CONSTITUTION.
1.—NAME
The Socialist Medical Association of Great Britain (hereinafter named the Association).
2.—OBJECTS.
(a)To work for a Socialised Medical Service, both preventive and curative, free
and open to all.
(b)To secure for the people the highest possible standard of health; to promote
legislation for this purpose and to ensure that existing legislation for the
improvement of the national health is carried into full effect.
(c)To disseminate the principles of Socialism within the medical and allied
services.
(d)To assist in the return of Socialist members of such services to Parliament
and to Local Government Authorities.
(e)To stimulate interest in health questions among the members of the Labour,
Socialist, Trade Union and Co-operative movements.
(f)To establish close relations with the Socialist members of the medical and
allied services in other countries through the appropriate International Organisation.
(g)To conduct propaganda in furtherance of the aims and objects of the Association.
(h)To assist in securing for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits
of their industry, and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible
upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution
and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control
of each industry or service.
3.—MEMBERSHIP.
The membership shall be open to the following who are Socialists and who subscribe
to the objects of the Association.
1.Registered or Qualified Medical Practitioners.
2.Registered Dental Practitioners.Members of the Pharmaceutical Society.
3.Registered Medical Auxiliaries.
4.State Registered Nurses and State Certified Midwives.
5.Members of allied professions specially approved for membership.
Students of the professions specified above who are members of a Students* Socialist
organisation shall be eligible to become Student Associates.
4—CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP
Each member must accept the rules and objects of the Association. Any member
failing to conform to this condition shall cease to be a member of the Association.
5—GOVERNMENT.
The absolute control and administration of the affairs and property of the Association
shall be vested in the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, a Vice-President, Treasurer,
General Secretary, Organising Secretaries, Branch Secretaries, the Editor of
the official organ of the Association, and two Trustees, together with 20 other
elected members of whom 12 shall be Medical Practitioners and 2 Student Associates
nominated by the Inter-Hospital Socialist Society.
All Socialist M.P.'s of the Medical and Allied Services shall be ex-officio
Honorary Vice-Presidents of the Association.
6.—ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The Election of the Executive Committee and all Officers shall take place annually
at the Annual General Meeting from nominations received beforehand from members
of the Association.
7.—CASUAL VACANCIES.
Casual Vacancies among the officers or members of the Executive may be filled
by the Executive Committee
8.—AUDITORS.
The accounts of the Association shall be audited each year by two members who
are not members of the Executive Committee. The General Secretary shall produce
for inspection by the Auditors all books and papers necessary for the complete
examination of the Association's accounts. The Auditors shall be elected at
the Annual General Meeting.
9.—ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
The Annual General Meeting shall be held in May in each year.
A notice of the meeting, together with a draft agenda of the business to be
transacted, the report of the Executive Committee, and a statement of the financial
position of the Association, shall be forwarded to each member not less than
four weeks before the date of the meeting.
It shall be open to any member or student associate or members or student associates
to move resolutions, provided that due notice of motion of such resolutions
shall have been forwarded to the General Secretary not later than five weeks
before the meeting.
Amendments to the resolutions in the draft agenda shall be forwarded to the
General Secretary not less than two weeks before the meeting.
Resolutions carried at the Annual General Meeting shall be binding on the Executive
Committee.
At the meeting the report of the Executive Committee and a statement of the
financial position of the Association shall be presented for adoption.
10.—SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING.
A Special General Meeting shall be called for the purpose of considering any
definite recommendations to the Executive Committee either (a) by resolution
of the Annual General Meeting, or (b) by resolution of the Executive Committee,
or (c) at the request in writing of not less than 20 members setting forth the
terms of the recommendation for consideration.
11 .-PROCEDURE AT THE MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
The president or failing him some other member of the Executive Committee or
a member of the Association to be elected by the meeting shall take the chair
at every meeting of the Association, and shall on any question have a casting
vote in addition to the vote which he is otherwise entitled. Every member personally
present at any meeting shall have one vote.
Voting shall be by show of hands, unless the Executive Committee shall otherwise
determine in any particular case.
12.—DISTRICT BRANCHES.
The Executive Committee shall from time to time as it may think desirable arrange
for the formation of a district branch of the Association in any district, and
for this purpose the Secretaries shall make all necessary arrangements. Each
branch shall have a Chairman and a Secretary, who shall be elected annually.
Any resolution passed by any such branch shall receive the consideration of
the Executive Committee at its next meeting, if a copy of the resolution has
been placed in the hands of the Secretary. The Executive Committee shall have
power to make all such further regulations as shall be necessary for the conduct
of such branches.
13.—CONTRIBUTIONS,
Each member of the Association shall pay a minimum annual subscription of five
shillings except Medical Practitioners qualified for more than three years who
shall pay a minimum of ten shillings. The Executive Committee shall be empowered
to reduce or waive the subscriptions in individual cases.
All contributions shall become due on each anniversary of the date when the
member was elected
Members who, subject to adequate reminder, are more than one year in arrears
with their subscriptions shall automatically cease to be members of the Association.
14.—AFFILIATION FEES.
Affiliation fees shall be paid as required to the bodies to which this Association
shall be affiliated.
15.—FUNDS.
The funds of the Association shall be paid into the Cooperative Wholesale
Society Ltd. Bankers or such other Bank as the Executive Committee shall from
time to time determine.
16.—ALTERATION OF RULES.
These rules or any of them can only be altered, added to, amended or rescinded
by a vote of two thirds of the members of the Association present at the Annual
or Special Meetings, after due notice has been given.
June, 1936.
S. P. S. Ltd., 112-115, Fetter Lane, E.C.4.
last updated 17/02/08