RULES OF ORDER, FORMS, ETC. I. RULES OF ORDER. The following rules of order are inserted to aid boards of directors in the transaction of business. They consist, mainly, of some of the plainest provisions of parliamentary law. Each board should make them binding by a vote to that effect: 1. Four members being present, precisely at the hour to which the board stands adjourned, the president shall take the chair, call the members to order and proceed to business. 2. Should a quorum be assembled at the hour appointed, and the president be absent, a president pro tem. shall be appointed to serve during that meeting, or until the president shall appear. 3. Should a quorum not assemble at the hour appointed, the director or directors present shall be competent to adjourn from time to time, that an opportunity may be given for a quorum to assemble, without which no business can be legally transacted. 4. In the transaction of business, the following order shall be observed: 1st, recording the names of directors present; 2d, reading minutes; 3d, unfinished business; 4th, reports of standing committees; 5th, reports of special committees; 6th, new business, and 7th, adjournment. 5. It shall be the duty of the president, at all times, to preserve order, and to endeavor to conduct all business before the board to a speedy and proper result. 6. The president, as such, has no casting vote, his right is to vote on every question by virtue of his membership. 7. The president may speak to points of order in preference to other members, and shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal to the board by any two members. 8. A motion made must be seconded, and then repeated distinctly by the president or read aloud before it is debated, and every motion shall be reduced to writing if the president or any member requires it. 9. Any member who shall have made a motion shall have liberty to withdraw it, with the consent of his second, before any debate has taken place thereon, but not after debate is had without leave being granted by the board. 10. The consideration of any question may be postponed to a time fixed or the question may be suppressed altogether by an indefinite postponement. 11. A motion once voted down cannot be renewed at the same meeting of the board without the consent of four members. 12. An amendment may be moved on any motion, and shall be decided before the original motion; but no more than one amendment to an amendment shall be entertained. 13. If a motion under debate is composed of two or more parts, which are so far independent of each other as to be susceptible of division into several questions, any two members may have it divided and a vote taken on each part. 14. When any business is brought regularly before the board, the consideration of the same cannot be interrupted except by a motionfor adjournment; to lie on the table; for the previous question; for postponement; for commitment, or for amendment. 15. A motion for adjournment shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate, except that it cannot be entertained when the board is voting on another question or while a member is addressing the board. 16. The previous question cannot be moved by less than three members rising for that purpose, and when thus called, all debate shall be precluded; yet the call for the previous question shall not cut off any pending amendment, but the vote shall be taken without debate on the amendments in their order and finally on the main question. 17. A motion for postponement precludes commitment, and a motion for commitment precludes amendment or decision on the original subject. 18. A motion for reconsideration can only be entertained when made and seconded by members who were in the majority on the vote on the original question. 19. When a blank is to be filled the question shall be first taken on the largest sum, the greatest number and the remotest day. 20. On questions of order, adjournment, postponement, commitment or the previous question, no member shall speak more than once; on all other questions each member may speak twice, but not oftener without express leave being granted by the board. 21. If the previous question be decided in the negative the effect shall be to arrest the discussion and produce an indefinite postponement. 22. No member shall be interrupted while speaking, unless he be out of order, or for the purpose of correcting mistakes or misrepresentations. 23. No member in the course of debate shall be allowed to indulge in personal reflections. 24. If any member act in any respect in a disorderly manner, it shall be the privilege of any member, and the duty of the president to call him to order. 25. If any member consider himself aggrieved by a decision of the chair, it shall be his privilege to appeal to the board, and the vote on such appeal shall be taken without debate. 26. Members should not decline to vote on any question without weighty reasons. 27. It shall be the duty of the president to appoint all committees, except when the board may decide otherwise. 28. The person first named on any committee shall be considered the chairman thereof, whose duty it shall be to convene the committee, and in case of his absence or inability to act, the second named member shall take his place and perform his duties. 29. When the president has commenced taking a vote no further debate or remark shall be admitted, unless there has evidently been some mistake, in which case the mistake shall be rectified, and the president shall recommence taking the vote. 30. Any two members may require the recording of the yeas and nays on any question. 31. The first person recognized by the president as desiring to speak has the right to the floor. FORM FOR COLLECTOR'S WARRANT. To... ...Collector of school tax in .school district.... ..county, Pennsylvania. These are to Authorize and Require you, To demand and receive of and from every person named in the annexed duplicate of School Tax of said District, the sum wherewith such person stands charged, and pay the same to..... .Treasurer of said School District, or his successor in office, on or before the first day of July, 191.... at which time abatement or allowance for mistakes or indigent persons, or unseated lands, will be made by the Board of School Directors, as may appear just and reasonable; and you will report in writing at the end of each month to the secretary of the school board the amount of taxes collected during the month with the names of the taxables from whom the same was collected and, at the same time exhibit to him a receipt from the treasurer of the school district for the amount collected during the month. You will give all tax-payers the notices required by law and if any person shall neglect or refuse to make payment of the amount due by him, it shall be the duty of you, the Collector aforesaid, to levy such amount by distress and such sale by written or printed advertisements, and returning the overplus (if any there be) to the owner. And in case goods and chattels sufficient to satisfy the same, with the costs, cannot be found, you are hereby authorized to take the body of such delinquent, and convey him to the jail of the proper county, there to remain until the amount of such tax, together with the costs, shall be paid or secured to be paid, or until he shall be otherwise discharged by due course of law: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall authorize the arrest, or imprisonment for non-payment of any tax, of any female or infant, or person found by inquest to be of unsound mind. Hereof fail not. Given under my Hand and Seal, at. the sum of.... ..dollars, lawful money of the United States of America, to be paid to his certain attorney, to which payment well and truly to be made and done, we do bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, firmly, jointly and severally, by these presents. Sealed with our seals and dated the... day of.. ...191 Whereas, The above bounden.. .has been duly elected and returned the court of quarter sessions of the peace of the county of..... . as collector of school taxes of the... .school district in the said county for the ensuing year and has been duly qualified according to law: Now, the condition of this obligation is such, that, if the said.. ...... ....shall and does, well and truly collect and pay over or account for, according to law, the whole amount of taxes charged and assessed in the duplicates which shall be delivered to him, and faithfully discharge the duties appertaining to the office of collector of taxes according to law, then this obligation to be void, otherwise to be and remain in full force and virtue. Sealed and delivered in the presence of [L. S.] [L. S.] County of... SS: ..having been duly elected collector of the taxes of .school district do*... ...that I will support the Constitution of the United States and Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and that I will well and truly collect and pay over or account for, according to law, the whole amount of taxes charged and assessed in the duplicates, which shall be delivered to me, and faithfully discharge the duties of said office according to law and the best of my judgment and ability. of. .and subscribed before me this.. .191.... .day FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO SECRETARY OF SCHOOL BOARD FOR NON-PAYMENT OF SCHOOL TAX ON UNSEATED LANDS. To the Secretary of.... county: Sir: .school district,.... I do hereby certify in accordance with section 562 of an act approved May 18, 1911, entitled "An Act to establish a public school system in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, etc.," that the following school tax on unseated lands within the district of.... was regularly assessed and set forth in the duplicate of school tax for the year 191....delivered to me for collection by the president of the board of directors thereof, and that the same has not been paid to me by the owner thereof. Upon the land of A. B.. $00 00 00 00 $00 00 *Insert swear or affirm, No. of Mills levied,. . . . . . . . Amount of School Tax, $. No rebate for prompt payment but a penalty for non-payment will be added on October 1, 191.... The above taxes are now due and payable and you are hereby requested to make payment of same. All school taxes assessed for 191....against occupied property MUST BE COLLECTED before June 1, 191.... All school taxes assessed for 191...., against vacant property, if not paid before June 1, 191...., must then be collected as provided by law. I will receive taxes at the following named dates and places Tax Collector. FORM OF BOND FOR DISTRICT TREASURER. Know all men by these presents, that we, C..... .D... E.. in. of.. ...county, Pennsylvania, are held and firmly bound to A president of the board of school directors B... of.. school district, in..........county, for the use of said school district, in the sum of (here insert double the amount of the sum that will probably come into the hands of the treasurer for one year, for school purposes) dollars, lawful money, to be paid to the said.... school district; to which payment well and truly to be made and done, we bind ourselves, jointly and severally, our heirs, executors and administrators, and every of them, firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals. day of. Dated the..... thousand nine hundred and... Whereas, The said C... treasurer of the said... in the year of our Lord one D..... .has been duly chosen school district, for and during the The condition of this obligaD...... shall and do term of one year from the date hereof. tion is such, that if the said C...... well and faithfully perform all the acts and duties lawfully pertaining to his office as district treasurer aforesaid, according to the terms of the school law, entitled "An Act to establish a public school system in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, etc.," approved the 18th day of May, A. D., 1911, then this obligation to be void; else to be and remain in full force and virtue. And further, we do hereby empower any attorney of any of the courts of record of this State or elsewhere, |