### Co-operative Societies Rules 《合作社規則》

63. Security by treasurer
The treasurer may be required to give security for such amount as may be determined by, and to the satisfaction of, the committee.

64. Duties of treasurer
The duties of the treasurer shall be—
(a) to receive from the secretary as provided in paragraph (f) of rule 61 moneys collected by the latter on behalf of the registered society, furnishing him with a receipt on a form taken from the counterfoil book supplied for the purpose by the Registrar and obtaining at the same time the signature of the secretary on the counterfoil;
(b) to advance money to the secretary for payments and obtain from him a receipt from the prescribed counterfoil book;
(c) to place to the account of the registered society in such bank as may be approved by the Registrar any amount in his hands in excess of the amount fixed from time to time by the committee;
(d) to keep separate all moneys belonging to the registered society and on no account to mix them with any other moneys; to produce at all times when called upon to the committee, the Registrar or any person authorized by him, all moneys in his hands belonging to the registered society; and
(e) to keep a record on the prescribed form of all moneys received by him from the secretary and of all moneys paid to the secretary.

65. Unfit officer
If in any society, in the opinion of the Registrar, any member of the committee or other officer is unfit for the discharge of his duties, the society shall, on the requirement of the Registrar, dismiss him.

66. Reserve fund
(1) The reserve fund of a registered society, created in pursuance of subsection (1) of section 34 of the Ordinance, may, with the sanction of the Registrar—
(a) be utilized in the business of the registered society; or
(b) be applied to meet occasional deficiencies incurred by the registered society.
(2) In sanctioning the utilization or application of the reserve fund under paragraph (1) of this rule, the Registrar may impose such terms and conditions as he may deem fit.

### Co-operative Societies Rules 《合作社規則》

67. Audit of accounts
In pursuance of section 35 of the Ordinance, the accounts of every registered society shall be audited once at least in every year by some person authorized by the Registrar. Such person shall have access to all the books and accounts of the registered society and shall examine every balance sheet and annual return of the receipts and expenditure, funds and effects of the registered society, and shall verify the same with the accounts and vouchers relating thereto, and shall either sign the same as found by him to be correct, duly vouched and in accordance with the Ordinance, and shall report to the Registrar accordingly, or shall specially report to the Registrar in what respects he finds the same incorrect, unvouched or not in accordance with the Ordinance. The Registrar shall thereupon forward the report of such person to the committee.

68. Audit and supervision fund
(1) There shall be constituted a fund to be known as the audit and supervision fund and every registered society shall, when called upon to do so by the Registrar, make annually a contribution to such fund.
(2) Until such time as a society has been established and registered for the purposes of supervision and audit, such contributions shall be held by the Registrar and administered by him on behalf of the contributing registered societies.
(3) So long as the Registrar administers the fund on behalf of the contributing registered societies, he shall report in every year to the Government in respect of the income derived from contributions, the expenditure he has sanctioned from the fund and the balance in his hands.
(4) As soon as a society for supervision and audit has been established and registered, the fund shall be credited to such society and shall be utilized by such society in accordance with its objects and by-laws.
(5) Until a society for supervision and audit has been established and registered, the Registrar shall fix the amount of the annual contribution to the fund of every registered society called upon to contribute to the fund. The amount of every such annual contribution shall be subject to a maximum of either five per cent of the net annual profits of the registered society or of one per cent of the working capital of the registered society, and shall not in any case be less than three per cent on the net annual profits or one half per cent of the working capital.

### Co-operative Societies Rules 《合作社規則》

69. By-laws
(1) The by-laws of a proposed society shall contain provision in respect of the following matters—
(a) the name of the society;
(b) (Repealed L.N. 158 of 1976)(c) the objects for which the society was established;
(d) the purposes to which the funds may be applied;
(e) the qualifications for membership, the terms of admission of members, and the mode of election;
(f) the nature and extent of the liability of members; and
(g) the manner of raising funds, including the maximum rate of interest on deposits.
(2) If the objects of the proposed society include the creation of funds to be lent to the members, the proposed by-laws shall, in addition, contain provision in respect of the following matters—
(a) the occupation and residence of the members;
(b) the conditions on which loans may be made to members, including—
(i) the rate of interest; and
(ii) the maximum amount which may be lent to a member; and
(c) the consequences, if any, of default in the payment of any sum due on account of shares.

70. Amendment of by-laws
(1) Where in pursuance of subsection (1) of section 10 of the Ordinance a registered society amends its by-laws, such amendment shall be made by a resolution of the members of the registered society at a general meeting.
(2) Every resolution under paragraph (1) of this rule shall not be valid and effective unless it was taken by a majority of not less than three-fourths of the members present at the general meeting at which the resolution was proposed.
(3) A copy of a resolution under paragraph (1) of this rule shall be forwarded to the Registrar together with three copies of the amendment.

71. Copies of entries
For the purposes of section 20 of the Ordinance a copy of an entry in the book of a registered society may be certified by a certificate written at the foot of such copy, declaring that it is a true copy of such entry and that the book containing the entry is still in the custody of the society; such certificate shall be dated and signed by the secretary and one member of the committee.