MASONIC

Evening Star, Issue 10339, 12 June 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

MASONIC

By way of contrast with the extraordinary delay with which the action of the Grand Lodge of England has been treated by subordinate lodges hero we copy from the report of the proceedings of the Graud Lodge of California for 1896 the clause relating to our own Grand Lodge:— " Relative to the recognition of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand at the annual session of this Grand Lodge of Ootober, 1891, a communication was presented from the grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand asking for recognition from our Grand Lodge. At that time the request was denied, it not appearing that recognition had been granted by either of the Grand Lodges under whom the constituent lodges of New Zealand had heretofore held obedience. From the documents received by the grand secretary and placed before your Committee, it appears that the Grand Lodge of England granted recognition to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand at a special communication called for that purpose on the 29th day of July last, and the matter of our recognition of that Grand Lodge has again been submitted to your Committee. From the information furnished us we are of the opinion that the Grand Lodge of New Zealand was regularly and legally organised, and is entitled to recognition. We therefore offer the following resolution : Resolved That the Grand Lodge of California recognises the Grand Lodge of New Zealand as a just and legally constituted Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and we extend to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand a fraternal welcome to the great family of Grand Lodges, and respectively ask from that grand body an interchange of representatives." Curiously enough the next paragraph on the same pige from which we have quoted as above is with relation to the recognition of the Grand Lodge of Victoria. The Committee on Jurisprudence of the Grand Lodge of California only brought up at the same meeting its report in favor of recognition of that Grand Lodge, which, although older than the Grand JLodge of New Zealand, will appear on the record as being recognised after it.

California is one of the largest and most conservative of the American Grand Lodges. It has 262 subordinate lodges, with a total membership of 18,208.