1.
The objects for which the Association is established are: -
(a)
To promote the social welfare of the citizens for charitable purposes.
(b)
To provide services and facilities for the educational and medical needs
of the citizens for charitable purposes.
(c)
To establish and operate non-profit making social centres, multi-service
centres, day care centres, care-and-attention homes, homes for the aged and
non-profit making hostels for elderly.
(d)
To establish and operate youth centres, youth camps, non-profit making
hostels, watersports centres, youth counselling centres and other facilities for
healthy youth activities.
(e)
To promote public recognition for the support to all aspects of social
work.
(f)
To research into all problems that may affect the delivery of effective
social welfare services for the citizens.
(g)
To develop and maintain friendly contacts and cooperation with any
organization concerned with the social welfare of the citizens in Hong Kong.
(h)
For the purposes of the Association, to devise new approaches or to
initiate new services to meet the changing needs for social welfare services of
the citizens.
(i)
To subscribe to local charities and to grant donations for charitable
purposes.
(j)
To assist or to co-operate with the Government or other establishments in
all matters concerning social welfare services.
(k)
To consider, make representations to and to advise any authority in Hong
Kong or elsewhere on any matter concerning the social welfare of the citizens in
any way whatsoever and to send a representative or representatives to serve on
any committee concerned with any or such matters.
(l)
To procure or acquire land for the purposes of erecting premises to the
advancement of the objects of the Association but not otherwise.
(m)
To accept donations and endowments from any person for all or any of the
objects herein and subject to subsection (17) of Section 4 of the Summary
Offences Ordinance to raise money by public or private subscription or
donations.
(n)
For the purposes of the Association, to organize and arrange conventions,
conferences, forums, seminars, meetings, lectures, classes, exhibitions,
demonstrations, displays, shows and gatherings of any kind whatsoever for the
promotion of the social welfare of the citizens.
(o)
To publish and circulate such publications, newspapers, periodicals,
books or leaflets as are conducive to the advancement of the objects of the
Association.
(p)
(i) To
establish, superintend, administer and manage a charitable fund from which
donations or advances may be made to such poor and deserving elderly people and
to accept donations or subscriptions specifically made to such charitable fund.
(ii)
To borrow or raise any monies required for the purposes of the
Association upon such terms and on such securities as may be determined.
(iii)
To act as custodian, trustee or manager of any property or fund for the
Association.
(iv)
To open and operate banking accounts, to draw, make, accept, endorse and
execute cheques, bills of exchange, promissory notes and other negotiable and
transferable instruments.
(v)
To invest the monies of the Association not immediately required in such
securities or otherwise in such manner as may from time to time be determined.
(q)
For the purposes of the Association: -
(i)
To acquire, purchase, take on lease, in exchange, hire or otherwise
lands, buildings, messuages or tenements of whatsoever nature or kind and
wheresoever situate and also to invest monies upon mortgage of any lands,
buildings, messuages or tenements, or upon mortgages, debentures, funds, share
or securities of any corporation or company.
(ii)
To build, rebuild, alter, vary, renew, maintain and repair any lands,
buildings, or messuages of the Association either alone or jointly with any
other person or persons, to obtain vacant possession of any lands, buildings, or
messuages belonging to the Association by any lawful means whatsoever and in
particular by application for execution order or other orders under the Landlord
and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance or any Ordinances amending or replacing the
same and to pay compensation to occupiers for vacating any lands, buildings or
messuages belonging to the Association.
(iii)
To grant, sell, convey, assign, surrender, exchange, partition, yield up,
mortgage, demise, reassign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any lands,
buildings, messuages, tenements, mortgages, debentures, funds, shares or
securities belonging to the Association upon such terms as the Association may
deem fit.
(r)
To employ social workers, clerks, secretaries, servants and any other
professional and nonprofessional person or persons not being a member of the
Council of Management for the purposes of the Association and to remunerate them
in return of services rendered to the Association in such manner as the
Councillors may consider fit.
(s)
To admit any person or persons to be member or members, whether
individual or institution of the Association on such terms and to confer on them
such rights and privileges as may be deemed expedient.
(t)
To invite any person not necessarily being a member of the Association to
become Honorary Adviser of the Association and such Advisers shall hold office
for such period as may be determined by the Councillors.
(u)
To do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the
attainment of the above objects.
Provided that: -
(i)
In case the Association shall take or hold any property which may be
subject to any trusts, the Association will only deal with or invest the same in
such manner as allowed by law, having regard to such trusts.
(ii)
The objects of the Association shall not extend to the regulation of
relations between workers and employers or organizations of workers and
organizations of employers.
(iii)
The powers set forth in the Seventh Schedule of the Companies Ordinance
(Cap.32) are hereby excluded.
2.
(1) The income and property of the Association, however derived, shall be
applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Association as set
out in this Memorandum of Association.
(2)
Subject to sub-clauses (4) and (5) below, no portion of the income and
property of the Association shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly,
by way of dividend, bonus, or otherwise howsoever, to the members of the
Association.
(3)
No member of the Council of Management or Governing Body shall be
appointed to any salaried office of the Association, or any office of the
Association paid by fees and no remuneration or other benefit in money or
money’s worth (except as provided in sub-clause (5) below) shall be given by
the Association to any member of the Council of Management or Governing Body.
(4)
Nothing herein shall prevent the payment, in good faith, by the
Association of reasonable and proper remuneration to any officer or servant of
the Association, or to any member of the Association not being a member of the
Council of Management or Governing Body of the Association in return for any
services actually rendered to the Association.
(5)
Nothing herein shall prevent the payment, in good faith, by the
Association:-
(a)
to any member of its Council of Management or Governing Body of
out-of-pocket expenses;
(b)
of interest on money lent by
any member of the Association or its Council of Management or Governing Body at
a rate per year not exceeding 2% above the prime rate prescribed for the time
being by The Hongkong And Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited for Hong Kong
dollar loans;
(c)
of reasonable and proper rent for premises demised or let by any member
of the Association or of its Council of Management or Governing Body;
(d)
of remuneration or other benefit in money or money’s worth to a body
corporate in which a member of the Association or of its Council of Management
or Governing Body is interested solely by virtue of being a member of that body
corporate by holding not more than one-hundredth part of its capital or
controlling not more than a one-hundredth part of its votes.
(6)
No person shall be bound to account for any benefit he may receive in
respect of any payment properly paid in accordance with sub-clauses (4) and (5)
above.
3.
The liability of the members is limited.
4.
Every member of the Association undertakes to contribute to the assets of
the Association in the event of its being wound up while he is a member, or
within one year after he ceased to be a member, for payment of the debts and
liabilities of the Association contracted before he ceases to be a member, and
of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the
rights of the contributories among themselves, such amount as may be required
not exceeding one hundred dollars.