CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF
THE MALTA CANINE SOCIETY
1. NAME.The Society shall be called "THE MALTA CANINE SOCIETY".(The Society).
2. OBJECTS.The objects of the Society are:
- To promote in every way the general improvements of dogs.
- To keep a record of breed registrations.
- It endeavours in seeing that the rules of the said Society are adhered to during dog shows and in the running of competitions.
- If a rule is broken, the Society, after judgement, issues fines or alternatively, suspends or banishes.
- It arbitrates in controversial cases.
- It shall be affiliated to The Maltese National Canine Federation" (the Main Body, from now on referred to as The Federation).
3. PATRON.The Society may have a Patron.
4. PRESIDENT.There shall be a President who shall be elected by the members at an Annual General Meeting and who shall remain in office for a period of three consecutive years. Such person shall on acceptance of the office automatically become an honorary life member of the Society.
5. SECRETARY AND TREASURER.There shall be a Secretary and a Treasurer who shall be elected by the members at an Annual General Meeting. Both the Secretary and the Treasurer shall remain in office for a period of three consecutive years.
6. COMMITTEE MEMBERS.The election of ordinary members shall take place during the General Meeting and shall be by ballot. The Candidates that obtain the highest number of votes at the General Meeting will be elected on the Committee. In the case that the number of Candidates is not greater than the number of vacant posts on the Committee for which they are contesting, the election will not take place and they will be elected automatically. Ordinary Committee Members shall serve for a two year period. The candidate must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society who have at least one year's standing. The proposer and seconder warrant the eligibility of their candidate.
Membership is open to both men and women. Hereinafter the masculine gender shall include the feminine.
7. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS.A person may be elected an honorary life member of the Society at a general meeting on the recommendation of the Committee. Honorary life members shall have all the rights and privileges of membership but shall not be liable to pay subscriptions.
8. HONORARY MEMBERS.The election of honorary members shall be vested in the Committee. Such members shall be exempted from paying any subscriptions but nevertheless shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership except the right to vote at general meetings.
9. MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.The election of members of the Society shall be vested in the Committee and shall be by ballot. The applicant is required to receive a two-thirds majority of the votes of the Committee Members present at the meeting in which his name was submitted. The Applicant must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society who have at least one year's standing membership with the Society.
9a. TEMPORARY OVERSEAS MEMBERS.Any member may introduce a person who must have an active interest in dogs as a temporary overseas member for any period not exceeding three calendar months in any one year. A temporary overseas member shall be entitled to social but to no other privileges or rights of membership.
10. SUBSCRIPTIONS.
- The annual subscription for ordinary members shall be such sum, as the members shall determine from time to time at a general meeting. Present Rates are LM5.50 Single membership and LM7.00 Joint membership and LM1.50 for junior membership. All such subscriptions shall become payable on the 1st January of each year.
- If a member’s subscription remains unpaid by the end of February next after it has become due the Committee shall have power to strike that member’s name from the list of membership and he thereupon ceases to be a member.
- In special cases the Committee shall have power to remit the whole or part of a member’s subscription.
- A temporary overseas member shall be liable to pay a fee in respect of temporary overseas membership; Temporary overseas membership fee shall be LM7.00.
11. PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP.An ordinary member's privileges shall include:
- The use of the Society's premises.
- A free copy of the M.C.S. Rules.
- Free copies of any quarterly or yearly publications published by the Society.
12. MEMBERS' OBLIGATIONS.As soon as the annual payment is made, which entitles the member to the advantages and privileges of the Society, it also obliges him to accept and adhere to the Society Rules.
13. RESIGNATION OF MEMBERS.Any member who wishes to retire is obliged to inform the Secretary in writing by not later than the 15th December of the same year; otherwise he shall be liable to pay his subscription for the following year.
14. SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION OF MEMBERS.If a member’s conduct or behaviour infringes, in the Committee’s opinion, these Rules, or is injurious to the good name of the Society, the Committee can, during a Committee meeting in which agenda is included the consideration of the member’s behaviour, call a Committee meeting in which it shall process the disciplinary actions against the said member, who shall be notified in writing with the date, time and place of such meeting, and given the opportunity appear before the Committee to advance an explanation or defence. Two thirds of the Committee members must decide that disciplinary actions are taken against the said member by the Committee. If a member is found guilty of breach of these Regulations, or that his conduct, whether within the Society’s premises or elsewhere is injurious to the good name of the Society, the Committee will have the right to suspend, fines and/or expel the said member.
The Committee shall have power to exclude the member from the Society's premises pending the hearing of the case against him.
A suspended member shall not be entitled to use the Society's premises nor attend any Society meeting nor vote at any election nor hold office during suspension,but he shall remain liable to pay his subscription.
The Committee shall inform immediately the Federation of any disciplinary actions taken against a member.
14a. APPEAL.Every member who is found guilty of breach of these Regulations in a disciplinary hearing has the right to appeal before the Federation, where he shall be subject to the Regulations as implemented by the Federation. The Appeal shall be lodged within 15 days from the date in which he was notified of the disciplinary actions taken against him.
15. DISCIPLINE.Where any person has been duly suspended or disqualified by the Federation will be automatically suspended from the Society. This also counts to any measures taken by the Federation which will be automatically implemented by the Society.
No member so expelled shall have any claim against the Society nor be entitled to repayment of any part of his subscription, and shall forthwith return to the Society any Cups or Trophies or other property that, being the property of the Society, are in his possession at the time of such expulsion.
16. EFFECTS OF CEASING TO BE A MEMBER.Any person shall, upon ceasing to be a member of the Society, forfeit all right to claim upon the Society and its facilities, property and funds.
17. RESTRICTION OF MEMBERS.No member shall:
- Use the Society's premises for the purpose of business, neither shall he allow his name, with the name of Society or its address attached, to appear in any advertisement or use the Society's address for the purpose of his profession or business. If any member should give the Society as his address in connection with any legal proceedings the Committee shall automatically invoke the provisions of Rule 14.
- Cause or permit publicity to be given to the press or television or other media concerning any of the Society's matter insofar as it relates to the management of the Society, the proceedings of any of the Society's meetings or disciplinary proceedings brought by the Society without the prior permission of the Committee.
- No member shall be eligible for election on the Committee unless he has a one year standing with the Society.
- No member shall be eligible to serve on the Committee who is already a committee member of any other "Kennel Club".
- Ordinary members must have a three months standing with the Society before being eligible to vote in General Meetings, or Extraordinary General Meetings.
18. COMMITTEE.
- All the Society's disputes and power is carried by the Committee which comprises of a President, Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer and 7 members.
- Nominations of any new candidate must be signed by a member of the Society. No member may nominate more than one candidate for election. Nominations for election or intention for re-election must reach the Secretary at least 14 clear days before the Annual General Meeting.
- Each member present at a committee meeting shall be entitled to one vote on each motion except in the case of an equality of votes the one presiding the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
- The subject matter of a resolution passed by a majority of members at a committee meeting shall not be reconsidered within three months of such a resolution being passed save for matters under Rule 14.
19. MANAGEMENT.The entire management and control of all affairs of the Society shall be entrusted to the elective Committee. The Committee shall have power to arbitrate in cases of dispute between members when asked by both parties to do so, and their decision in such cases shall be final. The Committee shall be entrusted to deal with any question relating to the management of the Society not provided for by these rules.
20. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS.There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Society on the date fixed by the Committee not later than the 31st May in each year for the following purposes:
- To receive a report from the Committee in respect of the Society's activities since the previous General Meeting.
- To receive and consider the Society's accounts for the preceding financial year and to receive the auditor's report.
- To elect the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer (if these offices are vacated).
- To elect the other members for the Committee.
- To discuss or decide any matter of general business duly submitted to the meeting.
The Federation shall be informed at least 15 days prior the meeting of the date, time, place and Agenda of the Annual General Meeting, for which meeting the Federation shall have the right to send a representative as an observer.
21. VACANT PLACES IN THE COMMITTEE.When a place in the Committee is vacated during the official year it is taken by the candidate who obtained the highest number of votes and who was not elected in the last election. If the position of the President, the Secretary or the Treasurer is vacated the same would apply, but the member being co-opted must then submit his name for re-election in the next Annual General Meeting. Any member elected at The Annual General Meeting to fill an Officer's or an ordinary member's vacant post is to serve the remaining period of the respective three/two year term.
22. OBLIGATIONS AND POWER OF THE COMMITTEE.
- The Committee may from time to time appoint such sub-committees as it may deem necessary to assist in the running of the business of the Society.
- The Committee may delegate any of its functions and powers to any sub-committee and may likewise at any time amend or revoke such delegates.
- The Committee calls a meeting whenever the need is felt.
- The President presides at every meeting. In his absence the Vice President takes his place. When both of these are absent the members that are present elect a Chairman to preside over that meeting.
- The President has the right to call a committee meeting or else at the wish of at least three Committee Members. In all the committee meetings when all the members' votes are equal, the one who is presiding has the right to a "Casting Vote" besides his original vote.
- Three Members of the Committee shall be deemed to form a quorum at any committee meeting.
- The Secretary and Treasurer attend and keep the minutes of every Committee meeting. Together with the President they run the club. In every meeting the Secretary forwards an account of the minutes of the previous meeting, all correspondence and all matters of interest that took place after the last meeting. The Treasurer is in charge to collect all subscriptions and other payments. He has the authority to pay any expenses incurred. He is required to make an administrative and financial report of the Society and these are to be presented in the committee meeting which takes place before the Annual General Meeting.
- The Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer act instead of the Secretary and Treasurer when these are not present, and they also help when the need arises.
- The Committee can invite any person or persons whether members of the Society or not to attend any meeting to assist the Committee or sub- committee but such person shall not be entitled to vote.
- If any Committee member shall fail to attend three Committee Meetings running without furnishing a satisfactory reason, he shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee, and his place shall be filled by co-opting another member in accordance with Rule 21.
23. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS.The Committee may by circular call an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time and shall call a meeting upon the requisition addressed to the Secretary and signed by not fewer than 30 members. Members shall receive 14 days notice in writing of an Extraordinary General Meeting. In the event of the Committee failing to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting within 14 days of the receipt by the Secretary of a requisition for such meeting, the requisitionists may call an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held not later than 28 days after the deposit of the requisition with the Secretary.
23a. EMERGENCY GENERAL MEETING.The Committee can call for an Emergency General Meeting at any time. The members shall receive a written notice upto 7 days before the date of the meeting, or can be adviced of such meeting by means of adverts on the local media.
The Federation shall be informed at least 7 days prior the meeting of the date, time, place and Agenda of the Emergency General Meeting, for which meeting the Federation shall have the right to send a representative as an observer.
24. RESOLUTIONS & MOTIONS AT GENERAL MEETINGS.The subject matter of any resolution passed by a majority of members at a General Meeting shall be implemented with immediate effect, given that the Federation was notified with the said resolution accordingly. In any case where a Resolution is amended during a General Meeting, this can not take effect until the Federation has been notified and given approval for such amendments to the Resolution. Any Resolution or Motion approved by the members at a General Meeting shall not be reconsidered until the next but one General Meeting of members.
25. QUORUM AT GENERAL MEETINGS.The quorum for a General Meeting shall be that of 30 members. However, if after 30 minutes from the time scheduled for the General Meeting the quorum is not reached, the meeting shall proceed irrespectively of the number of members present..
26. VOTING AT GENERAL MEETINGS.Each honorary life member and ordinary member at a general meeting shall be entitled to one vote on each motion, except the chairman of the meeting who shall have a casting vote only.
27. TRUSTEES.The property of the Society shall be vested in Trustees, who shall be appointed by the Committee.
28. ANNUAL REPORT.An Annual Report, together with the names of the Committee Members shall be printed and supplied to all members. The Annual Abstract of Accounts, duly audited, shall be open to the inspection of all members of the Society.
29. BANK ACCOUNT.A Bank Account shall be opened in the name of the Society into which all revenue of the Society shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of two or more Committee members, one of whom shall be the Treasurer.
30. AUDITOR.An auditor to be appointed by the Committee to audit all accounts being presented at every Annual General Meeting.
31. DISPOSAL OF ASSETS.In the event of the Society, for any reason, ceasing to exist, any Cups or Trophies donated by persons who cannot be contacted shall, if necessary to pay off debts, be released. The remaining Cups and Trophies shall be returned to the donors, any balance remaining being given to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
32. DISPUTES.The Malta Canine Society acknowledges The Maltese National Canine Federation as the final Court of Appeal in all cases of disputes.
33. AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION.The Constitution and Rules of the Society may be amended by the Committee during a General Meeting, notice of which is to be given to members by means of a circular stating the nature of the proposals to be discussed. Notice must be given at least 14 days prior to the meeting.
34. NEW RULES.All new rules, or alterations to the existing Rules, or the reversal of any act or decision, shall be made at a General or Extraordinary General Meeting, and shall be notified to all members as soon as possible after such meeting. Such new Rules or alterations of existing Rules, or reversal of the former act or decision, shall not be adopted unless they receive the sanctions of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting.
Such new Rules or alterations shall not be brought into force if the Maltese National Canine Federation has not been notified of such changes before the said meeting.
35. INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES.If any question or dispute arises as to the meaning or interpretation of the Rules, the matter must be submitted to the Committee for a ruling thereon. The decision of the Federation in the interpretation of all Rules must be considered as final.
Donated by The Malta Canine Society.
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