Railways Act, 1933

Election of directors by postal voting.

6.—(1) Within three months after the passing of this Act the Company shall prepare and submit to the Minister a scheme (in this Act referred to as the postal voting scheme) whereby every election of a director of the Company which would, but for this section, he required by law to be made by the votes of members of the Company given at an annual general meeting of the Company shall be made by the votes of members of the Company given by means of ballot papers sent or delivered by such members by post or otherwise to the Company or to a returning officer on behalf of the Company.

(2) When the postal voting scheme is submitted to the Minister by the Company under this section, the Minister shall, as he shall think proper, either by order confirm such scheme without modification or make such modifications in such scheme as he shall, subject to the provisions of this section, think proper and by order confirm such scheme as so modified.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this section, the postal voting scheme as confirmed by the Minister under this section shall provide for the following particular matters in relation to every election held under such scheme, that is to say:—

(a) the method of nominating candidates for election at such election;

(b) the appointment of a returning officer for the purposes of such election;

(c) the furnishing by the Company to the members of the Company of ballot papers for the purposes of such election;

(d) the returning of such ballot papers by such members by post or otherwise to the Company or to such returning officer on behalf of the Company;

(e) securing that each member of the Company shall be entitled to give at such election the like number of votes as he would have been entitled to give at such election if this section had not been enacted and such election had taken place at an annual general meeting of the Company;

(f) securing that representatives of the members of the Company may be present at and, if they so desire, take part in the scrutiny and counting of the votes given at such election;

(g) providing that the ballot papers for the purposes of such election shall be despatched to the members of the Company not less than one week before the annual general meeting of the Company at which such election would have taken place if this section had not been enacted, and that the poll at such election shall not be closed until at least one week after such annual general meeting.

(4) The Minister shall, by the order confirming the postal voting scheme under this section, appoint the day (not being later than twelve months after the passing of this Act) on which such scheme shall come into force.

(5) At any time after the postal voting scheme has been confirmed by the Minister under this section, the Minister may, either in consequence of representations made to him by the Company or on his own motion after one month's notice to the Company, by order amend (by addition, omission, or variation) such scheme in such manner as he shall, subject to the provisions of this section, think proper.

(6) On and after the expiration of two months after the date on which the postal voting scheme comes into force under this section, every election of a director of the Company which, but for this section, would be required by law to be made by the votes of members of the Company given at an annual general meeting of the Company shall take place and be held under and in accordance with such scheme, subject to such (if any) amendments or variations of such scheme as may for the time being be in force under this section.