OTAGO DISTRICT M.U.L0.0.F.

Otago Witness, Issue 986, 22 October 1870, Page 5

OTAGO DISTRICT M.U.L0.0.F.

The annual meeting of the Otago District Committee of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows met at the District Chambers, Oddfellows' Hall, on Wednesday the 12th inst. The District Officers were all present, and the following Lodges were represented by their Delegates : — Hand and Heart, Dunedin ; Dunedin, Dunedin ; Albion, Dunedin ; Prince of Wales, Port Chalmers ; Prince Alfred, Waikouaiti ; Waitahuna, Waitahuna ; Taapeka Pioneer, Lawrence ; Naseby, Naseby ; Roxburgh, Teviot ; Tapanui, Tapanui ; Oamaru, Oamaru ; Lake Wakatip, Queenstown ; Alexandra, Port Molyneux. Four of the Lodges had not appointed Delegates.

The Provincial Grand Master, Bro. James Bo bin, delivered the following address on opening the meeting :—Gentlemen — Twelve months ago you committed to my colleagues and myself the care of this District. We have now called you together to render an account of, and resign our charge into your hands, and have made arrangements, according to the laws of our Order, for the appointment of our successors. T will not recapitulate the doings of the first six months, but would refer you to my address delivered at the half-yearly meeting. We reported to you at that meeting that we were still in communication with 0, S. Ratcliffe, in reference to the irregular manner in which the Invercargill District had been granted. By the September mail we received a reply from that gentleman, in which he made ample apology ; regretting that the officers of the Otago District have had cause to complain ; expressing ignorance of our not having had full information, and stating that the irregularity had arisen through a severe illness, necessitating his leaving the correspondence to be conducted by others. We deeply sympathise with him in his affliction, and with him hope that we may not again have cause to complain. Since our last meeting, the books of the Prince Alfred and Oamaru Lodges have been examined, and reported on by the Examining Officer. The reports and correspondence thereon, will be laid before you. We have the honour to inform you that the revision of the District Bye-laws has been completed; that the laws have been duly registered, and are now printed, and in force. During our twelve months' tenure of office, we have lost by death, seven members, and one member has lost his wife. During the previous district year the deaths were, of members, seven ; members' wives, five. Owing to the formation of the Invercargill district, the district numbers about 200 less than it would otherwise have done, but the deficiency has been nearly made up by the accession of new members ; leaving us, in numerical strength, very much the Bame as we were at the close of the last district year. Our numbers are now about 1100. There has been paid by the various lodges during the six months ending June last, the sum of L 398 7s for sick pay, and medical attendance and medicines a further amount of L 527 7s, a large expenditure ; pointing to the necessity for the lodges watching carefully the investment and expenditure of their sick funds. The net gain on the half-year may be estimated at over LBOO. lam happy to say that during the year the calls for assistance from the Relief Fund have been light. I believe the district to be in a very good position, and that our prospects are very cheering. From the report of the proceedings of the last A. M. O. held at Chesterfield, I observe that the Order generally is progressing in a most satisfactory manner, both in numbers and wealth. The new members accepted in I§s? amounted, in

round numbers, to 30,000, of whom three fourths were under 25 years of age. The net money gain on the year amounted to L 165,440 16s 4d. The total capital of the Order on the Ist January, 1870, was estimated at L 2,860,181 9s Bd. You will be asked to consider an application, made through the Loyal Lake Wakatip Lodge, for the opening of a new Lodge at Cromwell. The application is signed by 27 intending members, and we are assured that the Lodge will be opened with at least 40 members. On the business paper now before you I will make no comment, feeling confident that the business will receive your best consideration.

The balance sheets and auditors' report were then read, received, and adopted. P.P.G.M. Chas. Reid was re-appointed auditor.

A large amount of other business was transacted, and afterwards the meeting proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing twelve months, when Bro. Joseph Sherwin was elected' Provincial Grand Master; Bro. Robt. Swan, Deputy Provincial Grand Master ; and Bro. Sligo was re-elected as Provincial Corresponding Secretary ; Past P. G. M. Robin being elected District Treasurer. The officers having been duly installed, took their places, and thanked the delegates for the honour done them ; and the meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the retiring officers, who suitably acknowledged the compliment.