Vol.. 6, 1920 INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION 
357 
months before the first day of the meeting. No question which has not been placed on 
the agenda shall be discussed, unless a proposal to that effect be approved by one-half 
of the countries represented at the General Assembly. 
VI — Finance and Voting Power 
14. The Executive Committee shall prepare an estimate of the budget for each of 
the years intervening between two General Assemblies. A Finance Committee, nomi- 
nated for the purpose by the General Assembly, shall examine this estimate together 
with the accounts for the preceding years. This Committee shall submit separate 
reports on the two questions to the General Assembly, which, having considered these 
reports, shall fix the unit of contribution for the succeeding period. The contributions 
due from the adhering countries, and their corresponding voting powers, are determined 
by the population of the country according to the following scale: 
POPULATION 
NO. OF VOTES 
NO. OF UNITS OF 
CONTRIBUTION 
1 
1 
2 
2 
Between 10 and 15 millions 
3 
3 
4 
5 
5 
8 
Each country is at liberty to include in its population the inhabitants of its colonies 
or protectorates, their number being that indicated by its Government. Self-govern- 
ing Dominions (South Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) have separate voting 
power according to the above scale. 
The contribution to be levied during the first period of the convention shall not 
exceed 1,500 francs per annum per unit.^ 
In each country the organization adhering to the Council shall be responsible for the 
payment of the contribution. 
15. The income of the Union is to be dovoted to: 
(a) Cost of publication and expenses of administration. 
(b) Cost of reduction and discussion of observations, including the payment of 
assistants. 
Funds derived from donations shall be used by the Union, in accordance with the 
wishes expressed by the donors. 
If any country withdraws from the Union it resigns at the same time its rights to a 
share in the assets of the Union. 
16. At the General Assemblies votes upon scientific questions shall be decided by 
a majority of votes cast by the delegates present and voting. In questions of adminis- 
trative character, and all questions not purely scientific, the vote shall be taken by 
countries, each country having the number of votes designated in Article 14. In case 
of doubt as to the category to which a question belongs, the Chairman of the meeting 
shall decide. Votes taken in Committee shall be counted individually and not by 
countries. When there is an equal division of votes, the Chairman shall in all cases 
have a second or casting vote. 
17. In questions of an administrative character which appear on the agenda a country 
not represented at a meeting may forward its vote to the President by post, and such 
vote shall be counted if received before the vote is taken. 
1 The value of the franc shall be that of the French currency. 
