Article 1.
The name of the Club shall be THE PIPE CLUB OF LONDON.
Article 2.
The Club’s address shall be at the private residence of the Hon. Secretary & Treasurer.
Article 3.
The objects of the Club shall be:
(a) to promote good fellowship amongst pipe smokers;
(b) to hold meetings, discussions, lectures and other events for the benefit of Club members;
(c) to support as far as possible “THE FREEDOM ORGANISATION for the RIGHT to ENJOY SMOKING TOBACCO”;
(d) to introduce the pleasures of pipe smoking to others.
Article 4.
The Club shall be a Members’ Club and shall consist of ordinary members, Officers of the Club, Twelve Year Members,(note 12 year membership no longer an option from April 1st 2016) Life Members, (note that Life Membership ceased to be an option with effect from 31st. August, 1996), Committee Members, and such Honorary Members as are hereinafter mentioned.
Article 5.
The first ordinary members shall be the survivors of those present at the inaugural meeting of THE PIPE CLUB OF LONDON on February 23rd., 1970 held at the “Paviours Arms” in Page Street, Westminster, London, under the auspices of the now defunct THE PIPE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN, who having determined to form themselves (with forty-one other persons now deceased or whose membership has lapsed) into a Club, are in this Article referred to as Founder Members. The Pipe Club of London was the first Club so formed under the parent wing of the P.C.G.B. At the time of writing of this revised version of the Constitution, the sole survivor as a Founder Member is Peter C. Wiseman.
Article 6.
Subject as aforesaid, election to membership of the Club shall be subject to consideration by the Hon. Secretary & Treasurer or such other person(s) as the Club from time to
time shall so appoint. No reasons shall be given to any candidate in the event of his or her rejection.
Article 7.
Honorary Members, who shall not be liable to pay any subscription, shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership, and may be appointed according to the wishes and consideration of the General Committee from time to time.
Article 8.
No person shall be admitted to ordinary membership until he or she shall have paid to the Pipe Club of London his or her first annual subscription.
Article 9.
The affairs of the Club, in all matters in these Articles not reserved for the Club in General Meeting, shall be managed by the General Committee of the Club.
Article 10.
The General Committee of the Club shall consist of not fewer than five or more than eight ordinary members of the Club, who shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. They shall go out of office in every year, but shall be eligible for re-election.
The General Committee of the Club may appoint one or more sub-committees for such purposes as it may deem appropriate. Three members shall constitute a quorum of the General committee, and two members a quorum of a sub-committee.
Article 11.
There shall be a President, a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall be elected from time to time by the Club in General Meeting from amongst the ordinary members of the Club, and such other Officers of the Club as the Club in General Meeting shall appoint. With the approval of the Club in General Meeting, the offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person. The Officers of the Club shall be ex-officio members of the General Committee.
Article 12.
The annual subscription for an ordinary member shall be such a sum as the Club in General Meeting may from time to time determine.
Article 13.
Annual subscriptions shall be payable prior to, on, or not later than THREE MONTHS after 1st. April each year, without reminders being sent to members. If any member shall make default in paying LESS that the correct amount for his or her annual subscription, or shall fail to renew his or her membership of the Club, such membership will be canceled without any prejudice to any claim the Club may have against the member for any sums properly owed to the Club.
Article 14.
If so required by a majority vote of the Club in General Meeting, a nominal ‘joining fee’ may be introduced at any time, as an incentive against members lapsing, and as an encouragement to continuation of membership by prompt payment of subscriptions when due. The ‘joining fee’ shall be not less than one-fifth of the amount of the annual subscription, or such other proportion of the subscription as the General Committee may determine.
Article 15.
Lapsed members on rejoining, after failing to renew their subscription, (for any period of years), shall be liable to pay such ‘joining fee’ only once, despite the number of years that may have elapsed since their previous membership expired. Where possible, the ‘lapsed’ member will be given his original membership number.
Article 16.
The Treasurer shall keep such proper books of account as will enable him or her to present at every Annual General Meeting of the Club, or at any other time if required, (reasonable notice having first been given to the Treasurer), by the General Committee, an accurate record and statement concerning the finances of the Club.
Article 17.
An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in every year, and there shall be not more than fifteen months between one Annual General Meeting and the next. Notice of the day and time of the Annual General Meeting shall be announced in the “Forthcoming Events” slip available to every member upon request, and on the Club’s “Website”, in order to alert each such member in good time, of the Annual General Meeting to be held that year.
Article 18.
A General Meeting of the Club may be convened at any reasonable time by the General Committee, (which can include Officers of the Club, Committee Members and ordinary members), and shall be so convened as soon as reasonable practicable upon any ten members delivering to the Hon. Secretary a written request stating the subject matter(s) to be raised.
Article 19.
At any General Meeting of the Club, every member of the Club shall be entitled to be present and every ordinary member shall be entitled to vote upon every question or proposal to be raised. In the case of equality of voting, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
The Hon. Secretary shall take minutes of the proceedings at all General Meetings of the Club.
Article 20.
The General Committee may from time to time make, vary and revoke by-laws (not inconsistent with these Articles) for the regulation of the internal affairs of the Club, and/or for the conduct of the members, and the by-laws for the time being in force shall be binding on all members.
Article 21.
Neither the Club nor any officer thereof shall be liable to any member or guest of a member for any loss or damage to any property occurring, from whatever cause, in or about the Club’s premises; nor for any injury sustained by any member or guest whilst on, entering or leaving the Club premises. [The term ‘premises’ shall be construed as being those at which the Club has, by prior arrangement, been permitted to occupy for the purposes of a meeting or meetings, of the Club].
Article 22.
Each member shall keep the Hon. Secretary of The Pipe Club of London informed at the Club’s address, of that member’s private address, or of some other address to which communications to that member may be addressed.
Article 23.
If the number of ordinary members of the Club falls below ten persons, or if at any time the Club shall pass in General Meeting, (by a majority comprising more than two-thirds or more of the members present and entitled to vote), a resolution of its intention to dissolve, the General Committee shall take immediate steps to convert into money all the property of the Club, with power however to postpone or delay the conversion of any particular property if the Club in General Meeting shall so authorise.
Out of the proceeds of such conversion, the General Committee shall discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club, including the expenses of such conversion, and any balance remaining in their hands shall be returned to the members in equal proportion and thereupon the Club shall be for all purposes dissolved.
A copy of the notice convening any General Meeting under this Article shall be sent by the Hon. Secretary either by post or conveyed via the Club’s Website to all members at his or her address last notified to The Pipe Club of London under Article 22, not fewer than fourteen days before the date appointed for the meeting; but any accidental omission to send (in whatever form) such copy or non-receipt of the same shall not invalidate any proceedings or resolution.
The foregoing Constitution of The Pipe Club of London (not precisely in the form as written) was originally approved by a unanimous decision of the members at the Annual General Meeting of the Club held at the premises of the Royal British Legion, St. Marylebone Club, 4, Grotto Passage, London W1N 3JD on the 18th. April, 1993.
This current form was revised and re-written for operational requirements on 29th. March, 2004, by the Hon. Secretary & Treasurer, Peter C. Wiseman, and was formerly granted acceptance by the President, Chairman, and Hon. Secretary & Treasurer, on the eighth of April, 2004.