the Society shall be: First, the editing and publication of manuscripts illustrating the history, administration, organization or social life of the Navy. III. The management of the affairs of the Society shall be vested in a Council, consisting of a President, four Vice-Presidents, one or more Secretaries, a Treasurer, and up to twenty-four ordinary members; to be elected annually by the Society at large at a General Meeting to be held on 1st June, or as soon after as may be convenient. (As amended by the AGM of 7th June 1979) The Council may nominate a member for appointment as a permanent Honorary Vice-President, honoris causa. Such a nomination must be submitted to the next Annual General Meeting for ratification. (As amended by the AGM of 26th November 1974 and 8th November 1975) The Council may elect one or more Honorary Corresponding Members to represent the Society overseas. (As amended by the AGM of 4th July 1884) IV. The Council may appoint such committees, with such deputed powers, as it may deem advisable. V. The Council shall have control of the funds of the Society, and is authorized to sanction such disbursements as it may deem advisable for furthering the objects of the Society. (As amended by the AGM of 4th July 1984) The Council may delegate day to day control of the Society’s investments to the financial Committee, consisting of the Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary for the time being in office. The Financial Committee shall be authorized to invest in any of the investments for the time being permitted by law for the investment of Trust Funds, without the requirement imposed by the Trustee Investment Act (1961) to divide the fund into two parts. Subject to the foregoing, and with due regard to the objects of the Society, the Financial Committee shall be charged with full power to direct the Custodian Trustee to make such changes in, additions to, and realizations of the Society’s investments as it shall from time to time consider advisable. VI. The Council shall meet when necessary for the dispatch of business, five forming a quorum. VII. The Council shall draw up a Report on the state of affairs of the Society, to be presented at the Annual General Meeting, and to be printed and sent to every member. VIII. The Council shall prepare a list of names of members proposed for the Council during the ensuing year, and such list, together with an announcement of the Annual General Meeting, shall be forwarded at least one week before its date to every member. (As amended by the AGM of 7th June 1979) Vice-Presidents and ordinary Councillors shall normally be elected for not more than four years, and become eligible for re-election after the lapse of one year, saving that Vice-Presidents shall retire at the end of their terms onto the list of ordinary Councillors. IX. The Society’s accounts shall be examined each year by an independent examiner (not being a member of the Council, nor necessarily of the Society), who as an independent person is reasonably believed by the trustees to have the requisite ability and practical experience to carry out a competent examination of the accounts. (As amended by the AGM of 2nd July 1997) X. If in the interval between any twp General Meetings the office of President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer become vacant by death, resignation or otherwise, the Council shall have the power to appoint one of their own members to fill such office until the next General Meeting. XI. If the office of independent examiner shall become vacant in a similar way, the President shall, at his discretion, appoint someone not on the Council to fill the office. (As amended by the AGM of 26th June 1996) XII. Any person desirous of becoming a member of the Society, and applying to the Secretary, may be admitted, subject to the approval of Council. XIII. Each member of the Society shall pay a yearly subscription of £30, due on admission and on 1st January each succeeding year. XIV. Each member shall be entitled to receive a copy of any publication issued by the Society in any year in which his / her subscription is paid and up to date. XV. Any member who shall intimate to the Council his / her desire to withdraw from the Society, or who shall not pay his / her subscription for the current year within four months after it has become due, shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Society. XVI. The Society may participate in the direct debiting scheme as an originator for the purpose of collecting subscriptions or other monies due to the Society. To this end the Society may give any indemnity required by the banks upon whom direct debits are to be originated. Such an indemnity may be exercised on behalf of the Society by officers nominated in an appropriate resolution. (As amended by the AGM of 5th July 1990) XVII. All editing shall be subject to the approval of the Council. The editor of any work published by the Society shall receive twenty copies of such work free of charge. Members or others willing to undertake the editing of any work, or wishing to recommend any work for publication, are requested to communicate with the Secretary. XVIII. The Council shall determine what numbers of copies of each work shall be printed, and the copies in excess of those required by the members may be sold in such manner and at such prices as shall be fixed by the Council, the proceeds being carried to the account of the Society. XIX. No alteration shall be made to these rules except at a General Meeting, nor then unless one month’s notice of an alteration intended to be proposed shall have been given in writing to the Secretary, who shall send it to every member at least one week before the meeting. R.H.A. Brodhurst |