Bye-laws 1999

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Bye-laws of Lodge Star in the East No. 640

Introduction

  1. Lodge Star in the East, No. 640, (hereinafter referred to as “the Lodge”) shall be governed by the Constitution and Laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and by these Bye-Laws.

Meetings

  1. All meetings shall be held within the Masonic Hall, located at No. 250, Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
  2. The Regular Meetings, other than the Installation Meeting, shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month from September to June inclusive at seven-thirty o’clock p.m. or at such other hour as the Lodge at a previous Regular Meeting may appoint.
  3. The Annual Meeting shall be the Regular Meeting on the second Tuesday in March. At that meeting the Abstract of Accounts and Balance Sheet shall be considered.
  4. The Nomination and Election Meeting shall be the Regular Meeting on the second Tuesday in November. At that meeting the nomination and election of Office-bearers, members of the General Committee and members of the Committee of Enquiry shall take place.
  5. The Installation of Office-bearers for the ensuing year shall take place during the month of November or December of each year on the date specified by District Grand Lodge. The time of the Installation Meeting shall be at such hour as the Lodge at its previous Regular Meeting shall appoint. If District Grand Lodge is unable to install the Office-bearers, the Installation Meeting shall be at such date and hour in December of each year as the Lodge at its previous Regular Meeting shall appoint.
  6. All meetings, regardless of purpose, shall be convened by circular delivered or posted to every Local Qualified Member at least five days prior to the meeting.

Office-bearers

  1. The Office-bearers of the lodge shall be the Master, Immediate Past Master (ex officio), Depute Master, Substitute Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Secretary, Treasurer, Almoner, Director of Ceremonies, Chaplain, Senior Deacon, Junior Deacon, Bible Bearer, Organist, Inner Guard, Steward, Tyler.
  2. The Master at his installation shall appoint his Depute and Substitute Master. All other Office-bearers except the Immediate Past Master shall be elected annually by the Lodge.
  3. Any Office-bearer, the Master and Immediate Past Master excepted, absenting himself from three Regular Meetings of the Lodge consecutively shall be communicated with by the Secretary and should no reason for his absence satisfactory to the Lodge be given, the Lodge may declare the office vacant and elect another Brother to it, as provided for in Law 139.
  4. The Secretary, Treasurer and Tyler shall receive such remuneration as the Lodge at its Annual Meeting shall decide.

Committees

  1. The General Committee shall consist of the Master, Immediate Past Master, Depute Master, Substitute Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Secretary, Treasurer, all ex officiis, together with three elective members of whom not fewer than two shall be neither Past Masters nor Office-bearers.
  2. There shall be a Masonic Hall, Ltd. Sub-Committee appointed by the General Committee from their number, of which the Master, Immediate Past Master, Secretary and Masonic Hall, Ltd. Trustees and Directors shall be members. The duty of the Sub-Committee shall be to oversee the operation of Masonic Hall, Ltd. and make recommendations for its operation, maintenance, and expenditure of funds as well as any other duties imposed by the General Committee.
  3. There shall be a Benevolent Sub-Committee appointed by the General Committee from their number, of which the Master, Immediate Past Master, Secretary, Treasurer and Almoner shall be members. The duty of the Sub-Committee shall be to investigate the cases of applicants for benevolence and make recommendations.
  4. The membership of the Committee of Enquiry shall be as specified in Law 150.

Balloting

  1. Two black balls shall exclude a candidate.

Fees

  1. The fees exigible by the Lodge shall be as follows, namely:
    1. Initiation Fee ¥60,000
    2. Affiliation Fee ¥15,000
    3. Fee for the Mark ¥10,000
    4. In terms of Law 173 each Initiate and each Affiliate from another Constitution shall make a direct contribution to the General Fund of Grand Lodge. The amount of this contribution, which is payable through the Lodge, is set forth in the First Schedule, Item 16.
    5. The Annual Contribution (Test Fee) shall be payable in advance on or before 15th October and shall be ¥10,000 provided that —
      1. Any member residing beyond a radius of 80 km from the Masonic Hall, No. 77-12, Honmoku Midorigaoka, Naka-ku, Yokohama, shall be entitled to become a Country Member and pay a reduced Annual Contribution of ¥5,000.
      2. Any member who has ceased to reside in Japan shall be entitled to become a non-Resident Member and pay a reduced Annual Contribution of ¥5,000.
      3. Qualified Members who have paid their Annual Contribution for twenty-one consecutive years shall be exempt from further contributions.
      4. Any Qualified Member may commute his Annual Contribution by the payment of an amount equal to twenty-one years Annual Contributions.
    6. Any member who has resigned in good standing and is re-admitted shall pay a rejoining fee of ¥5,000.
    7. The payment required to restore a Brother in arrears of his Annual Contribution to qualified membership shall be the smaller of (a) the full amount of the arrears or (b) the Annual Contribution for the current year together with the sum of ¥20,000 or, in the case of a Country Member or Non-resident Member, together with the sum of ¥10,000.

Commutation Fees Fund

  1. The sum to be withdrawn annually from the Commutation Fees Fund in terms of Law 127 shall be 10% of the amount of the Fund at the close of the Financial Year.

Benevolent Fund

  1. The Benevolent Fund shall receive 10% of each Annual Contribution and a like proportion of the sum withdrawn annually from the Commutation Fees Fund.
  2. The Master may give casual relief at his discretion but in no case shall the sum given to any individual exceed ¥50,000.

Accounts

  1. The Financial Year shall end on 31st October annually.
  2. An auditor having the qualifications specified in the Fifth Schedule of the Laws shall be appointed at the Regular Meeting in April annually. He should complete his audit by 31st December.
  3. Copies of the Abstract of Accounts and Balance Sheet with the Auditor’s Certificate shall be sent to every Local Qualified Member with the circular convening the Annual Meeting. Copies of the approved Abstract of Accounts and Balance Sheet, together with the Annual Report, will be sent to every Qualified Country and non-resident member.

Approved by Grand Committee: 9 December 1999