the councils. The secretaries, clerks, treasurers, auditors and such other officers as are necessary to the transaction of the business of municipal councils, shareholders' and directors' meetings, and ecclesiastical bodies, are generally appointed by the bodies themselves in accordance with the constitution and regulations.
10. Quorum.—When any meeting or public body is regularly convened, and a chairman is elected in accordance with law or usage to preside over its debates and deliberations, the business before it can be regularly proceeded with. Every legislative and deliberative assembly with a certain number of members, has its quorum fixed by statute or by its own regulations. If there is no such provision in the constitution or regulations, then the common law requires a majority of all the members to give regularity to the proceedings of any meeting of that assembly. In case of a committee of the whole, the same rule prevails. A quorum is generally fixed by the appointing body for those smaller committees called "select" or "special." If no such quorum is fixed, then a majority of the committee must be present before any business can be transacted. As a rule it is important to have a fixed quorum for an assembly and its committees[1].
11. Order of business.—In every legislative or deliberative assembly of a permanent character, the rules
- ↑ See below, p. 41, for parliamentary rule respecting quorum.
