1.—NAME
The Socialist Medical Association of Great Britain (hereinafter named the Association).
2.—OBJECTS.
- To work for a Socialised Medical Service, both preventive and curative, free and open to all.
- 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.
- To disseminate the principles of Socialism within the medical and allied services.
- To assist in the return of Socialist members of such services to Parliament and to Local Government Authorities.
- To stimulate interest in health questions among the members of the Labour, Socialist, Trade Union and Co-operative movements.
- To establish close relations with the Socialist members of the medical and allied services in other countries through the appropriate International Organisation.
- To conduct propaganda in furtherance of the aims and objects of the Association.
- 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.
- Registered or Qualified Medical Practitioners.
- Registered Dental Practitioners.Members of the Pharmaceutical Society.
- Registered Medical Auxiliaries.
- State Registered Nurses and State Certified Midwives.
- 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.