nt. If during his term of office a member of the council becomes
bankrupt, or compounds with his creditors, or is (except in case of
illness) continuously absent from the county, being chairman for more
than two months, or being alderman or councillor for more than six
months, his office becomes vacant by declaration of the council. In
the case of disqualification by absence, the same fines are payable as
upon non-acceptance of office, and the same liability arises on
resignation. Acting without making the declaration, or without being
qualified at the time of making the declaration, or after ceasing to
be qualified, or after becoming disqualified, involves liability to a
fine not exceeding L50, recoverable by action.

Chairman, &c.

The councillors who have been elected come into office on the 8th
March in the year of election. The first quarterly meeting of the
newly-elected council is held on the 16th or on such other day within
ten days after the 8th as the county council may fix. The first
business at that meeting is the election of the chairman, whose office
corresponds to that of the mayor in a borough. He is elected for the
ensuing year, and holds office until his successor has accepted
office. The chairman must be a fit person, elected by the council from
their own body or from persons qualified to be councillors. He may
receive such remuneration as the council think reasonable. He is by
virtue of his office a justice of the peace for the county. Having
elected the chairman, the meeting proceeds to the election of
aldermen, whose number is one-third of the number of councillors,
except in London, where the number is one-sixth. An alderman must be a
councillor or a person qualified to be a councillor. If a councillor
is elected he vacates his office of councillor, and thus creates a
casual vacancy in the council. In every third year one-half of the
whole number of aldermen go out of office, and their places are filled
by election, which is conducted by means of voting papers. It will be
observed, therefore, that while a county councillor holds office for
three years, a county alderman holds office for six. The council may
also appoint a vice-chairman who holds office during the term of
office of the chairman; in London the council have power to appoint a
paid deputy chairman.

Officers.

It may be convenient at this point to re