The name of the Club shall be “Merseyside Master Mariners’ Club”.
2. Objects
3. Officers
The Officers of the club shall be:
5. Admission of Applicants
The admission of all categories of applicants for membership to the Club shall be by unanimous vote of the sitting committee.
6. Members,
Proposal of every candidate for admission as a Full member, Seafaring member, Country member, Retired member shall submit to the Hon. Secretary their application form with their name in full, residence, profession and qualification for membership.
7. Election of Members
Immediately upon the election of a member, notice thereof shall be given to them and they shall be furnished with a copy of the Club Rules. Upon payment of their first subscription, they shall become a member of the Club, be furnished with a Club Tie and be entitled to all the privileges and benefits of membership and be bound by the Club Rules.
8. Non-Payment of Subscription
If such subscription be not paid within one month from the date of such request as aforesaid, the election of such member shall be void, unless they shall satisfy the Committee that the delay in payment was due to absence from the United Kingdom or other sufficient cause.
9. Annual Subscription
The Annual Subscription shall be set by the Committee three months before the end of the Club’s financial year. The agreed amount of the subscription and the reason for any increase in subscription level shall be advised to the membership before such subscriptions are due.
10 . Subscriptions: date of payment
All subscriptions shall be payable on the first day of January each year. A member elected prior to 1st July shall pay the full subscription and a member elected after 30th June shall pay half of the full subscription.
11.Subscriptions:
All subscriptions shall be paid to the Hon. Treasurer to the account of the Merseyside Master Mariners’ Club. If required by members, Bankers Standing Order Forms will be supplied by the Hon. Treasurer.
12.Non-Payment of Subscription
If any member shall fail to pay they subscription before 1st February next after it has become due, notice shall be sent to them calling their attention thereto and if they do not pay the amount within 21 days from the posting of such notice they shall be liable to pay a late fee of 50p. If such subscription and the late fee be not paid on or before 1 July following, they shall cease to be a member of the Club and their name shall be erased by the Committee from the books. If at any time they shall give to the Committee a satisfactory explanation, they may, at the discretion of the Committee and upon payment of the arrears, be re-admitted to membership upon payment of their subscription and any monies due to the Club.
13.Honorary Life Membership
The Committee may elect any member of the Club who has been a subscribing member for at least 5 years and who has rendered valuable service to the Club, to honorary Life Membership in the category of membership applicable to their last payment of subscription. Such Honorary Life Membership shall have all the same rights and privileges as Members who have paid their subscriptions as aforesaid but shall not be required to pay any subscriptions.
14.Honorary Members
The Committee may elect as Honorary Members, gentlepersons of distinction or who have rendered valuable services to the Club. Members may send to the Secretary names suggested for invitation, Honorary Members shall not be required to pay any subscription and shall be re-elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
15. Honorary Members shall be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of membership and be qualified to be officers and members of the Committee and to vote as members but shall not be entitled to claim any share of the property of the Club on its dissolution.
16.Resignation of Membership
Any member may resign their membership by giving written notice to the Hon. Secretary. Every such notice, unless otherwise expressed, shall be deemed to take immediate effect.
17.Members Convicted of
If any member be convicted of an indictable offence, or adjudged a bankrupt or make a composition or arrangement with their creditors under the provision of any statute, they shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Club, but the Committee shall have power, in their discretion, to reinstate them on such payment as the Committee may determine.
18.Members Discipline of
It shall be the duty of the Committee if at any time they shall be of the opinion that the interests of the Club so require, by letter to invite any member to withdraw from the Club within a time specified in such letter and in default of such withdrawal to submit the question of their expulsion to a Special General Meeting to be held within 6 weeks after the date of such letter. At such Meeting, the member whose expulsion is under consideration shall be allowed to offer an explanation of their conduct verbally or in writing and thereupon if two-thirds of members present shall vote for their expulsion they shall cease to be a member of the Club. Provided that the voting at any such Special Meeting shall be by ballot if not less than five members thereat so demand.
It shall be in the power of the Committee to exclude such member from the Club until such Special General Meeting can be held.
19.Members Forfeit of Rights
Any Member shall, upon ceasing to be a member of the Club, forfeit all rights to and claim upon the Club and its property and funds.
20.Club Management
The Management of the Club shall be deputed to the Officers and a Committee of not more than 12 members un total, elected at the Annual General Meeting.
At the first meeting of the Committee following the Annual General Meeting, that Committee shall appoint a Deputy Master from the elected committee members. The Deputy Master shall take the chair and preside at all meetings in the absence of the Master. Three members shall form a quorum.
21.Committee, Election of
At the second and subsequent Annual General Meetings one third of the members of the Committee (not being ex-officio members) shall retire. To fill the vacancies the Committee shall nominate a sufficient number of members of the Club. Any two members may propose any other candidate or candidates by notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary at least 21 days before the meeting. Every member of the Club shall be entitled to vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies, and no more, The candidate, up to the number of vacancies, who shall receive most votes shall be declared elected. And in the case of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall have one vote only. A copy of the balloting list shall be sent to each member with the notice of the meeting.
22. Committee, Power to Co-opt
The Committee shall have the power to appoint a member to fill any casual vacancy on the Committee until the next Annual General Meeting. Any member so appointed shall retire at the next Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for election as a member of the Committee at such meeting.
23.Trustees
Trustee/s shall be appointed by the Committee and the property of the Club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested In them to be dealt with by them as the Committee shall from time to time direct by Resolution (of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence).
The Trustee/s shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of Club property. The Trustee/s shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed from office by a resolution of the Committee who may for any reason which may seem sufficient to a majority of them present and voting at any meeting remove any Trustee/s from the office of Trustee. If by reason of any such death, resignation or removal it shall appear necessary to the Committee that a new Trustee/s shall be appointed or if the Committee shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional Trustee or Trustees, the Committee shall by resolution nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustees. For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination the Master is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the Club within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustee Act 1925 and they shall in writing duly appoint the person or persons so nominated by the Committee as the new Trustee or Trustees of the Club and the provisions of the Trustee Act, 1925 shall apply to any such appointment.
24.Accounts Quorum
The Committee shall meet at least once in every month to examine the accounts and arrange the affairs of the Club. Three members of the Committee shall form a quorum. Minutes shall be taken of all the proceedings of the Committee and shall be open to the inspection of any member of the Club applying to the Secretary.
25.Sub-Committee, Appointment of
The Committee may from time to time appoint from among their number such Sub-Committees as they may deem necessary or expedient and may depute or refer them such powers and duties of the Committee as the Committee may determine. Such Sub-Committees shall periodically report their proceedings to the Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee.
26.Bye-Laws and Regulations
The Committee shall from time to time make, repeal and amend all such bye-laws and regulations (not inconsistent with these Rules) as they shall think expedient for the internal management and well-being of the Club. All the bye-laws and regulations made by the Committee under this rule shall be binding upon the members until repealed by the Committee or set aside by a resolution of a General Meeting of the Club.
27.Secretary and Servants
The Committee shall have power to appoint, pay and dismiss a Secretary and such other servants as they deem necessary and may elect any Secretary as Honorary Member of the Club during their tenure of office, or for such shorter time as they think fit.
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28.Money to Borrow
If at any time the Club in General Meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the Committee to borrow money, the Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purpose of the Club such amount of money either at one time or from time to time and at such rate of interest and in such form and manner and upon such security as shall be specified in such resolution and thereupon the Trustees shall at the direction of the Committee make all the dispositions of the Club property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest. All members of the Club whether voting on such resolution or not, and all persons becoming members of the Club after passing such resolution, shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they had voted in favour of such resolution.
29.Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year not later than the month of May upon a date and at a time to be fixed by the Committee for the following purposes:
(a)-To receive from the Committee a Report. Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts for the preceding financial year;
(b)-To fill the vacancies in the Committee and to appoint an Auditor (or to elect Auditors) for the ensuing twelve months;
(c)-To decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted to the Meeting as hereinafter provide;
(d)- To appoint Officers.
30. Any member desirous of moving any resolution at the Annual General Meeting, shall give notice thereof in writing not less than three weeks before the date of such meeting.
31.-Special General Meeting
The Committee may at any time for any special purpose call a Special General Meeting and they do so forthwith upon a requisition in writing of any twenty members stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.
32.Notice of Meetings
Fourteen days at least before the Annual General Meeting, or any Special General Meeting, a notice of such meeting and of the business to be transacted thereat shall be sent to every member and no business other than that of which notice has been given shall be brought forward at such meeting. A copy of the Report, Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Estimate shall be sent to every member (except as aforesaid) with the said notice of the Annual General Meeting. (See Rule 42).
33.- General Meetings. The Chair, Entitlement to Vote
At all General Meetings of the Club the Master shall take the Chair and in the Master’s absence the Deputy Master. Every Full Member, Seafaring Member, Country Member and Retired Member present shall be entitled to one vote upon every motion and in case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have one vote only. The Committee shall be empowered if they think fit to make regulations for enabling members unable to be present to vote by proxy or in writing.
34.-Quorum
The Quorum for all General Meetings shall be as follows: for motions proposing any repeal, addition to, or amendments of the Rules, twenty; for motions relating to the expulsion of any member, twenty; for all other business, three.
35.-Financial Year
The Financial Year of the Club shall end on the 31st day of December in each year, to which date the accounts shall be balanced.
36.- Accounts, Auditing of, Posting of
The accounts shall, as soon as practicable after the end of the financial year, be audited by an Auditor, who shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting. A vacancy occurring in the office of Auditor during the year shall be filled by the Committee.
37.-Visitors
Every member shall be allowed to introduce visitors, subject to such regulations or bye-laws as shall be made from time to time by the Committee and every visitor shall be considered the guest of and be accompanied by the member introducing that person. Provided that no person be introduced as a visitor into the Club who shall have been expelled from membership or whose conduct or presence in the Club shall be considered by the Committee objectionable or prejudicial to the interests of the Club.
38.-Members-No Salary, etc from Club Funds
No member shall, except for professional services, rendered at the request of the Committee , on any pretence or in any manner receive any profit, salary or emoluments from the funds or transactions of the Club.
39.-Club Address not to be used
No member shall give the address of the Club in any advertisement, or use the Club address for business purposes.
37.-Visitors
Every member shall be allowed to introduce visitors, subject to such regulations or bye-laws as shall be made from time to time by the Committee and every visitor shall be considered the guest of and be accompanied by the member introducing that person. Provided that no person be introduced as a visitor into the Club who shall have been expelled from membership or whose conduct or presence in the Club shall be considered by the Committee objectionable or prejudicial to the interests of the Club.
38.-Members-No Salary, etc from Club Funds
No member shall, except for professional services, rendered at the request of the Committee , on any pretence or in any manner receive any profit, salary or emoluments from the funds or transactions of the Club.
39.-Club Address not to be used
No member shall give the address of the Club in any advertisement, or use the Club address for business purposes.
40.-Members Required to notify address
Every member of the Club shall from time to time communicate to the Secretary their address or that of their Banker or Agent and all notices posted to such address shall be considered as having been duly given on the day following the date of posting.
41.- Rules, Interpretation of
The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of these Rules and of the bye-laws and regulations made thereunder; and the decision of the Committee upon any question of interpretation or upon any matter affecting the Club and not provided for by these Rules or by the bye-laws and regulations made thereunder and shall be final and binding on members.
42.-Rules, Addition, Repeal, Amendment of
These Rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that no such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it be carried by a majority of two-thirds of the members voting thereon.
43.- Club, Dissolution of
If at any General Meeting, a resolution for the dissolution of the Club shall be passed by a majority of the members present and such resolution shall at a Special General Meeting, held not less than one month thereafter to be confirmed by a Resolution passed by a majority of two-thirds of the members voting thereon (including members unable to be present, for whom the Committee shall make regulations pursuant to Rule 33 and specified in the Notice of such Meeting, for enabling them to vote by proxy or in writing) the Committee shall thereupon or at such future date as shall be specified in such Resolution, proceed to realise the property of the Club and after discharge of all liabilities shall divide the balance remaining among such charities and/or such of the Members and in such proportions as shall be specified in such Resolution or if nothing is specified in such Resolution equally amongst all the members other than those specifically excluded by the foregoing Rules. Upon the completion of such division the Club shall be dissolved.