1. The Society shall be known as the WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF CEYLON (W. L. P. S.) and is hereinafter referred to as the Society.

2. MEMBERSHIP-

All residents of Ceylon and such others as are interested in its objects shall be eligible to become members of the Society.

Ladies and gentlemen shall have equal rights of membership.

Application for admission to membership shall be made in writing to the Honorary General Secretary, who shall require the applicant to fill in and sign a proposal paper, and forward the subscription for the current year.

Each applicant for membership must be proposed and seconded by members of not less than one year's standing.

The applicant's name, profession and residence, as stated in the proposal paper, shall be laid before the General Committee at the meeting next after the date of application, and if approved, the Committee shall authorise the Honorary General Secretary to notify the applicant and furnish him with a copy of the rules of the Society.

Members shall be of the following classes: -

(a) Ordinary Members:-Ordinary members shall be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of membership. They
shall be entitled to receive all the Society's publications.

(b) Honorary Life Members: - Life membership may be conferred upon any member who has belonged to the Society sufficiently long to warrant such honour, or for services rendered which would seem, in the opinion of the members, to justify such action.

Recommendations for honorary life membership shall require a proposer and seconder and shall be made in writing to the Honorary General Secretary not less than two months before the Annual General Meeting. The Honorary General Secretary shall include such recommendations in the agenda for submission to the members at the Annual General Meeting.

Honorary Life Members shall be entitled to the same privileges as ordinary members.

(c) Overseas Members: - Overseas members shall be ordinary members who have given up permanent residence in the Island but who wish to maintain their connection with and interest in the Society and such others residing outside Ceylon as are eligible under this rule. They shall be entitled to assume ordinary membership should they reside in the Island for a period of more than 6 months.

(d) Honorary Members: - Honorary membership may be accorded to any person to whom the Society is indebted for assistance or particular interest.

Honorary members shall be elected by the General Committee after candidates have been duly proposed and seconded by members of the General Committee. Honorary membership is subject to annual confirmation by the General Committee.

(e) Corporate Members: - Corporate membership shall consist of schools or such groups as may be admitted as such by the Committee, so long as the membership of the group exceeds twenty persons; such groups shall pay an annual subscription of Rs. 10 and shall be jointly entitled to receive a copy of all the Society's publications.
(f) Junior Members shall have attained the age of 12 years and shall not be over 19 years.

Overseas members, Honorary members, Corporate members and Junior members shall be entitled to receive all the Society's publications, but they shall not be entitled to a vote at any meeting of the Society and in any poll, nor to any other privileges of membership.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS -

(a) There shall be no entrance fee.

(b) Ordinary Members.- Rs. 15 per annum or such sum as the Society in General Meeting shall decide. An Ordinary member may commute all obligations in respect of subscriptions by a single payment of Rs. 300.

(c) Honorary Life Members:-Nil.

(d) Overseas Members:-Rs. 10 per annum. An Overseas member may commute all obligations in respect of subscriptions by a single payment of Rs. 200.

(e) Honorary Members:-Nil.

(f) Corporate Members:-Rs. 10 per annum.

(g) Junior Members:-Rs. 5 per annum.

(h) The annual subscription shall be due on the 1st October, in each year.

(i) The Honorary General Secretary shall send or post to the last known address of each subscribing member at the beginning of each financial year a notice that his subscription is due.

(j) Any member whose subscription is more than 6 months in arrears shall not be entitled to any benefits or privileges of membership.

(k) Any member whose subscription is more than one year in arrears shall be called upon by the General Committee to pay the subscription due forthwith, failing which the Committee may remove his name from the roll of members of the Society, and he shall thereafter cease to be a member.

4. OFFICE-BEARERS-

The Office-bearers of the Society shall be a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Honorary General Secretary, one or more Honorary Assistant Secretaries and a Honorary Treasurer. Office- bearers shall be elected by the General Committee immediately prior to the Annual General Meeting, and they shall hold office until the appointment of their successors. Vacancies occurring for any reason shall be filled temporarily by nominees of the General Committee and such nominees shall hold office until the next election of Office-bearers.

5. MANAGEMENT-

(a) The management of the Society and its funds shall be vested in a General Committee which shall consist of
the President, two Vice-Presidents, the three previous holders of the office of President, the Honorary General Secretary, the Honorary Assistant Secretaries and the Honorary Treasurer, ex officio, and not more than twelve other members of the Society. The General Committee shall decide any question regarding the interpretation of the rules and all matters laid before it for decision. In the event of a question arising which is not provided for in the rules the decision of the General Committee shall be observed until the matter has been considered and decided by a General Meeting of the Society. The General Committee shall appoint such Sub-Committees as it shall think fit.

(b) At every Annual General Meeting one-third of the members of the General Committee (excluding the three previous holders of the office of President) or if their number is not a multiple of three the number nearest one-third shall retire from office. The members of the General Committee so required to retire shall be those who have been longest in the Committee since their last election but as between members who were elected to the Committee on the same day those to retire shall be determined by lot. In addition members who have held office in the Committee for  3 years since their last election shall retire from office.

(c) The members entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting shall elect members to the General Committee in place of those who retire but a retiring member of the General Committee shall be entitled for re-election.

¦(d) If an Office-bearer elected in terms of paragraph (b) is  due to retire at the Annual General Meeting to follow  and if he is re-elected he shall continue to hold the office but if he is not re-elected the General Committee shall appoint another in office.

(e) A Casual vacancy occurring in the General Committee may be filled by the General Committee but the person so chosen shall be subject to retirement at the same time as if he had become a member of the Committee on the day on which the member of the Committee in whose place he is appointed was last elected.

(f) It shall be lawful for the General Committee at the last meeting prior to the Annual General Meeting to nominate for the ensuing year for election at the Annual General Meeting, its nominees for member- ship of the General Committee.

(g) Editor of Loris: - The General Committee shall appoint an Honorary Editor who will be required to edit and publish the official magazine of the Society. The Editor who may or may not be a member of the General Committee shall hold office until such time as he resigns or is removed by a majority vote of the Committee whereupon the General Committee shall appoint another Editor. He will be under the general control of the General Committee and shall be entitled to attend meetings of the General Committee but shall not be entitled to vote.

6. FINANCIAL YEAR -

The financial year shall end on the 30th September of each year.

7. GENERAL MEETING-

(a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held as soon after the close of the financial year as possible for the purpose of electing a Patron, should this position be vacant, an Auditor, and the vacancies in the General Committee for the ensuing year, to receive the  Honorary General Secretary's report and statement of accounts for the past year and to transact any other business of which due notice shall have been given.

The Honorary General Secretary shall give three weeks' notice of the meeting by circular to members, and shall send each member a copy of the report and statement of accounts. Any member may, on giving not less than ten days' notice in writing to the  Honorary General Secretary submit to the meeting nominations for vacancies in the General Committee or any matter falling within the scope of the objects of the Society.

(b) The General Committee may, whenever it thinks fit, call a Special General Meeting to discuss matters falling within the scope of the objects of the Society.

A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Honorary General Secretary at any time at the request of twenty members, who must state in writing the reason for which they desire such a meeting to be called. At such Special General Meeting the discussion  shall be confined to the subject defined by the twenty members in their written request for the meeting to be held.

(c) The chair shall be taken at all the meetings by the President or a Vice-President or, in their absence, by a member elected by those present. The Chairman  shall, in the event of voting being divided equally,have, in addition to his own vote, a casting vote.

(d) Voting at all General Meetings shall be by a show of hands unless the majority of members present decide that voting on any matter shall be by ballot.

(e) If at any General Meeting a poll be demanded by not less than two members of the Society who have been members thereof for a minimum period of one full financial year of the Society a poll shall be taken in such manner and at such time and place as the Chairman shall direct. The demand of a poll shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which a poll was demanded.

(f) A. poll shall be taken by ascertaining as far as possible the wishes of all members of the Society eligible to vote, and its result by simple majority shall be the final decision on any question on which a poll is demanded at a General Meeting. The Honorary General Secretary shall within fifteen days of the demand of the poll (or within such period as the Chairman shall fix) send a notice and voting paper to every member of the Society entitled to vote. Such notice shall set out in full the resolution upon which the poll is to be taken, the date of the meeting at which it was proposed and such other information (if any) as the Chairman shall or may think fit to add for the assistance or guidance of members. The notice shall further specify the date (to be fixed by the Chairman) on or before which the
voting paper must be returned to the Honorary General Secretary. Every voting paper shall be signed by the member himself and must state without comment whether the member is in favour of or against the resolution on which a poll has been demanded. Any voting paper which is not received by the Honorary General Secretary within
the time specified in the notice or which, if duly received, is inconclusive or contains comments, shall be void. The decision of the Chairman or such scrutinizers (if any) as he shall appoint as to whether  any voting paper is or is not valid shall be final.

(g) At any General Meeting thirty members shall form a quorum.

(h) No member, whose subscription for the current year is unpaid at the time of a meeting, shall be entitled to vote at that meeting or at a poll held in connection with the proceedings of that meeting.

8. COMMITTEE MEETINGS-

(a) At least six General Committee Meetings shall be held during each year.

(b) The General Committee shall have the power, at any time to demand the resignation of any member for such conduct as they may deem prejudicial to the interests of the Society.

(c) All matters dealt with by the General Committee shall be decided by a majority vote. The Chairman shall in the event of voting being divided equally, have, in addition to his own vote, a casting vote.

(d) At meetings of the General Committee seven shall form a quorum.

9. DUTIES OF THE HONORAEY GENERAL SECRETARY AND HONORARY TREASURER -

(a) The Honorary General Secretary and Hony. Treasurer shall submit for adoption at the Annual General Meeting, a report on the work of the Society for the preceding year, together with a duly audited statement of Society's accounts for the same period, having first submitted such report and accounts to the General Committee for its approval.

(b) The Honorary General Secretary shall see that a copy of the report and statement of accounts for submission at the Annual General Meeting is sent to each member as required under rule 7 (a).

(c) The Honorary General Secretary shall keep a correct record of proceedings of all meetings of the Society He shall call all meetings of the Society and be an ex officio member of all Committees.

(d) The Hony. Treasurer shall receive all moneys payable to the Society and shall make payments on behalf of the Society.

(e) The Hony. General Secretary shall notify all persons applying for membership of their enrolment as members of the Society after their election, as required under rule 2.

10. DUTIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS-

The duties of a member of the General Committee are: -

(a) To keep in touch with members and matters of interest to the Society and to attend all Committee Meetings.

(b) To receive and enquire into any complaints on representation made by members and, when necessary, to submit such complaints or representations to the General Committee.

(c) To foster and encourage interest in the activities of the Society, to arrange for meetings of members in order to discuss relevant matters and to interest himself generally in matters affecting the condition of wild life and the affairs of the Society.

11. DUTIES OF ALL MEMBERS-

It shall be the duty of every member of the Society: -

(a) To further the objects for which the Society Is constituted.

(b) To make himself conversant with the principal provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection and Firearms Ordinances, to assist in enforcing their observance and when considered advisable, to lay information against anyone knowingly infringing the provisions of the said Ordinances.

(c) To report to the District Representative or the Honorary General Secretary any matter of interest pertaining to wild life in his area or elsewhere.

12. DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES-

(a) The General Committee shall appoint at the beginning of each financial year, Honorary District Representatives, who may or may not be members of the General Committee but who shall be members of the Society. Such Representatives shall be entitled to attend meetings of the General Committee, but shall not be entitled to vote.

(b) The District Representative shall be in charge of the area which he represents and shall keep in touch with all members of the Society in his area and assist in the collection of subscriptions. He shall inform the Honorary General Secretary of all matters affecting wild life and the membership in his area.

(c) The District Representative shall hold at least 2 meetings per year of all members of the Society in his area; these meetings may be public meetings and serve the purpose of keeping the membership informed of the Society's work and policies, and also to propagate the Society's aims.

(d) The District Representative shall convene a Committee of such number of members of his area as he may desire and this District Committee shall meet at least 4 times a year and implement the objects of the Society.

(e) The General Committee or any special Sub-Committee formed for the purpose, shall from time to time draw up such rules and notes for the guidance of the District Representatives as may be deemed necessary, and these rules shall be observed by the District Representatives.

13. BUNGALOWS -

(a) The Society may construct and manage for the benefit of its members bungalows or shelters or camp sites in suitable places. The General Committee shall

decide from time to time whether and where such bungalows or shelters or camp sites shall be constructed and these shall be under the control of the General Committee.

(5) The General Committee shall from time to time draw up such rules and regulations for the administration of these bungalows, shelters and camp sites as may be deemed necessary, and these shall be observed by all members.

14. BANK ACCOUNTS -

The moneys of the Society shall be with such bank or banks as the General Committee may determine from time to time. All cheques, money orders and vouchers for money and other similar documents shall be endorsed by two persons, namely, either the Secretary and Treasurer or any one of them, together with another member of the Committee appointed for such purpose.

15. ALTERATION OF RULES -

No amendment or addition or revision shall be made to or from these rules except at an annual or special General Meeting of the Society at which not less than two-thirds of those members present and eligible to vote are in favour of such amendment or addition or revision, subject to rule 7 (e and f).