subject, and different committees are proposed, the motion shall be put in the following order: A standing committee of the council. RULE 25. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, provided business of a nature to be recorded on the journal has been transacted since a motion to adjourn was rejected; and such motion shall be decided without debate. RULE 26. Debate on a call for the previous question, or on a motion to close debate at a specified time, or on a motion to lay on the table or take from the table, shall not exceed ten minutes, and no member shall speak more than three minutes. In such debate, however, the merits of the main question shall not be discussed. RULE 27. Any member may require the division of a question when the sense will admit of it; and any member may move at any time for the suspension of any rule or rules. PREVIOUS QUESTION. RULE 28. The previous question shall be put in the following form: “Shall the main question be now put 3 '' and all debate upon the main question shall be suspended until the previous question has been decided. RULE 29. When the previous question is ordered, the vote shall be taken upon all pending amendments, and finally upon the main question. RULE 30. All incidental questions of order, arising after a motion is made for the previous question, shall be decided without debate, except on an appeal; and on such an appeal no member shall be allowed to speak more than once without leave of the council. APPEAL. RULE 31. No appeal from the decision of the president shall be entertained unless it is seconded; and no motion but to adjourn shall be in order till the question on appeal has been decided. The question shall be put as follows: “Shall the decision of the chair stand as the judgment of the council 3 '' And it shall be deemed to be decided in the affirmative, unless the majority of the votes given are to the contrary. VOTING, RULE 32. If the president is unable to decide, or if any member doubts a vote, the president shall cause a rising vote to be taken on the question, without further debate. The president shall appoint two tellers for each division of the council, as fixed by him, who shall agree on a count, and report the result aloud to him. RULE 33. A motion that any pending vote shall be taken by yeas and nays shall be in order at any time, and no debate shall be allowed thereon, but it shall be passed by the assent of one-fifth of the members present. Every member present shall answer to his name unless excused before the vote is taken. RULE 34. After the announcement of a vote not taken by yeas and nays, any member may vote for a verification thereof by yeas and nays, and on such motion a debate of the original question, not exceeding five minutes, shall be permitted; and the yeas and nays shall be taken, provided one-fifth of the members voting shall so require. RECONSIDERATION. RULE 35. When a vote has been passed, any member may move a reconsideration thereof at the same meeting, either immediately after the announcement of such vote, or whenever motions are in order; or if any member, who is not shown by a yea and may vote to have voted against the prevailing side, shall give notice to the clerk, before 10 o'clock A.M., of the next day but one following that on which a meeting was held (except the final meeting of the year, or that preceding any adjournment for over two weeks), of his intention so to do, he may move a reconsideration at the next meeting at which said motion is reached in the order of proceedings. RULE 36. Debate on motions to reconsider shall be limited to thirty minutes, and no member shall speak more than five minutes. Whenever a matter has been especially assigned, a notice, as above specified, to reconsider any vote affecting it shall be considered whenever such special assignment takes effect. RULE 37. When a motion for reconsideration has been decided, that decision shall not be reconsidered, and no question shall be twice reconsidered unless it has been amended after the reconsideration; nor shall any reconsideration be had upon either of the following motions: To adjourn. The previous question. RESCINIOING, VOTES. RULE 38. After a vote has been refused a reconsideration, it shall not be rescinded unless two-thirds of the whole number of the members of the common council vote in the affirmative. ELECTIONS. RULE 39. All elections of city officers by this branch shall be held in accordance with the provisions of chapter 170 of the Acts of the year 1899. SEATS OF MEMBERS. RULE 40. No person except a member of the council shall be permitted to occupy the seat of any member while the council is in session. The seats of the members of the council shall be numbered, and shall be determined, in the presence of the council, by drawing the names of members and the number of the seats simultaneously; and each member shall be entitled for the year to the seat bearing the number so drawn against his name, and shall not change it, except by the permission of the president. SPECTATOES. RULE 41. The city messenger shall allow no person upon the floor of the council chamber, or in either of the anterooms, except members of the city government, heads of departments and reporters, without the permission of the president; and, while the council is in session, no person except members of the city government, heads of departments and reporters, shall be allowed in either of the anterooms on the easterly side. The president shall order such accommodations on the floor for reporters and spectators as he shall deem proper; provided, however, that no spectators shall be seated behind the members of the council. RULE 42. The council chamber shall be used for meetings of the council only, unless by special vote of the common council; provided, that during the summer recess the president may allow the chamber to be used for public purposes, in all cases reporting his action to the council at its next meeting. The anteroom and large committee-room on the east shall be subject to the same rules, except that the president may allow committee meetings to be held therein at times when the council is not in session. The clerk's room shall be assigned to the clerk of the common council for occupancy and use. The anteroom between the council chamber and the clerk's room shall be used during the meetings of the council to give access to the seats on the floor, and for such other purposes as the president may direct; provided, that smoking there shall not be allowed on the part of visitors. The general care and supervision of these rooms are hereby intrusted to the city messenger, subject to the direction of the president; but no expenditure of money shall be made except by direct vote of the common council. PARI,IAMENTARY PRACTICE. RULE 43. The rules of parliamentary practice as contained in Cushing’s “Law and Practice of Legislative Assemblies” shall govern this council in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with these rules or the joint rules of the city council. - REPEAL. RULE 44. The foregoing rules shall not be altered, amended, suspended or repealed, at any time, except by the votes of two-thirds of the members of the common council present and voting thereon. JOINT RULES AND ORDERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEES. RULE 1. There shall be appointed at the commencement of the municipal year the following joint standing committees, the members of which shall be appointed by the respective branches in such manner as they may determine. Said committees shall respectively examine, as often as they deem necessary, the accounts of public moneys received and expended by the several departments. Each of said committees to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, namely: 1. A committee on the Art Department. A committee on the Assessing Lepartment. A committee on the Auditing Department. A committee on the Bath Department. A committee on the Building Department. A committee on the Cemetery Department. A committee on the City Clerk Department. A committee on the City Messenger Department. A committee on the Clerk of Committees Department. A committee on the Collecting Department. A committee on the Election Department. 12. A committee on the Engineering Department. 13. A committee on the Fire Department. 14. A committee on the Health Department. 15. A committee on the Hospital Department. 16. A committee on the Institutions Departments. 17. A committee on the Lamp Department. 18. A committee on the Law Department. 19, A committee on the Library Department. 20. A committee on the Market Department. 21. A committee on the Music Department. 22. A committee on the Overseeing of the Poor Department. 23. A committee on the Park Department. 24. A committee on the Public Buildings Department. 25. A committee on the Public Grounds Department. 26. A committee on the Registry Department. 27. A committee on the Statistics Department. 28. A committee on the Street Department. 29. A committee on the Street Laying-out Department. 30. A committee on the Treasury Department. 31. A committee on the Vessels and Ballast Department. 32. A committee on the Water Department. There shall also be appointed annually, in like manner, the following joint standing committees to perform the duties assigned them: 1. A committee on Appropriations, to consist of eight members of the board of aldermen, and eight members of the common council, to whom shall be referred the estimates of the departments prepared annually, and any suggestions thereon from his honor the mayor. They shall report an order appropriating such sums as they deem necessary for the lawful public uses, and setting forth in detail, as far as convenient, the purposes. * 2. A committee on Claims, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred all claims against the city arising from the act or neglect of any of its departments. They shall report monthly the number and nature of the claims awarded or approved by them, and the amount of money awarded or paid in settlement thereof. 3. A committee on Finance, to consist of six members of the board of aldermen and nine members of the common council, to whom shall be referred all applications for expenditures which involve a loan, or a transfer of any part of an appropriation named in the general appropriation order, or from the reserved fund, as provided in Rule 17. 4. A committee on Legislative Matters, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, who shall, unless otherwise ordered, appear before committees of the general court and represent the interests of the city; provided said committee shall not, unless directed so to do by the city council, oppose any legislation petitioned for by the preceding city council. It shall report in print to the city council all bills, resolves, and petitions presented to the legislature affecting the city of Boston or any department thereof. Such printed report shall be made at the next meeting of either branch after such application is made, or earlier, at the discretion of said committee. 5. A committee on Ordinances, to consist of the members of the committee on law department, to whom shall be referred all ordinances introduced in either branch, or transmitted to them by vote of any standing committee. Unless specially instructed, they shall pass upon the question of the form and legality of the ordinance so referred, they may append an order that such ordinance “ought not to pass,” and give their reasons therefor, or report such ordinance in a new draft. Such report shall be made in not over two weeks from the meeting at which the reference was ordered, or the ordinance received from a committee. 6. A committee on Police, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred all matters relating to the police department. 7. A committee on Printing, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, who shall have the charge of all printing, advertising, or |