1600 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [Ch. 824]

laws for a supreme legislative or governing body, composed of
representatives elected either by the members or by delegates
elected directly or indirectly by the members, together with such
other members as may be prescribed by its constitution and
laws; provided, that the elective members shall constitute a
majority in number and have not less than two-thirds of the
votes; and provided further, that the meetings of the supreme
or governing body, and the election of officers, representatives
or delegates shall be held as often as once in four years. The
members, officers, representatives or delegates of a fraternal
beneficiary association shall not vote by proxy.

SEC. 4A. (Exemptions.) Except as herein provided, such
associations shall be governed by this act, and shall be exempt
from all provisions of the insurance laws of this State, not only
in governmental relations with the State but for every other
purpose, and no law hereafter enacted shall apply to them
unless they be expressly designated therein.

SEC. 5A, (Benefits.) Sub-section 1. Every association
transacting business under this act shall provide for the pay-
ment of death benefits, and may provide for the payment of
benefits in case of temporary or permanent physical disability,
either as the result of disease, accident or old age; provided,
the period of life at which the payment of benefits for disabil-
ity on account of old age shall commence, shall not be made
under seventy years; and may provide for monuments or tomb-
stones to the memory of its deceased members, and for the pay-
ment of funeral benefits. Such association shall have the power
to give a member, when permanently disabled or on attaining
the age of seventy, all or such portion of the face value of his
certificate as the laws of the association may provide; provided,
that nothing in this act contained shall be so construed as to
prevent the issuing of benefit certificates for a term of years
less than the whole of life which are payable upon the death or
disability of the member occurring within the term for which the
benefit certificate may be issued. Such association shall, upon
written application of the member, have the power to accept a
part of the periodical contributions in cash and charge the re-
mainder, not exceeding one-half of the periodical contribution,
against the certificate with interest payable or compounded an-
nually at a rate not lower than four per cent, per annum; pro-
vided, that this privilege shall not be granted except to associa-
tions which have readjusted or may hereafter readjust their
rates of contributions, and to contracts affected by such read-
justment.