Superintendent of Works: It may give the Chairman an opportunity of
 omission; the other might give him an opportunity of commission.
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney: I cannot uphold the Water Rates
 Committee's recommendation. When a matter is such that a member of the
 Committee has interest, decision should not be taken by circulation of papers.
 There should be a meeting when such an important matter is involved. The
 question of putting down a standpipe at a corner could be decided by circulation;
 but when a member is involved no Chairman should elect to have the matter
 decided by circulation of papers.
 Honourable O. D. Brisbane : I agree with you that decisions should be taken
 at meetings as far as possible.
 Honourable E. A. C. Hughes : Members could reserve it for discussion.
 Honourable W. A. Hadley : If you strike out the proviso would you have to
have a meeting?
 Honourable Member for Grenadines : No; that.is provided already.
 President : We can delete the proviso or accept the amendment suggested
 by the Water Rates Committee. Is it correct that we have decided to delete the
 proviso?
 Members : Yes.
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney: There is a suggestion that a quorum
should be made as large as two-thirds of the membership of the Authority instead
of four members as in the Trinidad Ordinance.
 Honourable Member for Kingstown : You would never get a meeting.
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney : One-third?
 Honourable O. D. Brisbane : Do you think it should be changed to three?
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney: The members are to be not less than
seven; they can be increased from. time to time.
 Honourable O. D. Brisbane : We want to let people know when they offer to
serve on Committees of this kind they ought to turn up.
 Superintendent of Works : The Water Rates Committee thought that with
the growth of local Government when the Central Water Authority would be tied
up with local authorities in districts, it would be necessary to increase the
numbers from time to time, and it was felt that if the quorum were too small it
might vest too much power at the centre and not give the district people enough
opportunity to vote on their affairs.
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney: If a meeting is summoned and they
wish to stay away, their staying away is the only thing that puts the power in the
hands of the members in Kingstown.
 Honourable E. A. C. Hughes: The Chairman cannot say 'the four of you
must come.' He has to notify everybody.. If they do not wish to turn up, then
the quorum is four; but it must be a duly summoned meeting.
 Honourable Acting Crown Attorney : If you make the quorum two-thirds a
minority could render every meeting abortive by staying away.
 President : On the assumption that we are going to increase membership I
think a proportion would be better.
 Honourable W. A. Hadley : One-third is too small.