FREEMASONRY.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19480, 29 November 1928, Page 15

FREEMASONRY.

GRAND LODGE MEETS. GOVERNOR-GENERAL REELECTED GRAND MASTER. (PBESB /SSGCIATIO* TXLBOUAX.) DUNEDIN, November 28. Dunedin has been invaded in the last day or two by representative Freemasons from all parts of the Dominion, bent upon attending the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, a function which takes place alternately in the four large centres, and was last held at Dunedin in Exhibition year. As there are now just under 300 Lodges in New Zealand Masonic territory, and practically all have sent delegates while a large number of personal members of Grand Lodge also attend communications, it is safe to estimate that some 400 Freemasons from a distance are at present in the City. The communication opened at His Majesty's Theatre this morning. His Excellencv Sir Charles Fergusson presided as Grand Master, an office winch he has held since 1925, and there was a large attendance of dignitaries of the craft.

Officers Elected. The first business of the sitting was election of the- Grand Master for 1928-29. Sir Charles Fergusson was elected unopposed. To the office of Pro-Grand Master, R.W., Bro. E. W. G. H. Watts, of Dunedin, was elected. In the election of the other officers, the outstanding feature was that, as the office of Grand Secretary, which has just been removed from Wellington, will be for the next two years in Dunedin, the principal executive officers chosen nail from Otago. The elective officers returned by Grand Lodge this morning are as follows.— Otago District—Grand Chaplain, Bro the Ven. A. J. O. Russell; Grand Treasurer, W. Bro. C. Grater; Grand Ragistrar, W. Bro. A. E. Gascoigne; President of the Board of General Purposes, R.W. Bro. W. P. Hay; President of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro S. F. Bridgman; Grand Director of 'Ceremonies, V.W. Bro. W. R. Brugh ; Grand Stewards, W. Bros W. J Winefield and A. J. Jordan; Members of the Board of General Purposes, lt.W. Bro. J. Quaile, V.W. Bros. G. R Henderson, and J. M. Rodger, W. Bros. F. W. A. Clayton and J. G. Dykes; Members of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bros. J. Bissland, D. C. Jollv, J. D. King, W. B. McEwan, W. E. McLean, A. McKenzie. J. A. Sparrow, and W. J. Suters. Auckland District.—Grand Director of Ceremonies. W. Bro. W. C. Furais; Senior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. h. Bartlett; Grand Superintendent ot Works, W Bro. J. H. Gillies; Grand Sword Bearer, W. Bro. A. C. Dimniock; Grand Standard Bearer, VY. Bro. A H. Margison; Grand Stewards, W Bros. W. L. Cartmill, G. W. Henderson, E. W. Inder, D L. Ross, and F R. Trevithick; Members of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bros. J. B. Page and F. A. Pickett; Members of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bros. G. E. H. Cleave and A. C. Wallace. „ , „. ' Wellington District.—Grand Direc tor of Ceremonies. W. Bro. J. H. Jerram; Senior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. R J. Foss; Grand Bible Bearer, W. Bro W. C. Robinson: Grand Standardbearer, W. Bro. A. Schmidt; Grand Stewards. W. Bros. W. T. Doig, G. F. L. Lenzini. and A. W. Rowlands ; Members of the Board ot General Purposes, W. Bro. A. H. Herbert; Members of the Board of Benevolence. V.W. Bro. A. T. Wells. Canterbury Province—Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro. A. .7. Hoskins- Grand Superintendent of Works, W Bro. C. M. Suckling; Grand Bible Bearer, W. Bro F. L. Adams; Grand Pursuivant, W. Bro. A. T. Smith; Grand Stewards, W. Bros. .7. Caskey, A. J. Merifield, G. Murdoch, and H S. Palmer; Member of the Board ot General Purposes, W. Bro. W. Sherris; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. C. H Burson. . Southland District—Junior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. G. F. Johnson; Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro J A. Clapp; Grand Swordbearer, W Bro. S. 0. K. Smith; Grand Stewards, W. Bros. F. D. Padget and S. Rice • Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. J. D. Campbell; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. G. H. Stancombe. Ruapehu District—Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. Rev. W. H. Nicholas; Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro S H. Snell; Grand Stewards, YV. Bros W. J. Beard and C. L. Dymock; Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. W. D. Carson; Member of Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. R. E. Toogood. , . . Hawke's Bay District—Junior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. W. R. Wright; Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, W Bro H. P. Home; Grand Steward, W Bro. A. W. Kirk, Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. W Dobson; Member of Board of Benevolence. W. Bro. W. E. Robinson. Nelson and Marlborough District— Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies W Bro. A. E. Davies; Grand Pursuivant. W. Bro. T. E. Cleator; Grand Steward W. Bro. R. H. S. Thompson; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W Bro. L. E. Estcourt; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. O. Barron. . . , , . . , _ . West Coast District—Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro. J. A Milne; Grand Stewards. W. Bros. E! Nicolson and T. A. W. Tate; Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. E G. Ashby; Member of Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. R- C. Palmer. . , . . , _ , Taranaki District—Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro. R. H Free; Grand Stewards, W. Bros. J ' A Hansen and J. W. Winfield; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W Bro A. E. Washer; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. J. Young.

Financial Report. The financial statement showed the cash balances of the several funds to aggregate £118,013, of which the principal items were as follows:—General furd £13.497; widows' and orphans and ' aged Masons' fund, £87,961; special war benevolent fund, £7772; fund of benevolence, £5571; circular appeal fund, £1171; representation fund, £1684. The morning sitting was mostly devoted to consideration of the reports on the administration of the various benevolent funds. The report of the Board of General Purposes showed that the total membership of the New Zealand constitution on June 30th was 26 227 an increase in the year of 648. Si.v new lodges had been opened at Seddon. Wellington City, Katikati. Porangahau, and Auckland City (two). One clause in the Board's report mentioned a donation by Bro. F. S. Potter, of Auckland, of six acres of land on Panmure road for the purpose of establishing homes in which necessitous Freemasons and their wives may live together rent free in the latter days of ""their lives. With regard to the Kirkpatrick Masonic Institute, the Nelson Board "recommended a grant of £SOO towards the carrving out of structural alterations to the building. Regret was expressed bv the Board at the retirement from office of four Provincial Grand "vrasters R. W. Bros. W. Lischner mtS C. H. Critchley fHawke's Bav) H- G. Teagle (Wellington), and E "0 Smith (Southland), and acknowledgment was made of the value of their services to the craft. It was recommended that the next annual 'communication be held in Auckland.

Amendments to Laws. The afternoon sitting was taken up mainly with the consideration of amendments to Grand Lodge laws. For upwards of an hour discussion ranged around two different methods of providing for the constitution of a new bodyto give advice on questions of Masonic law, custom, or procedure. One scheme submitted by the Board of General Purposes provided for a Juridical Board of three, with the Grand Registrar as its chairman. The other, emanating from tlie Past-Grand Registrar, proposed simply a Juridical Committee, whose opinions would be sought by correspondence when required. The Juridical Committee scheme was eventually adopted. Ouce more came up for consideration, aftor a rest of many years, the question of centralisation of Grand Lodge office, i.e., its fixed location in one centre in lieu of the peripatetic system of the last 38 years, under which the Grand Secretary has his office for periods of two years in each of the four centres in turn. The Board of General Purposes submitted a recommendation in favour of the choice of a permanent resting place for the office. It proposed that the incoming Board Bhould be instructed to authorise the Craft Lodges throughout the territory to rise and vote for or against centralisation, asking each Lodge to indicate which centre in its opinion should be chosen, in the event of a two-thirds majority deciding upon a permanent home for office. The necessary amendments of the constitution were, it was proposed, to be submitted to Grand Lodge next year. It was, however, intended to adhere to the present system of holding the annual communications in each of the four centres in rotation. An amendment in ijivour of referring the question to the Incoming Board, with a view to investigation of the pros and cons of the question, was after long debate negatived. The recommendation in favour of reference of the question to the Lodges was then agreed to. As business still remained on the agenda paper, Grand Lodge decided at 5.10 p.m. to sit again at 9.30 a.m. today.

Installation. The re-installation of Sir Charles Fergusson as Grand Master took place at a very large gathering of members of the craft held in the evening. M.W. Bro. Thomas Boss, Past G.M., was the installing Grand Master. E.W. Bro. Watts was inducted as pro-Grand Master. Following upon his installation, the Grand Master announced his appointment of the following officers, most of whom were present, and were duly invested: Deputy-Grand Master, K.W. Bro. Charles J. Eonaldson, of Christchurch; Provincial Grand Masters: Auckland, M.W. Bro. 0. Nicholson; Wellington, J\W. Bro. E. J. Guinness; Otago, E.W. Bro. J. H, Moir; Southland, E.W. Bro. Alex. Derbie; Hawke's Bay, E.W. Bro. J. W. Ritchie; West Coast, E.W. Bro. E. Dacre Dunn; Nelson and Marlborough, R.W. Bro. W. J. Girling; Taranaki, E.W. Bro. G. W. Sogers; Ruapehu, E.W. Bro. A. J. Graham. (Canterbury has a Provincial Grand Master of its own election in E.W. Bro. Du Feu, head of its Provincial Grand Lodge.) Senior Grand Warden, E.W. Bro. S. T. S. Martin (Wellington); Junior Grand Warden, E. W. Bro. F. W. Herbert (Auckland). The officers elected at the forenoon sitting were also invested. The Grand Master, in his address from the throne, spoke eloquently of the need for maintaining high ideals in Freemasonry, and especially for strengthening the spiritual side of the Institution, and as evidence in these respects keeping ever in view the systematic _ support of the Craft's benevolent institutions.