WORK FOR GOOD

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 138, 8 December 1921, Page 9

WORK FOR GOOD

BY FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

ANCIENT ORDER OF FORESTERS

TRIENNIAL MEETING DINNER.

Members of the Ancient Order of Foresters gathered in great force at dinner last evening in .the hall of the Dominion Farmers' Institute on the occasion of the triennial conference of , the Order. Bro. T. Mark, D.C.R., presided with the guest of honour, His Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, on his right;,- and the Minister-in-charge of Friendly Societies (Hon. G. J. Anderson) on his-'left. The City Council was represented by Councillor Martin Luckie, in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor, and Mr. R. E. Hayes, Registrar of Friendly Societies; • represented the official side of the Order's affairs. The Chairman in his opening remarks, after the loyal toast had been enthusiastically honoured, referred to the antiquity of the Order of Foresters and its widespread membership throughout, the world—over a million now.1' The objects of every friendly society were for the relief of distress, and in that' they serveda very great purpose in the community! Trje Chairman hazarded a look into; the future when the friendly societies might be united in New Zealand with, greater power for good than now, and\ greater power .with Parliament. The form of government of the society was ideal and to be compared with a true representative government. He hoped all would go home satisfied there was 'something in the Ancient Order of Foresters after all. (Applause.) ■ N ' In proposing the health of His Excellency Lord Jellicoe, Bro. Darlow (Auckland) referred to the pride the Order had in His Excellency as a brother of the Order. There were some things.they did not, lack, and one was loyalty to the King, and another was that they could recognise a good man when they saw him, and they had come to the conclusion that His Excellency was a jolly good fellow. (Hear, hear, and applause.) He trusted that when His Excellency returned to the Old Country—and they would all be sorry to lose him—he would carry with him kindly recollections of the Order which he had helped along by' his membership.

-The toast was. drunk with the greatest enthusiasm. In reply His Excellency thanked all the brothers for the kindness of their welcome.1 He appreciated the eloquence he had come to know as characteristic. The Ancient Order stood for unity, benevolence, and concord. The first quality was very much required. Since the war there had been the same unity there had been during the war among all classes and parts of the Empire. Without that unity the war could certainly not have been Avon. ;, A society such as the A.O.F. did a very great deal towards helping the spirit of unity, and could serve a very useful purpose in , the future. "We have received," said I His Excellency, "with the greatest possible pleasure the news that the dim- | culties in Ireland have been settled. (Applause.) That, I .hope, is a sign of unity coming back again to the people of the Empire." (Applause;) His Ex- | cellency in conclusion -expressed his great appreciation of the kind invitation *to be1 present with his brethren of jthe Order, and as. a Forester for six months, to meet members, of the Order from all parts of the Dominion, and to hear one 'part of the Dominion extol its merits at the expense of. another. (Laughter.) Competition was a good thing for'the Whole Dominion at large." "I hope," he said, "you will repeat.your kind invitation on some future occasion." (Applause.) * • .;.!'; ' • The toast of "The Minister in Charge of Friendly Societies'1 was proposed, by' Bro'* Gec\ Sheat (Canterbury*} in a. humorous speech covering a wide field, 'in wh.ich he appealed to the Minister for assistance to the friendly societies in the-matter of sanatorium relief. , „ The Minister, in reply, agreed that the Government was passing through a very difficult time. Everyone was clamouring for. retrenchment—except in his own direction. It was not the Government's desire to reduce anyone's salary, but they could not help it, as they had no money. If the Government j gave way in one direction it might have to give way in all. The Government j had an unpleasant duty, and it would halve to. carry it out and leave it to j the electors to decide at the end of the yeax whether it had done rightly. The Govermnjent must do its duty impartially, or it would not be worthy of iti position. (Hear, hear.) Friendly; societies were doing a great work,; and deserved support. In the old days they did not look to the Government, they put their shoulders "to the wheel. The only way to bring the Empire round was to put the shoulder to the wheel and get'it through. He hoped there would be no strikes during the next few years, for the country could not afford the luxury of strikes. They must go along steadily and surely, and try to make up in quality what they ha,d lost in price, and the friendly societies by encouraging self-reliance were showing the way. | Friendly societies numbered 74,210 members in New Zealand out of a population of a little over a million* The Ancient Order had a very good record, and one of which they could well be proud. (Hear, hear.) , ,: ; Other toasts honoured were: , "Civic Authorities of Wellington," proposed by Bro. E. E. Stoupe, response by Councillor M. F. Luckie; "Friendly Societies' ' Department," proposed by Bro. A. W. O. Travera, response by Mr. R. F. Hayes, Registrar of. Friendly Societies Department; "Representatives of Other Districts," Bro. T. Mark, response by delegates from other districts. Musical and recitative items during the evening were contributed by 'Messrs. W. F. Thompson, J. S. Connell, J. <E. Perry, and C. Barnes. '