declare that he is possessed of the property qualification, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.

Councillors are exempt from serving on county juries.

CHAPTER V.

THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.

THE powers and duties of the council may be purely municipal or municipal and sanitary, but its separate action for municipal and for sanitary purposes is discontinued.

Its usual municipal officers will carry out the provisions of the sanitary acts in the borough, which the council will do in like manner to any other municipal business, sanitary matters being but an additional and not a separate function; consequently the town clerk will be the clerk for sanitary as well as for municipal purposes.

The usual officers appointed by town councils having a sanitary jurisdiction are the town clerk, treasurer, medical officer of health, surveyor, inspector of nuisances, collector, and town crier; but the council are in no way restricted, and may appoint such officers and servants as they may deem necessary, and their duties and conduct are to be regulated by the bye-laws of the council.

The first general business of the council (after the election of mayor and aldermen) is the appointment of committees for such purposes as

may be deemed necessary, the appointment of a watch committee (of which the mayor is an ex officio member) being imperative.

In most boroughs the following committees are elected, usually consisting of nine, with the mayor as ex officio, three forming a quorum, where not otherwise provided by statute or other competent authority :-(1) Watch committee, (2) estate and municipal buildings committee, (3) finance committee, (4) highways, pavement, and lighting committee, (5) sanitary, sewage, nuisance removal, and contagious diseases (animals) committee, (6) general purposes committee.

The council may from time to time appoint as many of their own number as they think fit, for any purposes under the local government acts which they think would be better managed by a committee. The acts of the committee must be submitted to the council for approval (a).

The council may appoint a committee of their own body under the Nuisances Removal Acts. Two members form a quorum, and the committee is empowered to receive notices, take proceedings, and in all or certain specified respects carry out these acts. This committee may in each particular case, by a written order signed by its chair

(a) 11 & 12 Vict. c. 63, s. 36.

man, empower any one to make complaint and take proceedings under these acts on their behalf (b).

By "Nuisances Removal Acts" are meant :18 & 19 Vict. c. 121; 23 & 24 Vict. c. 77; 26 & 27 Vict. c. 117; 29 & 30 Vict. c. 41; 29 & 30 Vict. c. 90, Part II.

For the transaction of general business the council must meet quarterly, viz., at noon on 9th November, and at such hour on such other three days before the following 1st November as the council may at the quarterly meeting in November decide; and such and all meetings of the council may from time to time be adjourned by a majority of those present. A special meeting may at any time be called by the mayor, by a three clear days' signed notice on the town hall, which notice must be followed up by the town clerk issuing his summons to the council, specifying the business to be considered.

Five of the council may request the mayor to call a meeting, and on refusal may call it themselves by a signed notice, specifying the business to be transacted.

Not less than one-third of the whole council must be present to constitute a valid meeting, and

(b) 18 & 19 Vict. c. 121, s. 5.

everything must be decided by an actual majority of members present; the general rule that where persons present do nothing, or merely dissent, lose their votes, and are regarded as leaving the business to be done by the minority, not applying to municipal meetings. When a member does not wish to vote, on either side, he should go out of the room, leaving those willing to vote to dispose of the business. Of course when a statute requires a majority, consisting of a specified proportion of the votes or persons present, there must be the specified proportion of those present actually voting.

The powers of the council as urban sanitary authority comprise all the powers, rights, duties, liabilities and obligations within their district exerciseable by, or attaching to, a local board under the Local Government Acts, by and to the sewer authority under the Sewage Utilization Acts, by and to the nuisance authority under the Nuisances Removal Acts, and by and to the local authority under the Common Lodging Houses Acts, the Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Act, and the Bakehouse Regulation Act, or by any act amending such acts.

Where the Baths and Washhouses Acts, and the Labouring Classes Lodging Houses Acts, or any of them, are in force within the district of an urban sanitary authority, the authority have all