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the Provincial Grand Master of the Province to which the
Brother who has ceased to be a member of the
Commission belonged shall appoint a duly qualified
Provincial Brother to serve in his stead for the remainder
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of the term. Such appointment shall be made by the
Provincial Grand Master and notified to the Grand
Secretary within twenty-eight days after the vacancy
occurs, or in default shall be made by the Grand Master.
(d) Provincial members of the Commission shall
be eligible for re-election after having served the term
for which they were elected or appointed.
275B. Not more than one member of any Lodge shall be
eligible, as such, for nomination as a candidate for
election to the Commission; but this shall not prevent a
duly qualified Brother, being a subscribing member of
another Lodge, from being nominated in respect of his
membership of such other Lodge.
275C. To provide for any case of a ballot having to be
taken, eight scrutineers are to be nominated by the Grand
Secretary annually not less than fourteen days before the
Grand Lodge in March, and eight other scrutineers are to
be nominated by the Grand Master. The scrutineers shall
on each such occasion solemnly pledge themselves to
make a correct report under their hands of the result of
the ballot, and having ascertained the number of votes
polled for the several candidates shall present their report
to the Grand Lodge. If their report is not ready by the
time that the Grand Lodge is about to be closed, the
Grand Master shall receive the report, and a copy
thereof, verified by the Grand Secretary, shall be
immediately posted at Freemasons Hall, and remain
exhibited for one week for the information of the Craft.
276. An Appeals Court shall consist of one member of
the panel who shall preside and not less than four other
members of the Commission. Whenever it is necessary
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to constitute an Appeals Court the Grand Master shall
select a member of the panel to preside, and the Brother
so selected shall nominate the other members of the
Court. All questions shall be determined by a majority of
votes, the presiding Brother in case of equality having a
second or casting vote.
Recommend- 277. (a) Whenever the Grand Secretary shall receive a
ations for
report under Rule 76 recommending the erasure of a
Erasure or
Lodge for misconduct or expulsion of a Brother or such
Expulsion
a recommendation be made under Rule 233, he shall
cause it to be laid before an Appeals Court which shall
deal with it in one of the following ways:
(i) (A) If the Appeals Court shall be of opinion
that the recommendation should proceed it shall direct
the Grand Secretary to inform the Master of the Lodge or
Brother concerned by letter that after the expiration of 90
days from the date of posting the letter such Lodge shall
thereupon be erased or the Brother expelled from the
Craft as the case may be, unless within such period the
Grand Secretary receives notice that such Lodge or
Brother desires to make a plea for clemency, which
notice shall include or be accompanied by a written
summary of the matters which will be relied on in
support of the plea.
(B) If at the expiration of the said period of
90 days the Grand Secretary shall have received no such
notice as aforesaid, the finding of the Appeals Court shall
thereupon take effect as the erasure of the Lodge or the
expulsion of the Brother, and the name of the Lodge or
Brother and the reason for the erasure or expulsion shall
be reported to the Grand Lodge at the next convenient
Quarterly Communication.
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(C) If the Grand Secretary shall within the
said period of 90 days receive notice that the Lodge or
Brother desires to make a plea for clemency, he shall
report the matter to the Panel for Clemency, and if after
due consideration they grant the plea they may substitute
any penalty authorised by Rule 179.
(D) If the Panel for Clemency shall
consider that the plea should not be granted, the finding
of the Appeals Court shall thereupon take effect as the
erasure of the Lodge or the expulsion of the Brother, and
the name of the Lodge or Brother and the reason for the
erasure or expulsion shall be reported to the Grand
Lodge at the next convenient Quarterly Communication.
(E) If the Panel for Clemency shall
consider that the plea ought to be heard in the Grand
Lodge, they shall grant the Lodge or the Brother
concerned leave to make the plea in the Grand Lodge, in
which case they shall direct the Grand Secretary to
inform the Board of General Purposes.
(ii) The Appeals Court may substitute any
penalty authorised by Rule 179 or a direction that a
Brother be invited to resign from the Craft pursuant to
Rule 277A.
(iii) The Appeals Court may dismiss the case.
(b) A recommendation that a Lodge be erased or a
Brother be expelled when supported by an Appeals Court
under paragraph (a) (i) of this Rule or substituted under
paragraph (i) of Rule 278 shall take effect as a penalty of
suspension for an indeterminate period which shall
(subject to the powers of the Panel for Clemency under
paragraph (a) (i) (C) of this Rule) continue in force
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notwithstanding that the Grand Lodge shall resolve that
the Lodge be not erased or the Brother be not expelled,
provided always that the Lodge or Brother may
subsequently apply to an Appeals Court to exercise the
power conferred on it by Rule 179 (iv).
(c) On receipt of a report under paragraph
(a) (i) (E) of this Rule the Board of General Purposes
shall cause the report to be placed on the Paper of
Business for the next convenient Quarterly
Communication of the Grand Lodge. The Board of
General Purposes shall cause the Master and Wardens of
the Lodge or the Brother concerned to be summoned by
not less than twenty-eight days notice in writing to
appear in person in the Grand Lodge or to make
representations in writing.
(d) The Panel for Clemency and the Grand Lodge
in considering a motion for erasure or expulsion and
any plea for clemency shall be bound so far as the
ingredients of the offence are concerned by findings of
fact made or accepted by the Appeals Court, and the
Lodge or Brother making the plea shall not without leave
be permitted to refer to any matter not mentioned in the
notice referred to in paragraph (a) (i) (A) of this Rule.
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