A NEW HOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 58, 10 March 1927, Page 10

A NEW HOUSE.

FOUNDATION STONES LAID. GROWTH OF THE ORDER. The Auckland membership of the Manchester Lnity of Oddfellows numbers 3500 and over £20,000 a year lias been paid out in benefits. These statements were made yesterday by the grani! master for Sew Zealand, Bro. Thomas \itken, and the district grand master, Bro. YV. J. Best, while performing the :eremony of laying two foundation stones, one on each side of the main 2ntrance to the new headquarters of the Auckland branch. There was a good ittendance of delegates at present in Auckland attending the annual conference. \ ery interestingly the grand master :raversed the history and remarkable growth of the Order from its very small beginning in Manchester in 1810 up to :he present day. It was in 1842 that .he first lodge was set up in New Zeaand, the occasion being when the Lord Velson Lodge was founded in Nelson. That -was the beginning in the Dominion, but the Order had continued to grow r rom that year and to-day there were n the Dominion I<> districts. Of these, our came under the head oiiice in Manchester, while the remainder were alliliited to the New Zealand branch. The otal membership in the Dominion was veil over 29.000, over 2f.000 being lirectly under the New Zealand branch. Hie Fountain of Friendship Lodge was -he first founded in Auckland. This vas in 18-14 but it had seceded from tlie Jrder, and the senior lodge of the dis.rict was now the Loyal Good Intent Lodge established in 1850. Dealing with the site of the new headquarters —at the corner of Hobson and Victoria Streets—the grand master said t was a Crown grant in 1845 to a Mr. A". McDonald. The land had changed wnership since then several times, but t was interesting to know that on Sepember 20, 1845, it was transferred for lie sum of £10 10/. and a few years igo (he Manchester Unity paid £12.854 or if. ihe building being erected by :he Order would cost £45,385, and vouM provide worthy headquarters for nil n v years to come. Grand master Bro. Tlios. Aitken and lie district gran(V master Bro. \V. J. 3est were presented with silver trowels ised in fhe ceremony of laying the foun[ation stones.