s an absolute majority of both
chambers request it. The President may adjourn the chambers, but not
more than twice during the same session, and never to exceed one
month. The sessions of the Deputies are held in the Palais Bourbon,
situated in the immediate neighborhood of a group of ministerial
buildings at the end of the Boulevard St. Germain, directly across the
Seine from the Place de la Concorde; those of the Senate, in the
Palais du Luxembourg. The sittings are by law required to be public,
though there is provision for occasional secret sessions. Since
January 1, 1907, deputies have received 15,000 francs a year
(increased by law of November, 1906, from 9,000); and they are
entitled, on payment of a nominal sum, to travel free on all French
railways. The emoluments of senators are identical with those of
deputies.

*353. Officers, Bureaus, and Committees.*--The presiding officer of the
Deputies is known as the president. He is elected by the Chamber and,
far from being a mere moderator, as is the Speaker of the British
House of Commons, he is ordinarily an aggressive party man, not
indisposed to quit the chair to participate in debate, and therefore
bearing an interesting resemblance to the Speaker of the American
House of Representatives. Besides the president, there are four
vice-presidents, eight secretaries, and three questors, all chosen by
the Chamber. The vice-presidents replace the president upon occasion;
the secretaries (of whom half must always be on duty when the Chamber
is in session) supervise the records of the meetings and count the
votes when there is a division; the questors have in charge the
Chamber's finances. Collectively, this group of sixteen officials
comprises what is known as the "bureau" of the Chamber. It manages (p. 326)
the business of the body during a session and, if need be, acts in its
name during a recess.

Every month during the course of a session the entire membership of
the Chamber is divided by lot into eleven other bureaus of equal size.
These bureaus meet from time to time separately to examine the
credentials of members, to give formal consideration to bills which
have not yet been referred to a committee, and, most important of all,
to select one of their number to serve on each of the committees of
the Chamber. In the case of very important committees, the bureaus may
be instructed by the Chamber to designate two members, or even three,
each. Thus, the Budget Comm