interruption during the vacation, adjourning from day to day until he shall deliver his final judgment upon the merits of the contestation.

If the petition has been presented in chamber, the Case to be judge shall continue the case from day to day until his continued. judgment has been rendered.

VII. OF SESSIONS OF THE COUNCIL.

112. In every newly organized town the first session First session. of the council shall be held on the wednesday next after

the closing of the election, at the place indicated in the special act.

Such session shall be a general session of the council.

113. The council shall further hold general or ordi- General nary sessions, on the first wednesday of each month, sessions. unless it be otherwise provided under section 224.

114. The council shall continue to sit at the place Where held. selected for the first session, until another locality be determined on by resolution.

115. The quorum of the council shall be established by the special act.

Quorum.

116. If the day fixed for an ordinary session by the Holidays. provisions of this act or by the by-laws of the council, fall upon a holiday, such session shall be held on the next following juridical day.

sessions.

117. A special 'session of the council may be convened, Special at any time, by the mayor, or by the secretary-treasurer, or by two members of the council, by giving special notice of such session to all the members of the council, other than those summoning the same.

18. At a special session, the subjects or matters men. Preliminary tioned in the notice calling the council together shall proceedings at special alone be taken into consideration. sessions.

The council, before proceeding to business at such session, must set forth and declare, in the minutes of the sitting contained in the book of its deliberations, that the notice of meeting has been served, in conformity with the requirements of this act, upon the members of the council who are not present at the opening of the sitting.

If it appear that the notice of meeting has not been served on all the absent members, the session shall be immediately closed, under penalty of all its proceedings being null.

Notice of

119. The notice of convocation of every special session convocation. of the council, as well as the notice of adjournment in the. case prescribed by section 127, shall be given to the members of the council at least twenty-four hours before the time fixed for the session or the resumption of the adjourned session.

Hour.

Sessions to be public.

120. Every session shall commence at the hour of seven in the evening, unless otherwise determined by the notice of the meeting, by an adjournment or a by-law or resolution of the council.

121. The sessions shall be held with open doors. Until otherwise ordained, in virtue of section 224, each Duration of session shall consist of one sitting, unless adjourned.

session.

Presidency of council,

Decision of disputed questions.

Member interested.

Voting to be open.

122. The sessions of the council shall be presided over by the mayor, or in default of the mayor by the pro-mayor, or in default of both by any member chosen from the councillors present, and in the case of the councillors not agreeing, by him who shall be chosen by lot.

The presiding officer of the council shall maintain order and decorum and decide questions of order,. saving an appeal to the council.

123 Every disputed question shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present, except in cases where the votes of two-thirds of the members of the council or of the members present are required. The mayor may give his opinion, but may not vote except in the case of equal division of votes.

The pro-mayor or any other councillor who presides, may vote whenever any question is put to the vote; and, in case of an equal division of votes, he shall in addition have the casting vote.

In case of an equal division of votes, the presiding officer shall be always bound to give the casting vote, giving his reasons, therefor if he so please..

124. No member of a council shall take part in the discussion of any question in which he has a personal interest. The council, in case of dispute, shall decide whether the member has or has not a personal interest in the question; and such member shall have no right to vote on the question of his interest.

This section shall not apply to the naming of committees.

125. Members of the council shall not be permitted to vote by ballot; the votes shall be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of the council, whenever required.

126. Any ordinary or special session may be adjourn- Adjourned by the council to any other hour of the same day or ment. to a subsequent day, without it being necessary to give notice of the adjournment to members not present, except in the case of the following section.

127. When there is no quorum, any two members of No quorum. the council may adjourn the session, one hour after the want of a quorum has been established. The hour of adjournment and the names of the members of the council present, shall be entered in the minutes of the sitting, in the book of the proceedings of the council.

In such case a special notice of the adjournment shall Notice. be given by the secretary-treasurer to the members of the council not present at the time of the adjournment. The service of such notice shall be established, when the adjourned session is resumed, in the same manner as in the case of the notice summoning a special session, and the absence of service of such notice shall render null all proceedings adopted at such part of the adjourned session.

tees; powers.

128. The council may appoint committees, composed Appointment of as many of its members as it shall judge convenient, of commit and may delegate to them its powers respecting the examination of any question, the management of any business or particular kind of business, or for the execution of certain duties.

The committees shall render account of their labors and their decisions by reports signed by their chairmen

or by a majority of the members who compose them; and Reports. no report or order whatever of a committee shall have any effect, until it has been adopted by the council at a regular session, save in the case of section 130.

by attorney.

129. Every one, who is entitled to be heard before the Appearance council or its committees, may be so heard in person or by any other person acting on his behalf, whether authorized by power of attorney or not. He may also produce and examine witnesses.

130: The council or its committees, on every question Powers at or matter pending before them, may :

1. Take communication of all documents or writings produced in evidence ;

2. Summon any person residing in the municipality; 3. Examine under oath the parties and the witnesses produced by the parties, and administer or cause to be administered to them an oath or affirmation by one of their members or by the secretary- treasurer.

enquête.

Refusal to appear.

Sec.-Treas.

Auditors and valuators.

Other officers.

Vacancies.

Substitute.

Removal.

Mode of dismissal.

Oath of office.

131. If any one so summoned before the council or the committees fail, without just cause, to appear at the time and place mentioned in the summons, when compensation has been paid or offered to him for his reasonable travelling expenses for going and returning, and fifty cents a day for his time, he shall incur a penalty of not less than four or more than ten dollars, or imprisonment not to exceed fifteen days.

VIII. OF THE OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL.

1. General provisions.

132. The council shall always have an officer as keeper of its office and archives, who shall be styled the "secretary-treasurer."

It shall be also the duty of the council to appoint, in the month of march in each year, one or two auditors and three valuators.

The council, in addition, may appoint all such officers as are necessary to carry into effect its orders and the provisions of the special act and of this act.

133. If the place of any municipal officer become vacant, such vacancy shall be filled by the council without delay.

Every officer appointed to replace another, shall hold office only for the remainder of the time for which his predecessor was appointed.

134. Every municipal officer may be removed by the. council.

135. Every appointment or removal of a municipal officer, shall be made by resolution of the council; such resolution shall be communicated without delay, by the secretary-treasurer, to the person who is referred to

therein.

136. Every municipal officer, who is bound to take the oath of office before entering upon his duties, shall do so within the fifteen days which follow the notice of his appointment. In default of his so doing, he shall be deemed to have refused to discharge the duties of the office to which he is appointed, and shall be liable to the penalties prescribed for such refusal.

He may, nevertheless, until the vacancy caused by his refusal be filled up, enter upon his functions and exercise the same, if he is capable of doing so, without prejudice, however, to the costs of proceedings instituted against him.

137. Any certificate, attesting that an oath of office has Certificate of been taken by any municipal officer, shall be filed, without taking oath. delay, in the office of the council, by the person who has taken such oath.

138. Every municipal officer who has ceased to Duty of offidischarge the duties of his office, shall be bound to deliver cer retiring. within eight days next following, to the mayor, or at the office of the council, or to his successor, all the moneys, keys, books, papers, insignia, documents, archives and things belonging to such office.

139. If any municipal officer die, or absent himself If dead or from the district, his representatives shall be bound, absent. within one month from his death or absence, to deliver to his successor or at the office of the council the moneys, keys, books, papers, insignia, documents, archives and things belonging to the office so held by him.

140. The corporation shall be entitled, in addition to Right of any other legal recourse whatsoever, to recover, by pro- Corporation; cess of revendication, from such officer or his representatives, all such moneys, keys, books, insignia, archives or things, with costs, damages and interest.

141. The corporation may exercise the same rights and Idem. obtain the same remedy against all other persons having in their possession, and refusing to deliver up, such moneys, keys, books, insignia, archives and things.

document.

142. Every municipal officer, in whose hands is depo- Receipt for sited or filed any document whatsoever, shall be bound, on demand, to give a receipt therefor.

Should the document deposited or filed form part of the archives of the council, it shall be the duty of the municipal officer, with all possible speed, to file it among them.

143. Whenever an act must be executed by more than Action of matwo municipal officers, it may be validly executed by the jority, legal. majority of such officers, save in special cases otherwise provided for.

144. The council cannot, in any manner, discharge or No exempexempt its officers from the performance of the duties tion from imposed by the special act or this act, except in parti- of duties to performance cular cases where such power is conferred upon it.

be granted.

145. The council may by resolution establish a tariff Tariff of fees. of fees payable to municipal officers for their services, whether by persons who shall have required such ser