I.O.O.F.

Evening Star, Issue 15137, 19 March 1913, Page 3

1.0.0. F.

BIENNIAL MEETING. The following.is a summary of the report submitted to the Grand Lodge yesterday by the G.M. (Bro. Gray, of Auckland) .- _ In extending to you a hearty welcome I sincerely hope that your deliberations will be characterised by' that fraternal spirit which has been such a prominent feature ■throughout this'' jurisdiction, and that your efforts-for the progress of our Order will meet with success, and be the means of still further extending Oddfellowship in the. Dominion. It is now some 18 years since a Grand Lodge session has been held in Dunedin, and it is fitting that we should in this, our fiftieth " jubilee " yeaT, again assemble in this City and review the good work ot the past. The duties of the Grand Master are numerous, and sometimes cause a deal of anxiety, but owing to the unanimity and. true fraternal spirit that has prevailed during my term, my anxieties have been very few indeed. You are to be congratulated upon the progress that has been made in tlie jurisdiction since last, session. The grand secretary's tabulated statement, will show you that there have been 10 new lodges added to the number, all made subordinate lodges, and no lodges have disappeared from the roll. The total increase of membership, including Bebekah members, has been very satisfactory. The total membership now stands at 7,245, being an increase of 823.' You will also see from the g-ramd secretary's report that the funds of the Order t0ta1"£82,845. The latest returns from the Sovereign Gra;:d Lodge presented by grand secretary to session held in the city of Winnipeg, Canada, in September, 1912. show the total strength of the Order, including the female Rebekah members, to be 2,080,894, being a net gain of 57.163 members for the year ended December, 1911. The following shows the statistics from 1830 to December 31. 1911:—Initiations in subordinate lodges. 3,852,894; members relieved, 4,001.959; ' members deceased-. -400.261; total relief, £28.510,532. Condition of the Order throughout the world, December 31. 1911:—Sovereign Grand Lodge. 1; quasi independent grand lodges, 6 ; grand lodges, 68; grand encampments, 56; subordinate lodges, 17.985: subordinate encampments. 3,697: Rehekah lodges, 9.543. There was expended for doctor and medicine, £5,400 7s 7d ; funeral claims. £590 ; working expenses, £2.746 14s 3d ; relief. £214 19s -Id. The .sick fund increased during the year by £5,285. 3s 2d. standing now.'at. £50,676 9s 9d. The funeral fund now stands :.t £29.515 18s 7d, the'expenditure', for ■ claims being £590, the smallest.amount paid for a number of years; The Rebekah branch is not making Tapid progress, but the lodges now ] on the roll show a- much more solid front-. The number of lodges on the roll is the same as last year (13). but a. slight decrease of membership has to be recorded. The membership at last report was 739 ; initiated during the year, 108: admitted by j card.! 3; dropped'by N.r.D.. 114; with-j drawn by card. 9; resigned, 23; died, 1; tota' membership. 703. The Juvenile I branch does not make any progress, and has come up to expectations. We do not stand alone in this disheartening ex- l periencc, and I note that another society in its last report had to notify the closing down of its last two juvenile lodges. The lodges we have now in existence are doing fpirly well, and are accumulating funds. -Alpha Lodge has a membership of 44. and funds amounting to £l6B 12s 2d ; Minerva. 29 members. £lB5 funds: Te Tewera, 42 members, £73 13s 8d funds. A good deal of trouble has been experienced with some of our country lodges in keeping them in line, the great difficulty being to get .secretaries capable o? doing equal difficulty in getting secretaries with sufficient enthusiasm and' application to learn to do it. Some of the country ledger, have come to lean on the Grand Lxlge to do their work or U> get it done for them, and the books of some are neve out of the office. If some method could « be arrived at of getting tho secretarial j work competently done one of the menaces j of the stability cf 1h? pnr.ill lodges would bo overcome, and the Grand Ledge much : facilitated. ' !