ODDFELLOWS' MEETING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16374, 31 October 1916, Page 9

ODDFELLOWS' MEETING.

WELCOME TO GRAND MASTER.

ORDER'S SHARE IN WAR.

Aitotrr 100 representatives of eight city and suburban lodges of the 1.0.0. F. attended a meeting held last night at the Oddfellows' Hall, Ponsonby, to welcome Grandmaster William Hunter, of Christchurch, who is paying an official visit to Auckland. Noble Grand A- M. Wood, Star of Eden Lodge, presided. Fraternal greotings mare extended to tho guest by tho representatives of tho various lodges.

In the course of his reply, Grandmaster Hunter referred to the Order's part in tho war. He said that 887 of its members bad gone on active service from New Zealand'. Of these 40 had been killed prior to the receipt of the latest large casualty lists. Tho Order had already paid out £1200 in funeral claims in 'respect of the men killed. All the contributions of the members at the front had been paid by the Order out of its surplus funds, and amounted to date to £1552. Tim society was holding its own in membership, and on last year's figures had made a small increase. The total world's membership was well over 2,000,000. The combined funeral and sick funds of tho New Zealand lodges, totalled over £110.000. and on the last valuation showed a surplus of £12,000. Owing to the war the next session of the Grand Lodge, which was to have been held in March. 1917, had been postponed for a year. By then it was hoped to bo able to estimate the liability in respect of members on active service.

P.D.D. Grandmaster E. R. Piggott, first Xoble Grand of the Star of Eden Lodgo, gave an interesting address on tho early working of the Order in Auckland.