next thereafter, and another in one year, and the third in two years thereafter. If other than a lodge or chapter of Free and Accepted Masons, the trustees first elected shall be divided by lot by the officers making the certificate of election, so that the term of one will expire in one year, one in two years, and one in three years thereafter. One trustee shall annually thereafter be elected by such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, by ballot, in the same manner and at the same time as the first three officers thereof severally are or shall be elected according to its constitution, by-laws and regulations; and a certificate of such election under the hands of such officers and the seal of the lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, if it has any, shall be made, and shall be evidence of such election and entitle the person so elected to act as trustee. If any trustee dies, resigns, demits, is suspended or expelled, removes from the state, or becomes incapacitated for performing the duties of his office, his office shall be deemed vacant. Such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post may, at any regular communication, convocation, encampment or other regular meeting, by whatever name known, fill any vacancy in the office of trustee, by ballot, which election shall be certified in like manner and with like effect as an annual election, and the person so elected shall hold his office during the unexpired term of the trustee, whose place he was elected to fill.

§ 5. Powers of trustees. Such trustees shall have the care, management and control of all the temporalities and property of the lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, and they shall not sell, convey, mortgage or dispose of any property except by and under its direction, duly had or given at a regular or stated communication, convocation, encampment or meeting thereof, according to its constitution and general regulations. They shall at all times obey and abide by the directions, orders and resolutions of such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, duly passed at any regular or stated communication, convocation, encampment or meeting thereof not in conflict with the constitution and laws of this state or of the grand body to which it shall be subordinate, or of such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post. If a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, or a chapter of Royal Arch Masons, surrender its warrant to the grand body to which it is subordinate or is expelled or becomes extinct, according to the general rules or regulations of such body, the trustees then in office shall, out of the property belonging to such lodge or chapter, satisfy all just debts due from it and transfer the residue of its property to the "trustees of the Masonic hall and asylum fund," a corporation created by chapter

two hundred and seventy-two of the laws of eighteen hundred and sixty-four, entitled "An act to incorporate the trustees of the Masonic hall and asylum fund," and unless reclaimed by such lodge or chapter within three years from such transfer, in accordance with the constitution and general regulations of such grand body, the same, with the avails or increase thereof, shall be applied by the "trustees of the Masonic hall and asylum fund "" to the benevolent purposes for which such trustees were created in and by such act.

§ 6. Reorganization. Any such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post heretofore incorporated by the laws of this state, or thereby heretofore enabled to take and hold real or personal property, or both, may surrender its act of incorporation, charter or privilege so conferred upon it, and may become enabled to take and hold real or personal property, or both, under the provisions of this chapter, on making and filing a certificate in the manner specified in this chapter, and stating therein, in addition to what is required in such a certificate, the surrender of such act of incorporation, charter or privilege, specifying the same. The property theretofore held and possessed by it shall be fully vested in its trustees, who shall have all the rights, powers and privileges, and be subject to all the provisions of this chapter.

§ 7. Joint corporations. Any number of masonic bodies within the state, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the state of New York, the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the state of New York, the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of the state of New York, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the state of New York, the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the northern masonic jurisdiction, United States of America, or the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, United States of America; any subordinate courts or other bodies of the Foresters of America, instituted, established or authorized by the supreme or a grand court thereof; any lodges, encampments and cantons within the state chartered by the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Grand Encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or by the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; any lodges or other bodies of the Knights of Pythias, duly chartered by and installed according to the general rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias of the state of New York, any posts of the Grand Army of the Republic chartered and installed according to the regulations of that organization; any lodges or other bodies of the Benevolent

and Protective Order of Elks duly chartered by and installed according to the regulations of that organization, any lodges or other bodies of the Deutcher Orden der Harugari, duly chartered and installed according to the general rules and regulations of the grand lodge of the Deutcher Orden der Harugari of the state of New York, or of the sovereign grand lodge of the Deutcher Orden der Harugari of the United States, any councils or other bodies of the Knights of Columbus chartered and instituted by the National Council of the Knights of Columbus pursuant to the charter, constitution and laws of said order, and any number of trades unions, trades assemblies, trades associations or labor organizations, and any number of subordinate lodges, tribes or other bodies of any benevolent or fraternal order or society incorporated under and pursuant to the laws of this state, may unite in forming a corporation for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, maintaining and managing a hall, temple or other building, or a home for the aged and indigent members of such order and their dependent widows and orphans, and of creating, collecting, and maintaining a library for the use of the bodies uniting to form such corporation. Each body hereafter uniting to form such corporation shall annually at a regular meeting thereof, held in accordance with its constitu tion and general rules and regulations or by-laws, elect a membe thereof to represent it in such corporation.

If the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number, then each representative so elected shall be a trustee of said corporation, and shall make and file in the office of the clerk of the county where such building is, or is to be located, a certificate of such election signed and acknowledged by the highest two officers of the body electing him, stating the time and place of the election, its regularity, the name of the trustee, and the name of the body from which he was elected. If the bodies uniting to form such corporation shall exceed thirty in number then the representatives elected as hereinbefore provided, shall assemble annually at a time and place fixed by the constitution, by-laws, rules and regulations of the corporation, and shall elect from amongst themselves a president, vice-president, secre tary and treasurer, each of whom shall be ex officio trustees of the corporation, and not less than nine or more than twenty-four other trustees. In case only two bodies unite to form such corporation, the number of trustees to be elected from each body shall not be less than one or more than three, who shall be elected in the manner above prescribed and whose certificate of election shall be made and filed in the manner and form above prescribed.

The trustees so elected shall make, acknowledge and file with the secretary of state a certificate stating the name of the corporation to be formed, its purposes and objects, the names and places

of residence of the trustees, the names of the bodies which they respectively represent, the names of the bodies uniting to form the corporation and their location, and the name of the town, village or city and the county where such building is, or is to be located; and thereupon the several bodies so uniting shall be a corporation for the purposes specified in such certificate.

§ 8. Trustees. The persons executing such certificate and named therein, shall be the board of trustees of such corporation. If but two bodies unite to form such corporation, its by-laws may prescribe the terms of office of the trustees. If more than two bodies so unite, the trustees shall divide themselves by lot into three classes, not including, however, the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, if such officers shall have been elected as provided in section seven hereof, who shall be one year trustees, so that the term of office of the first class shall expire in one year; the term of office of the second class, in two years; and the term of office of the third class, in three years, provided, however, that no trustee shall continue as such after he has ceased to be a representative.

On a vacancy occurring in the office of a trustee of such corporation, the body which he represented shall fill such vacancy, provided the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number, and the person so chosen shall hold office for three years, if chosen on the expiration of the term of his prede cessor, and otherwise, until the expiration of the original term.

But if the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in number, then any vacancy occurring by reason of the expiration of a term or by failure of any trustee to be re-elected as a representative, shall be filled for three years or for the balance of the unexpired term as the case may be, by the representatives in annual session; and any vacancy occurring otherwise than as above specified, shall be filled until the next annual meeting of the representatives by the body that has lost representation by reason of the vacancy, when it shall be filled by said representatives for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in number, then the representatives, but if less than thirty in number then the board of trustees, may admit or prescribe rules and regulations for the admission as mnembers of such corporation of other bodies chartered or instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies named in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or governing body of the order to which any of such bodies belong, and may prescribe rules and regulations for the withdrawal, expulsion or suspension of any body or bodies having membership in such corporation when the representatives of such corporation exceed thirty in number.

Where the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number, the board of trustees shall fix the term of office of such trustees elected to represent new members of such corporation at one, two or three years, and shall so apportion such new trustees that as nearly as possible the terms of office of onethird of the trustees of such corporation shall expire annually.

Where the organizations so united are trades unions, trades assemblies, trades associations or labor organizations, the board of trustees may, from time to time, admit as members of such corporation and of such board of trustees the representatives of any other labor or trades organization or association whether or not the same be chartered or instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies named in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or governing body of the order to which such bodies belong. The board of trustees admitting such members shall file in the county clerk's office a certificate showing such action, and the terms of the representatives so admitted shall be fixed as above provided in the case of other organizations.

Every corporation formed under this chapter must file annually immediately after its annual meeting, in the clerk's office of the county where such building is or is to be located, a certificate giving the names and addresses of the principal officers of the corporation and the names and addresses of the members of the board of trustees, and the names and location of all bodies admitted to or withdrawn or expelled from membership since the filing of the last preceding certificate.

9. Powers of joint corporations. Such corporation may acquire real property in the town, village or city in which such hall, home, temple or building is or is to be located, and erect such building or buildings thereupon for the uses and purposes of the corporation, as the trustees may deem necessary. or repair, rebuild or reconstruct any building or buildings that may be thereupon and furnish and complete such rooms therein as may appear necessary for the use of such bodies or for any other purpose for which the corporation is formed; and may rent to other persons any room in such building or any portion of such real property. Until such real property shall be acquired or such building erected or made ready for use, the corporation may rent and rent and sublet such rooms or apartments in such town, village or city as may be suitable or convenient for the use of the bodies mentioned in such certificate, or of such other bodies as may desire to use them, and the board of trustees may determine the terms and conditions on which rooms and apartments in such building or buildings, when erected, or which may be leased, shall be used and occupied. Before such corporation