HAND AND HEART LODGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10423, 27 July 1895, Page 3

HAND AND HEART LODGE.

The adjourned summoned meeting of the Hand and Heart Lodge, Manchester Unity, was held at the hall, Stuart.street, on Tuenday evening. The officers present were—N.G. BroHiroel (presiding), V.G. Bro. Simmons (viec. chair), Grand. Master 8.-o. Lindsay, B. Sec. Bro. Roach, and Warden Bro: Watson.

There was a fair attendance of mombera. Ose new member waa initiated and two wore propose?!. .

During the course of the evaning, P.P.G M. Bro. Sligo presented P.G. Bro. W, 1-1. MatLhows with ahandsomely framed (mblemsticcertificate. Bro. Matthews returoed fchanlts to the lodge for the presentation, ackuowledijing the benefit be had received in passing through the chairs, and the kmdaeds and courtesy which bad always been extended to him. Bro. Hall, of the Loyal Cornwall Lodpo, Tasmania, responded to tha toast of tho " Visiting Brethren." Prov. 61 Bro. Hopcraft, Pcov. Trea»urer Bro. Robin, *nd O.^ Bro. Black responded to the toast of the Dibtriot Officero." The racpipfa in contributions for the evening were £37 14s 3d.

baiAnce sheet. .. w The half-yearly balance sheet was presented, and its adoption' moved by P-G.-Bro. Grater, seconded by. P.G. Bro. Douglaa, and, after some discussion aDd congratulatory remarks by various brethren, wns duly carried.' Thn balance slieub. shows the balances to credit of. the. vftVidus:..fund's to be— Sick and funeral frtr.d, £15,13 L4 3 ia . ; nci . dental fund, £1251'.9s B(i;'"widows' relief fund, ioOo 17s 6d; surplus fund, £2506 7a 2d making a total lodge value of £19,394- 18s sd! The expr-nditure in >ickpay foe tbe half-year was £290 10s lOd; funwal claims £30 ; medical attendance and medicine, £239 16s; surplus payments on account of membss attaining 65 r^°L5 ga or dying during the half-year, XrlO Y« lOd.

The auditors (Prov. G.M. Bro. Hopcraft and P.U. Bro. Grater) in their report made the following remarks:— ,

The amount of receipts for the T>eriod nnHer n in?" • , lp]?s fund P*ymeals amount to £18 7s 10d ; inducing latter payment/the lodge funds have been increased by ,the sum of £491 OS Id. .;.■•' , •■■• ;-. ■ ■. '■■■■.

t-1! ? ff?l ds rus?l? alu^. t° caU your special attention to the fact thatthis is thft largest amount of surplus the lodge has made in one sitting The io^fj aJ nou°t of contributions; received, ; £H43 • sAxiSft th n el Wlth a sood half-year's interest— yjiz., £39r6s 9d—has in the main contributed to this result ■ ■ i ■ .-■■■■

' It is gratifying to. know that despite bad times onr members rmye been able to keen up their payments so well; and we trust the future will not show any.falling off in this respect. The,incidental'fund has shared in the general Pfospsnty, having increased by the sum of £U1 Si'lri-j -W" lodge repayments account for -jUrlos 50 of this; the remainder is'dne to the extra large amount'of contributions received n During the half year there were 11 initiations, 2 admissions by reinstatement, and 3 by clearance—total, 16; against which there were 8 lapsed, memberships, and we regret to record 3 deaths—JJros.W,'Hughes, V/.J. S.:>lillar, and faeorge iLlson. Two members lost -their wives during the sitting. ..■•..-. .. Roll now stands at 457 members.

;■ :■':■, vSKCESSIONS AND THEIb'.CAUSES. ' >'i' The district officers haviug issued a circular to the various lodges in respect to secessions and the causes thereof, the permanent secretary, Bro: James Brown, submitted'a report, of which the following the substance :—

The receipt of the circulsr from the Otago Dig: tnct directing the lodge's attention to the matter of secessions led ms to look into thi* subject a little with a;yiew to.^ascertain what reasons or causes had brought about the secession^ say dunng the past five years in the experience of our own lodge. I.have taken a'note.of thenames of those Avho lapsed, and will endeavour to give information as far as possible re the cause. • ■^- The -district officers state that''it seemed to them that secessious arise from two causea : — _ 1. Carelessness and indifference through failing in the time of health and strength to duly appreciate the benefits of the order. .2. Inability to pay contributions owirie to poverty. , & _Now, to these two causes Ihave to add a third— viz., members having to leave the city or the ■colony either in search of work or for tbe purpose of bettering theirpositiona. This reason accounts for over 40 per cent, of the total number of secßssions during the past five years, ao that I am fully justified in-giyitig this view of it. And further, I may xneatipn in this connection that I am unable to give information as to the entire number the lodge 'has lost by removal, because in^rnany instances ; ::ihembers went off without" notification, arid iri too maiiy instances allowed' the lodge payments to drop; these, in due course, were simply written off without a cause assigned. , :• " >.'..■:■,■ "\ It must not be assumed.. however, that the lodge does not retain a hold, of .iriany who have! been lorced by circumstances togo elsewhere as there are no less a nuniber than 73- members: located outside of Dnnedin at tbe present moment. I -mil give you the nahies of those Svhom I' know to have seceded through removal, and as lopg as such a large parcentage of the membership has to^' be away, it must continueto be a prblinc 'cause Of secession. ; ■ -„ ■ ■ ,-! |

: During 1890 there were 26" lapses, 5: left • ii 3891 /'.. i. 40 <~ ,19 „ : ii 1892 /ii „ iis ,■ 12 „ ■■'■ » 189.f^ „ 9 h 2 „ « 1894 ii i, 10 , « G ii ■■ and to June 1895 / n n .8-;*■ n ,'■■•■ 4 n

• '' lIS ' ■ ■ 4R 30 that out of a total of 118 lapsesi 48 of them are directly due to removals. j': '■.''■■■, '■-.;

As to secessions through indifference and caralessiness, this is undoubtedly a main cause; but while admitting that we lose many who miaht perhaps have bsen induced to pay. up had extra pressure been brought .to bear, I may point out that I can name a.nurnberwho,'have purpooely allowed themselves tq;riih out, and in such cases no amount of persuasionor pressure could alter the determination. '/

This applies iv respect to at least 18 lapses, and these, together. wit;h;'lS lost through leaving Dun.edin, ;Inßke^ 66 secessions during these . yews which I feel-sure the Ib'lge and its members were quite powerless to prevent. ' The remainder of secessions from unexplained causes amount to 0n1y.52 in five years and a-hulf, which, on an average roll of 459 members, is only just over 2 per cent, per annum, aud I may turther say that I find those most pi-oue to secede^ are youriß members, who have not been long enough connected with the society to appreciate its many benefits. ■ ■"..•'

From December 1892 to datethe secessions have only numbered. 27 (of which- 12- were caused through members going away): In a society that numbers 450 roughly this is a-record that spsaks volumes on behalf of members' appreciation of its benefits. . '■■■''

In reference to inability to pay owing to poverty, I am glad to say that in our past experience this cannot be deemed a cauise, as I only know of perhaps two instances where such could be deemed even a factor. Many members are without doubt, in common parlance, ',' hard up," but I find it is these members who are most /earful of running out, and therefore pay up well. I need not say that we allhope that these amongst us to whom it,is a struggle to'keep afloat may soon be' id a better position. If any of you feel disposed to be benevolent I can privately give the .names of some who are really in'distressed cirv enmstances, but who are very unwilling to let such necessity be known.

. I have prepared a Hat of lapsed membership? since Ist, of January 1890, which may iuterest you to hear. There have been, several reinstateinunts duriDg this time, but of course these name 3do not appear on the list.

Before concluding I may mention that the halfyear jusfc closed completes my fifteenth year of office as lodge secretary, i commenced duty in July 18S0. The membership then being 252, and funds £9223 11s 7d. 'The membership now is 457, and funds £19,394 18s 5:1, after allowing for payments under surplus scheme of £403 12s lOd, •which shows an increase in the membership of 175, and ia the'wealth of the lodge £10,GH4 I!>3 Bd. It might be interesting to note that during these 15 years the lodge has paid away in sickness allowance the sum of £5400, and to our doctors £4300, and for medicine £1800-a total of £10,500.

On the motion of P.Gv Bro. Lyon, seconded by P.P.G.&I. Bro.-Sligo, it wai resolved— " That the report be rect-.ived and forwarded to the district, and that the lodge tender its hearty thanks to P. Secretary Bro. Btown for the trouble he has taken in this mittar, and congratulate him on the completion of his fifceshth year of office and the progres-s the lodge has made numerically and liuancially since he became permanent secretary." On the motion of P.P.GM. Bro. Robin, it was further resolved —" That the officers of the lodge confer, with-the secretary in regpecb to those in distressed circumstances alluded to in his report."

"IMITATION is the SINCBREST FLATTBRYi" The articles most imitated are CLEMENTS TONIC and FLETCHER'S PILLS. WHY? :

BECAUSE they have the best reputation and are most in demand by the public; consequently every dishonest brader tries to trade on their fame and renown.? It ia really wonderfur that the Australian people are so slow to see 'the troth as regards the unscrupulous quacks and charlatans who prey on the credulity of the Australian public. Scarcely a week ever passes but what the press exposes thfi barefaced and shameful practices of some of those harpies; yet iv face of all they eeem to thrive, and the paper which hounds them down most thrives fattest on their advertisements and cr«cks champagne ovor each balance sheet. Clements' Tonic and Fletcher's Pilla have never yet stooped' to deception and misrepresentation. They are scientific therapeutical agents, and evidence, as to their value can ba found in every district, and such being the case ib is unnecessary to further extol their virtues. ■

— Cats and several other animals have a false eyelid, which caD bo drawn over the eyeball, either to cleanse it,'or $o protect it from too strong a light. — Some New York undertakers, whose customers are poor people, are using colnnn made of paper. The coffins are ma da in all Btyies out of pressed paper pulp, aud after boiug varnished and btaiuod they rsatmWe pouched wood. It is asserted that they are tar mote durable thau wooden ones.

CAVOUK CIGARS,