Chairperson

“ A quorum for a meeting of the Commission shall not be less than one half of all its members.
(3) A decision of a majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a decision of the Commission and in the event of an equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a casting vote in addition to his or her deliberative vote.
(4) All the decisions of the Commission shall be recorded.
Committees
169. ”

“ Chairman must be on alert every moment in Committee. Rule under his jurisdiction is conversation as opposed to speech-making when Speaker in Chair. Any moment out of depths of dulness may suddenly rise a whirlwind, which he is expected forthwith to ride. Especially in connection with Bill like this now before Committee, Chairman is in state of tension from time he takes Chair till he leaves. Don't forget all this when you criticise Mellor, still new to place. He's a good fellow, and a shrewd one; but has, among other difficulties, to fight against proneness to good-nature. ”

“ Grace having been chanted and justice done to the sumptuous tea, the public meeting began. Mr. John Symons occupied the chair, and he was surrounded on the platform by a large number of ministers, gentlemen, merchants, mechanics, and working men.
CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS.
The Chairman said:—It was a common custom of persons not novices situated similarly to himself, to preface their remarks by saying that some person of higher local distinction ought to occupy the honourable position as chairman, and that was his request to the committee. ”

“ If there are any troublesome members in the meeting it may be best to enforce most of the rules applicable to ordinary deliberative assemblies. The chairman should be the best judge of the extent to which these rules may be relaxed with advantage. In such small bodies motions need not be seconded. The chairman may take part in the debate without leaving the chair and may even make motions himself. There is no limit to the number of times a member may speak, but he cannot speak a second time if a member who has not spoken on the question wishes to speak and claims the floor. ”

“ Unless the assembly has appointed a chairman, either directly or through its presiding officer, the first named on a committee, and in his absence the next named member, becomes chairman, and so on and should act as such unless the committee by a majority of its number elects a chairman, which it has the right to do if the assembly has not appointed one, and which a standing committee usually does. ”

“ These selections are usually made in the same manner as the chairman, except that after the chairman has been elected he has the power of recognition in deciding who has the floor; therefore, when a member desires to make a nomination, motion, or to offer any business he must first obtain the floor. (See section 23.)
In most cases this temporary organization is all that is necessary, and after it is effected the business for which the meeting has been called should be introduced by a resolution, or motion made by some member of the assembly. ”

“ The council shall also select out of its own body, a 'Finance Committee,' consisting of eight members, three to be a quorum, whose duty shall be to receive all moneys on account of the association, and to pay the same to the treasurer, to examine all accounts and to direct payment by the treasurer."
"8. The president, vice-president, and treasurer of the association shall be, ex-officio, members of every committee."
"9. Every committee, at its first meeting, shall appoint out of its own body a chairman and deputy-chairman." ”

“ When any member is about to speak in debate, he shall rise and respectfully address himself to “Mr. Chairman.” [“Mr. President” is used where that is the designated title of the presiding officer; “Brother Moderator” is more common in religious meetings.] The Chairman shall then announce his name [see § 2] . By parliamentary courtesy, the member upon whose motion a subject is brought before the assembly is first entitled to the floor, even though another member has risen first and addressed the Chair; [in case of a report of a committee, it is the member who presents the report] ”

“ Speaker," said that gentleman, informally, "as Chairman of the Committee on Incorporations, I rise to protest against such an unheard-of motion in this House. The very essence of orderly procedure, of effective business, depends on the confidence of the House in its committees, and in all of my years as a member I have never known of such a thing. Gentlemen of the House, your committee are giving to this bill and other measures their undivided attention, and will report them at the earliest practicable moment. ”

“ Suppose that in our House of Representatives the committee of ways and means had two chairmen,—an upper chairman who looks after all sorts of business, and a lower chairman who attends especially to the finances. This upper chairman, we will say, corresponds to the first lord of the treasury, while the lower one corresponds to the chancellor of the exchequer. Sometimes, when the upper chairman is a great financier, and capable of enormous labour, he will fill both places at once, as Mr. Gladstone was lately first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer. ”

“ The financial secretary shall keep and make out the list of members, sign the cards of membership, collect the dues, hand them over to the treasurer and correctly enter them. The treasurer shall receive all moneys from the financial secretary and hold them subject to the order of the section. The auditing committee shall superintend all books and the general management of the affairs, and audit bills. All officers shall make monthly reports to the section. A chairman is elected in every meeting for maintaining the usual parliamentary order. ”

“ This is dangerous, however, in large meetings, where an incompetent person may be nominated and elected chairman. In large assemblies, the member who nominates, with one other member, frequently conducts the presiding officer to the chair, and the chairman makes a short speech, thanking the assembly for the honor conferred on him. ”

“ The unit system is applicable to every phase of modern organization. When its principles are better understood, you will see develop in the great financial centers some such important title as vice-chairman, in order that rank and authority may be conferred superior to that of the presidents of the constituent properties. Both the chairman and the president need a senior vice-chairman and a senior vice-president, respectively, to act as chief of staff. ”

“ At the conference I began by suggesting Professor Peirce himself for chairman. Naturally this met with no opposition; then I waited for the others to go on. But they seemed determined to throw the whole onus of the matter on me. This was the more embarrassing, because I believe that, in parliamentary law and custom, the mover of a resolution of this sort has a prescribed right to be chairman of the committee which he proposes shall be appointed. If not chairman, it would seem that he ought at any rate to be a member. ”

“ The Chairman of Committees in the Lords, and the Chairman of Ways and Means, or his deputy, in the Commons, takes the Chair when the House is in Committee, but it is permissible for either House to nominate any one of their number as a temporary Chairman. ”

“ FREMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise on a point of order.
GODLEIGH. There ain't no chairman.
FREMAN. I don't give a darn for that. I rise on a point of order.
GODLEIGH. 'Tes a chairman that decides points of order. 'Tes certain yu can't rise on no points whatever till there's a chairman.
TRUSTAFORD. 'Tes no yuse yure risin', not the least bit in the world, till there's some one to set yu down again. Haw, haw!
[Voice from the dumb-as-Etches: "Mr. Trustaford 'e's right."]
FREMAN. What I zay is the chairman ought never to 'ave vacated the chair till I'd risen on my point of order. ”

“ We have referred to the practice of the two houses of Congress, and we now shall notice some significant congressional enactments. May 3, 1798 (1 Stat. 554, c. 36) , Congress provided that oaths or affirmations might be administered to witnesses by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the chairman of a committee of the whole, or the chairman of a select committee, 'in any case under their examination.' February 8, 1817 (3 Stat. 345, c. 10) , it enlarged that provision so as to include the chairman of a standing committee. ”

“ But the astute boss has planned all that far in advance, the candidates are selected and the platform written and both are ‘forced’ upon the unsuspecting delegate, much as the card shark forced his cards upon his victim. It is all seemingly in the open and above the boards, but as a matter of fact quite the reverse is true.
“At conventions it is usual to select some man who has always been honored and respected, and elect him chairman of the platform committee. He is pleased with the honor and is ready to do the bidding of the man to whom he owes it. ”

“ The presiding officer of a large assembly should never be chosen for any reason except his ability to preside.
The chairman should not only be familiar with parliamentary usage, and set the example of strict conformity thereto, but he should be a man of executive ability, capable of controlling men. He should set an example of courtesy, and should never forget that to control others it is necessary to control one's self. A nervous, excited chairman can scarcely fail to cause trouble in a meeting. No rules will take the place of tact and common sense on the part of the chairman. ”

“ The chairman, who is generally the chief promoter of the contested scheme, has it in his power to favour those who take his own side, and to throw difficulties in the way of opponents; and this he not unfrequently does to a great extent—refusing to hear, putting down on some plea of breach of order, browbeating, even using threats.5 It generally turns out too, that, whether intentionally or not, some of the most important motions are postponed until nearly the close of the meeting, when the greater part of the shareholders are gone. ”

“ T [committee chairman, rising, says] : Mr. Chairman, the committee to which was referred the resolution "Resolved, That we give $200 to the public library" recommends that it be not adopted because of the present depleted condition of our treasury. [Hands resolution to the chairman.] Chairman. You have heard the adverse report of the committee. [3] The question is on the adoption of the resolution, "Resolved, That we give $200 to the public library," the recommendation of the committee to the contrary notwithstanding. Are you ready for the question? ”

“ Two-thirds of the managers shall form a quorum to act at the semi-annual meetings, and any number of the seven, the committee of the managers, with the treasurer and secretary, or either of them, may form a quorum to transact business at the weekly meetings, and in case none of the seven is present at the weekly meetings, the treasurer and secretary must transact the business. ”

“ The Vice Chairmen shall co-chair the Committee in the absence of both the Chairman and the Chairman's designee and may also preside over meetings of designated representatives of the concerned executive agencies. ”

“ That the Officers, who shall be elected annually, consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents, Hon. Secretary, and Treasurer, and a Committee of fifteen, with power to add to their number: seven to form a quorum. ”

“ The instructor appoints a chairman and a secretary. The secretary keeps a memorandum of the motions made and their disposition without attempting to put his record in the form of minutes. He should be able, however, to furnish the exact words of every main motion and amendment.]
Chairman. The meeting will come to order. [As soon as all are seated and quiet, he says:] Business is now in order.
Mr. A. I move "that a committee be appointed to investigate the ventilating system of the High School." ”

“ The chairmen of the standing committees are intended, like the Speaker, to be strictly impartial. They are selected by and from the Chairman's Panel, which contains three members from each side of the House; and a member of the Opposition often presides when a government bill is discussed. ”

“ A chairman who knows his business, and confines his share of the proceedings to a few well-chosen sentences, and the appearance of his name on the bills, is a jewel of price, and I have often been very glad to meet him. But I must admit that he is rare, and the difficulty that a secretary is always in when inviting a local celebrity to take the chair at a lecture is his inability to know whether the L.C. will not consider it a part of his functions to make a long rambling speech while the audience is waiting impatiently to hear the lecturer. ”

“ Not the chairman, or Lord Pommery Quint, or any member of the committee, but just A Man. Many novices make the mistake of selecting a subject for their Art before they begin; usually they select the chairman. ”

“ The chairman and one society shall be elected in alternate years with the secretary and two societies. If through death, resignation, or otherwise, a vacancy should occur in the case of an ordinary member, his society shall fill up the vacancy, and in the case of an official the committee shall have the power to fill up the vacancy from their own number, subject to the approval of the following general meeting. ”

“ The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a Council, consisting of a Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and twelve elected Members, five to make a quorum. Three of the twelve elected Members shall retire annually by ballot, but they shall be eligible for re-election. ”

“ The president, speaker, chairman, moderator, almost uniformly appoints committees. That none of the government directors have been on the committee of exchange, has proceeded, it is to be presumed, from their not being entitled, from their skill and experience, and standing in society, to be put there. The government directors stand upon the same equal footing with those appointed by the stockholders. When appointed, they are thrown into the mass, and must take their fair chances with their colleagues. ”