All societies, corporations, offices, appointments, regulations, rules, by-laws, Orders in Council, orders, registers, records, instruments, and generally all acts of authority which originated under any of the said enactments, and are subsisting or in force on the coming into operation of this Act, shall enure for the purposes of this Act as fully and effectually as if they had originated under the corresponding provisions of this Act, and accordingly shall, where necessary, be deemed to have so originated:

Provided that every such corporation shall be deemed to be the same corporation under this Act, without change of corporate entity or otherwise:

Provided also that in the case of members elected or appointed for a specified term the current term shall be computed from the date of its commencement.

All matters and proceedings commenced under any such enactment, and pending or in progress on the coming into operation of this Act, may be continued, completed, and enforced under this Act.

To collect from books or other publications and by means of correspondence with other like societies such information relating to manufacturing, mining, and productive industries as may be useful to local manufacturers, miners, and producers:

To pay to any manufacturer, miner, producer, occupier of land, or other person undertaking, at the request of the society, to ascertain by experiment how far any such information leads to useful results in practice remuneration for any loss he may incur in so doing:

To encourage men of science in their endeavour to invent and improve manufacturing, mining, and productive tools, implements, machinery, appliances, and arts:

Generally to promote, foster, encourage, and develop local manufacturing, mining, and productive industries:

To encourage the adaptation and use of the newest and best modes of manufacturing, mining, and producing by the distribution at the meetings of the society of prizes, models, specimens, and samples, and by other means:

To encourage enterprise and industry by holding, or by supporting and encouraging by gifts or loans of money or otherwise howsoever, exhibitions of manufactures, minerals, productions, machinery, appliances, tools, and implements, and by granting prizes thereat for the best exhibits, and for competitions for inventions or improvements, or skill or excellence, in manufacturing, mining, productive, or other industries.

The society may consist of ordinary, honorary, and life members, who shall be elected by ballot at any meeting of the society in the manner to be prescribed by any by-law.

The society shall hold one or more general meetings in each year, upon such days as the committee of management of the society fixes at any of its ordinary meetings, and makes known, together with the object of the meeting, at least fourteen days beforehand, by advertisement in any newspaper published in the district wherein the society holds its meetings.

At all general meetings of the society twenty shall be a quorum; and the president, or in his absence the vice-president, or in the absence of the vice-president some member elected by the meeting, shall preside; and all questions before general meetings shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present.

The society shall annually at a general meeting choose out of its ordinary members a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, and two or more auditors.

The society shall also annually at the said general meeting choose out of its ordinary members a committee of management of not more than twenty-four members (hereinafter called “the committee”), who together with the president, vice-president, and treasurer shall manage and direct the ordinary business of the society in all matters, in compliance with the constitution and by-laws of the society.

In all meetings of the committee one-third shall be a quorum; and the president, vice-president, or in their absence then some member of the committee selected by the other members thereof present shall be chairman of the meeting.

The chairman of all meetings of the committee and of all general meetings of the society as aforesaid shall have a deliberative vote and, in case of an equality, a casting-vote also.

All persons holding office in the society at the time of the incorporation thereof shall continue in office under the incorporated society until their successors are appointed under the provisions hereof.

The committee may appoint a secretary for conducting the general business of the society, and any other officers or servants it thinks fit, and shall fix the salaries or allowances to be paid to such secretary and other officers or servants.

The ordinary members of the society shall pay upon admission, and afterwards annually, towards the general fund of the society, such sum or sums as the society from time to time fixes and declares by by-law, with power to any member to redeem the annual contribution by a payment in one sum of such amount as the society from time to time authorises as the purchase of a life subscription.

All life members of the society at the time of its incorporation shall be life members of the society when incorporated.

Honorary members shall not be subject to any annual contribution or other payment.

Each ordinary member of the society shall pay his annual contribution for the preceding year at or before the annual general meeting, or otherwise he shall have no vote.

The society, on the vote of not less than three-fourths of the members present at an ordinary general meeting or a special general meeting to be convened in the manner provided in paragraph (b) hereof, may expel any member for any cause which appears to such meeting to require that proceeding; and that person shall thereupon cease to be a member or to have any right or interest in the society or its concerns.

The annual payments by the ordinary members of the society, or sums paid in lieu thereof as life subscriptions, shall be paid to the treasurer or to any collector to be named by him.

Such collector shall give security for his fidelity to the satisfaction of the committee, and shall receive such remuneration as the committee from time to time determines.

All sums received by the treasurer or collector shall be lodged with such bank as the committee appoints, and neither the treasurer nor the collector shall at any time retain any balance of the funds in his hands above twenty pounds.

The society at its general meetings may apply the revenues of the society for the purposes of the society, and may put at the disposal of the committee annually certain sums, to be applied in such manner as appears to the committee most conducive to the interests of the society.