1. THE ARTISTS CLUB, LIVERPOOL, is established to facilitate social intercourse amongst those interested in Painting, Sculpture, Engraving, Architecture, Music, Literature and Sport.
2. Membership shall consist of the following categories:Country Near
Country Mid, Country Far, Retired Members, Artist Members, Forces Members, Overseas Members and Honorary Members. The Subscriptions shall be payable in advance on the first day of July in each year and by new members immediately on their election.
The Council shall have the following powers
(a) To remit a portion of the first subscription of any member joining the Club six months after the commencement of the club year.
(b) To remit wholly or in part the annual subscription of any member and/or the entrance fee of any member who has previously been a member of the Club.
(c) To increase or reduce the scale of entrance fees and subscriptions or to waive the entrance fee provided that such alterations be sanctioned by not less than three fourths of the members of the Council then present, with a quorum of eight.
(d) To elect as Honorary Members gentlemen who are eminent in Fine Arts, Literature, Music or Drama, or who in the opinion of the Council have rendered or are able to render special services to the Club. The election to be for a period of twelve months by the unanimous vote of the Council after nominations have been posted on the board for at least seven days prior to the election.
3. The Club shall be governed by a Council of Honorary Officials consisting of The President, Immediate Past President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Steward, Assistant Steward and nine other members who, with the exception of the Immediate Past President, shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting of the Club: the nine Ordinary Members of the Council to be chosen from those Members whose names have been proposed and seconded in writing to the Secretary at least seven days prior to the Annual Meeting and posted in the club rooms in accordance with notice to be issued by the Secretary at least one month before the Meeting.The Council may co-opt extra members to serve on the Council at the discretion of the Council members.
4. Members may be elected at any duly convened meeting of the Council, at which not less than seven members are present.The election shall be by ballot, and two adverse votes shall exclude. A candidate must be proposed by one member of the Club and seconded by another both of whom must have been a member of the Club for at least one year. His application, signed by himself, his proposer and seconder, must be forwarded to the Secretary and posted by him on the Club notice board at least a week before the day of election.
5.When a candidate is elected, his election shall be notified to him by the Secretary, who shall send him a copy of the rules and a request for his entrance lee (if applicable) and subscription for the current year, but this rule is subject to the proviso that the rules of the Club shall be binding on every member when elected, although notice of his election may not have been sent, nor a copy of the rules given to such member.
A new member shall not be entitled to any of the privileges of the Club until his entrance fee and subscription from the current year are paid. If he fails to pay the same within one calendar month from his election, his election shall be voided but he may be restored by the Council upon payment of his entrance fee and subscription and satisfactory explanation of the delay. In the event of a new member having used the Club and subsequently failed to pay his entrance fee and first subscription, the Council shall be entitled to call upon his proposer and seconder to pay the same.
6. Any members of the Club whose subscription remains unpaid for the space of one month shall be applied to by the Treasurer for payment and if the subscription be still unpaid after 3 months his name shall, unless the Council shall otherwise determine, be posted in the Club and if still unpaid for a further period of one month, the Council may, if they think fit, strike his name off the list of members in which case he shall cease to be a member of the Club, without prejudice to the right of the Club to sue for any subscriptions that may be due. The Council may in its discretion reinstate such members.
7. Any cause of complaint that may arise shall be addressed in writing, through the Secretary to the Council, the complaint so made to be signed by the complaining member.
8. The Council shall have power to manage and superintend all the affairs and property of the Club; to dispose of the funds and assets for the purpose of the Club; select and maintain any library belonging to the Club: to make such arrangements as they may think fit for the leasing, altering furnishing and otherwise providing and preparing Club premises: to supply any vacancy occurring in their own body during the intervals between annual meetings by death, non attendance, registration or expulsion, the members elected to supply such vacancy to continue in office until the next Annual General Meeting; to co-opt extra members of the Council, to arrange their own meetings and regulate their own proceedings: to make or revoke byelaws for the house management of the Club and for every other exigency that may arise not provided for by the then existing rules and bye-laws; to appoint and remove Committees, (all proceedings of such Committees to be subject to confirmation by the Council) to appoint and remove the Bankers, Solicitors, and paid Servants of the Club, and to fix the remuneration of the same, and generally to do all acts for the purpose of carrying out the objects for which the Club is established.
9. All members shall pay their bills for every expense they incur in the Club before they leave the house; unless they have made some prior arrangement with the Steward or Hon. Secretary.
10. Members introducing visitors are required to enter their names, and that of the members introducing them in the book provided for the purpose. No person, who resides within 20 miles of Liverpool, shall be introduced as a visitor on more than four days in one year, excepting always any evening on which an entertainment may be held in the Club. No visitor is allowed under any circumstances to order or pay for any refreshment. No person who shall have been expelled from the Club or shall have resigned after having been requested by the Council to do so shall, at any time thereafter, be introduced as a visitor without the special permission of the Council.
11. Strangers visiting Liverpool, otherwise eligible as members of the Club may have, on their names being given to the Secretary and displayed on the Club notice board (for not less than two days) all the privileges of members (with the exception of the right to introduce strangers) during the period of one month, being members of the Club for the time being; their names with their proposers’ names being put in the Visitor’s Book. The Council shall have power to veto the exercise of this privilege.
12. Any member wishing to withdraw from the Club must give not less than one month’s notice of his intention to do so in writing to the Secretary, before the expiration of the Club year.
13. The Council shall have power to request a member to resign, or to expel a member, if they are of the opinion that he is no longer a desirable person to remain a member of the Club, and no appeal shall lie from their determination to any Court of Law.The exercise by the Council of their power to request a member to resign shall not prevent the Council from subsequently expelling him upon the grounds on which they request him to resign, and without any further investigation.The member so requested to resign, or expelled, shall have within 14 days the right to give notice of appeal to an Extraordinary General Meeting of members of the Club to be convened by the Council on the member’s own request.The quorum at such General Meeting shall be twenty, and the request to resign or decision to expel shall stand unless reversed by a majority of members voting. If requested by any member the voting shall be by ballot. Any member of the Club who shall be adjudicated a bankrupt or enter into a Deed of Assignment with or for the benefit of his creditors shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Club.The Council may in their discretion at any time reinstate the person who has ceased to be a member under this clause. A member of the Council shall not act, nor be entitled to be present as a member of the Council, at any meeting at which his own conduct is in question. A meeting of the Council for any of the purposes of this rule shall consist of not less than eight members of the Council, and not less than three-fourths of those voting must concur in any request for resignation, or decision to expel.
14. Any member who shall cease to belong to the Club, either by resignation or otherwise, shall have no claim upon, nor shall he be entitled to participate in, any of the effects or property of the Club, nor to have any part of his entrance fee or subscription returned.
15. The Council shall meet once every month for ordinary business, Five of the Council shall form a quorum. In case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to his own vote.
16. No subject which does not relate to the management of the concerns of the Club shall ever be proposed to be brought forward for public discussion at any business meeting of the Club, and notice of every proposition to be discussed shall be given and posted on the Club notice board seven days previous to the meeting.
17. Report and abstract of the accounts and general concern of the Club to the 30th June of each year, shall be signed by the Auditors, and supplied to each member, and submitted for confirmation at the Annual General Meeting, which shall take place within twenty-six weeks after the end of the financial year, the accounts having been previously audited by two Honorary Auditors elected by the Members at the previous Annual Meeting. In the event of an elected auditor not being able to act, the Council shall have power to appoint a substitute.
18. The Council may call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club on giving seven days notice, specifying the object or objects in the form of a resolution, and confining the discussion to that object or objects only. In such case, the notice of such Extraordinary General Meeting shall be signed by three members of the Council, and posted on the Club notice board at least seven days previous to the day of meeting, and four days notice being given to each member by post.The Council shall also call an Extraordinary General Meeting on the written requisition of twelve members, not being of the Council: the conditions as to notice and discussion being the same.
19. No new rule, or alteration of a general rule, shall ever be made at any General Meeting without the sanction of a majority consisting of two- thirds of the members present, not unless a proposition relating to the proposed new rule or alteration of an old one has been posted on the Club notice board fourteen days previous to the day of meeting: and no resolution of an Extraordinary Meeting shall be valid unless at least fifteen members be present.
20. Each member shall communicate his address or any change in the same to the Secretary, and all notices sent to such address shall be considered as duly delivered.
21. Trustees in whom shall be vested all the property of the Club shall be appointed by the Council whenever it may be necessary.The number of the Trustees shall be limited to three.
22. No payment shall be made by the Treasurer unless authorised by the Council.
23. The Club shall be open during such hours as the Council shall from time to time decide.The hours during which intoxicating liquor may be supplied shall be between 11.30 a.m. and 3.30 pm. and 5.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.The Council shall have power to vary these hours within the limits permitted by the licensing Authority.
24. The Council shall have the power to negotiate all financial arrangements with the Club’s bankers, including overdrafts, leasing arrangements, long term loans or other facilities which Council considers necessary for the purpose of day to day finance or capital projects previously agreed by the Council subject to a minimum attendance of 15 members and the carrying of the resolution by a two thirds majority.
25. Each member shall in addition to his subscription be liable to contribute towards the payment of all debt and liabilities incurred by the Council or Trustees, during such time as he shall be a member, in the carrying on or maintenance or otherwise on behalf of the Club.
In particular each member shall indemnify the Trustees nominated by the Council to accept a Lease of the Club premises against the payment of any debt or liability attaching to such nominees in respect of such lease.
Provided that the liability of any member under the Rule.
(1) Shall not exceed the sum of twice the amount of the annual subscription for a Town Member at the time a contribution is required under this rule.
(2) Shall, except as regard any liability which shall actually mature into a debt, cease:
(a) on the expiration ofTwelve Calendar Months after he shall have ceased to be a member
(b) on the expiration of Three Calendar Months after his death. Provided also that the Council shall have powers to accept in satisfaction of the liability of any member under this rule such sum as it, in its absolute discretion, shall think fit.
