The Office-Bearers — The Treasurer

The treasurer (in some societies called the cashier or accountant) is the office-bearer specially charged with the custody and handling of the society's money and financial records. In a small society the treasurer's work may be combined with that of the secretary, but where the two offices are separate, the treasurer is the person primarily responsible for seeing that the funds of the society are correctly received, safely kept, properly paid out, and honestly accounted for. Because he handles money, the treasurer usually holds a position of particular trust and may be required to furnish security for the faithful performance of his duties.

The treasurer's main duties revolve around the society's cash and accounts. He receives all money due to the society — share capital, entrance fees, deposits, loan repayments, interest, and other dues — and issues proper receipts for the amounts received. He makes the payments the society has to make, but only when they are duly sanctioned by the committee or the competent office-bearer and supported by proper vouchers, so that no unauthorised payment goes out. He keeps the cash of the society safely, retaining only the permitted amount of cash in hand and depositing the balance promptly in the society's bank account, and he operates the bank account jointly with the chairman or the secretary as the bye-laws require, so that money moves only under joint control. …