MASONIC GRAND LODGE

Otago Witness, Issue 3035, 15 May 1912, Page 7

MASONIC GRAND LODGE

RECORDS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF NEW ZEALAND.

The legislative gathering of representatives of the Masonic institution in the Dominion, styled in the terminology ot the fraternitv the Annual Communication ot the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, grows in dimensions year by year, as the scope of the organisation extends. The system of representation which was adopted some 10 years ago enables every lodge m the jurisdiction to send a representative if it will, and by its results the expectations of the promoters of that scheme have been amply justified. Of'the 188 lodges that now range from Mongonui m the tar north to the Bluff in the south nearly all were represented at the communication, which opened in Dunedin on the Bth inst. MASONIC FINANCE. The most gratifying circumstance disclosed bv the papers circulated for the purposes' of the session is the stead y growth of the craft in financial strength, and the consequent widening of the field of Masonic benevolence. The assets of the institution have been accumulating consistently ever since the erection of Grand Lodge in 1890. For several years past the capital funds have increased by eums varying from £2OOO to £3700 per annum, according to the prosperity and expenses of the year. In the past- 12 months the increment has amounted to £2956, the third largest addition on record. The total amount standing to the credit of Grand .Lodge on the 31st March last was £27,395, which is divided as follows: General fund £ 3,675 Fund of benevolence 2,812 Widows' and orphans' and aged Masons' fund 18,813 Representation fund ..: 458 Circular appeals 1,636 As to the uses made of the interest earned by the charity funds, it is shown that during the past year £240 has been disbursed from the benevolent fund in relieving urgent cases of distress, apart from whatever has been done in this direction by individual lodges. Then tWFP" have been seven cases relieved by means of what are known as circular appeals to lodges. These appeals have realised sums of £172, £167, £156, £179, £196, £llO (incomplete), and £IOB (incomplete). Altogether 21 appeal funds are in the hands of the Board of Benevolence at the present time in various stages of administration. A recommendation is made by the board that the amount which it is empowered to vote for the relief of a case of distress should be increased. It is considered that if this were done the necessity for circular appeal could frequently be obviated, and such appeals could be confined to exceptional cases, while the state of the fund shows an ample margin to warrant increased expenditure of the kind suggested. Another matter to which the board calls attention is the frequent neglect of life insurance. It is suggested that steps be taken to bring home to intending members of the fraternity their responsibility in the way of making provision for their families in this respect. THE ANNUITY SYSTEM. The institution in which the New Zealand Freemasons take the greatest interest and pride is that under which they are assisting a number of their aged members, and the widows and children of deceased brethren, by means of annuities, supplementing in many cases the pensions received from tlie State, and in no case interfering therewith. Within the year death has. removed five who were Masonic annuitants. At the present time there are 25 perscsn in receipt of annuities, six new names having been added to the list during the year, and the annual charge upon the fund being £596 10s. The capital value of tlwi fund has been increased in the year by £3958, and its annual income for the yea.r 1912-13 will be about £760, leaving a margin of £164 for the creation of further annuities. Last June, by way of commemoration of the Coronation of his Mojesty the King, the Board of General Purposes decided to make a speoial effort for the augmentation of the annuity fund, by an appeal to the interest of the separate lodges in its working. The full returns of the contributions of the different Masonic districts are not yet to hand as the fund is not to be closed till June, but the amounts remitted to the Grand Secretary 60 far show a total of £1279. Auckland province heads the list with £371, Wellington comes next with £3lO, Canterbury follows with £145, Otago and Southland with £lls each. The largest lodge Contribution is that of Lodge Mauriga,whao, in the Mount Eden district of Auckland (£3B), and New Zealand Pacifto, "v7c? ! ingfort, comes next with £SB.

MISCELLANEOUS. From tut ral Purposes it is learned that five newlodges have been constituted during the year—viz., Lodge Amuri, at Rotheram, Canterbury; Avon, at Christ-church (transferred from the English Constitution); Te Mairama, at Ngaruavrahia, Auckland; Connaught, at Karamea, West Coast; and Tawera, at Oxford, Canterbury. A charter has been issued for the opening of a lodge at Gladstone, Southland, and steps are being taken for the formation of another at Ngaio, a suburb of Wellington. These additions will bring the roll strength to 190 lodges. Mention is made by the Grand Secretary "of the fact that not one of the lodges in the jurisdiction is languishing—s all are active and vigorous. The Grand Lodge is in the unique position of never having had any of the lodges chartered by it during the past 20 years suspended from work, and there is ample evidence of .steady progress on healthy lines. Regret is expressed at the intended retirement from active office of three Provincial Grand Masters —M.W. Bro. O. Nicholson (Auckland), after eight years' service; R.W. Bro. Monerieff (Wellington), and R.W. Bro. Watts fOtago) after two years. The next annual communication should in the ordinary course take place at Auckland in May of 1913. In accordance with the itinerant plan under which the Grand Secretary (M.W. Bro. Niccol) is located for two years in turn in each of the four cities, his office has just been transferred to Dunedin, where it will remain until their removal to Christchurch in 1914. Incidentally, a table prepared for another purpose shows that the total number of registered members of the lodges under the New Zealand Constitution at present is just over 12,000. INSTALLATION OF THE NEW GRAND MASTER. The annual Communication of the Masonic Grand Lodjge of New Zealand was opened in the Burns Hall on Wednesday, £th inst. W.M. Bio C. J. W. Griffiths presided over a large ar.d representative gathering of the craft, and was supported by Past "Grand Masters M. Niccol, H. J Williams, A. H. Burton, and F. C. Binns. R.W. Bro. Dougall. was present as Deputy Grand Master, and the Grand Wardens' chairs wero filled by R.W. Bro. T. W. Allen, P.G.W., and R.. Bro A. Fieldwiek, J.G.W. R.W. Bro. Maurice Thomson, of Inveroargill, was unanimously elected Grand Master for the ensuing year. Other Grand officers were elected in accordance with the propositions submitted by the Board of General Puposes. The reports of the- Board of Benevolence and the Board of Management of the Widows and Orphans' and Aged Masons' Fund, already published, were considered and adopted after expressions of gratification at the satisfactory condition of both funds. The recommendation of the former board with regard to making'the question of life insurance a consideration with reKard to the qualification of candidates for Freemasonry was generally applauded. The rank of Pa.st Grand Organist was conferred upon W. Bro. A. Sclwyn Bruce, of Christchurch, arid that of Past Grand Chaplain upon the Rev. Bro. Luke, of Hawke's Bay. Bro. Jas. Brown, F.1.A., N.Z., was appointed auditor for the current year. The amendment of constitution giving effect to the resolution of last year's Communication as to the appointmen-i; of Grand Lecturers was adopted in a form which leaves at the discretion of the Grand Master Hie number of lecturers to be appointed, and to the Board' of General Purposes the question of printing their deliverances. Another amendment of the constitution was adopted carrying out the concession to lodges of Masonic research that was agreed upon last year. The remainder of the business of the afternoon sitting was of purely Masonic interest. INSTALLATION CEREMONY. The installation of M.W. Bro. Maurice Thomson as Grand Master for the year 1912-13 was carried out in the evening, in the presence of a crowded assemblage of members of Grand Lodge and' visiting brethren. The ceremony was carried out with extrcmo dignity by the retiring Grand Master (M.W. Bro' Griffiths), assisted by M.W. Bros. H. J. Williams and A. H. Burton. The newly-elected Grand Master subsequently announced his selection of the officers appointed under lii3 prerogative powers as follows: —Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Frederick Keirslcy, Auckland; Provincial Grand Masters—Auckland district, RW Bro. T. W. Allen; Wellington, R.W. Bro. T A. Peterkin; (Canterbury has the Provincial Grand Master of its own Provincial Grand Lodge, M.W. Bro. Binns) Otago, R.W. Bro. A Stoneham; Southland, R.W. Bro. F. A. Steans; West Coast", R.W. Bro. J. H Harkness; Hawke's Bay, R.W. Bro. T. Hobson; Nelson and Marlborough, R.W. Bro. W. E. Redman; Taranaki. R.W. Bro T. C. Fookea; Senior Grand Warden, R.W. Bro. James A Nash (Palmorston North); Junior Grand Warden, R.W. Bro. J. A. Frostiok (Christchurch).

The Provincial Grand Masters were invested by M.W. Bro. Williams. The officers elected at the afternoon sitting were then invested by M.W. Bro. Burton, as follows: —Grand Chaplains, Bro. Rev. G. Knowles Smith (Otago) and W. | Bro. Rev. M. Bawden Harris '(Wellington) ; Grand Treasurer, W. Bro. 0. H. Moller , (Otago); Grand Registrar, W. Bro H. M..j Ewing (Otago); President of the Board of , G.P., R.W. Bro. Thomas Ross (Otago).; President of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. J. J. Clark (Otago); Senior Grand Deacons, W. Bros. George S. Hardy (Can- J terbury) and W. G. Haybittlo (Wellington); Junior Grand Deacons, W. Bros. H. G. j M'Crea (Auckland) and Walter Gee (Southland) ; Grand Superintendents of Works, W. Bros. A. Campbell (Southland) and R. Lucas (Hawke's Bay); Grand Directors of Ceremonies, W. Bros. A. W. Flett (Otago) and A. Howey Walker (Auckland); Grand Bible Bearers, W. Bros. M'Gregor B. Wright (Canterbury) and R. Tait (Taranaki); Grand Sword Bearers, W. Bros. F; J. Hunn (Wellington) and C. Flavell (Canterbury) ; Grand Standard Bearers, W. Bros. T. Ei N. M'Kemzie (Auckland) and W. T. E c son (Marlborough); Grand Organist, W. Bro. the Rev. C. E. Nicholas (Auckland) ; Grand Pursuivants, W. Bros. H. M'Phee (Wellington) and V. R. Ross (West Coast); Grand Stewards—W. Bros. J. D. Thomson and R. H. Appleby (Otago), C. E. Smith and H. J. Clifford (Auckland), H. B. Bridge and W. A. Baudinet (Wellington), G. A. Hansard (Canterbury), J. A. Wilkinson (Nelson and Marlborough), M. N. Rivers (West Coast), George Young (Taranaki), J. B. Andrew (Hawke's Bay). Elected Members of Board of General Purposes—W. Bros J. T. Laing, C. E. George, D. Harris Hastings, D. C. Cameron, and 0 S. Jenkins (Otago), G. G. Menzies and D. G. Robertson (Auckland), J. K. Hornblow and H. Ivory (Wellington), John Thornton and G. F. Allen (Canterbury), J. Rennie (Southland), Fred Craven (Hawke's Bay), T. W. Bca.ro (West Coast), J. F. Watson (Taranaki). Elected Members of Board of Benevolence—W. Bros. T. Gallagher, R. M'Naughton. J. W Ritchie, H. E. Moller, and 0. H. Pinel (Otago), A. M. Perry and T. G. Smith (Auckland). J. B. Hopkirk and j J. T. Entwistle (Wellington), J. T. Dean | and D. M'Kay (Canterbury), Er Parker (Southland), E. Basil Jone 9 (Hawke's Bay), G. Boundy (Nelson and Marlborough), C. P. Mori (West Coast). GRAND MASTSH'S ADDHESS. The newly-installed Grand Master, in his address to the assemblage, reviewed the j position of the various Masonic funds, em- | phasising the fact that the cash balances ; to-day stood at £27,395, as against £72 in 1 1891. at the end of the first year of the j existence of Grand Dodge. This was what t they had been able to put by irrespective of j the amounts disbursed in Masonic purposes, . and it realised the best hopes of those who were at the birth of the institution. Concluding a dissertation upon the aims and objects of Freemasonry, Grand Master said:—"Our lodges' special work is in bringing together men of ail station* and widely different ideas who would not elsewhere meet on one common ground, helping them to discover each in' the other some good, and toning down those extremes in thought and opinion which, unpruned, tend towards intolerance to the views of others. If we CO not literally see the lion and the lamb lie down together, we see j men of opposite views, if not of "contending factions, meeting in the lodge-room and refectory—the Jew and the Gentile, the | ardent religionist and the unattached, -the j Etaunch prohibitionist and the licensed vie- I tualksrs assist each other in our ceremonies and take their refreshment together, and I all in a brotherly spirit which cannot fail to give to both a wider and a better view of is best in man and to teach true" charity." After the installation proceedings the risiting Masons were entertained at a yupper in the Garrison Hall by the brethren of the Otago district. CLOSING PROCEEDINGS. The communication of the Masonic Grand I<cdge was brought to a conclusion on the 9th. M.W. Bro. Maurice Thompson, the newly-installed Grand Master, presided. A scheme brought forward by one of the late Grand Lodge officers, designed to enable a Provincial Grand Master to take with him an enlarged retinue of city officers when visiting country lodges, was debated at considerable length. While the desirability of giving increased support and encouragement to outlying lodges was generally conoeded. there was considerable ] diversity of opinion as to whether the pro- j posal had hit upon the Best method i Eventually it was agreed that the solution of the problem be left to the- Board of General Purposes. Another motion that provoked debate was as to the means of providing a regular income for the widows' and orphans' and aged Masons' fund. Hero, agan, while the general principle was conceded, the question of method was a very open one, and the problem of discovering the best available machinery was relegated to the Board of Benevolence. The report of the special committee of Provincial Grand Masters upon their conference in Wellington on lodge working and Masonic procedure opened up rieverai debateablo questions, but was » finally adopted with slight amendment. A new Hoard of Grand Lodge Trustees was set up to hold office during the period while the executive is to be stationed at Dunedin, consisting of R.W. Bros. Ross, Clark, Moller, Watts, and Stoneham.

It was agreed that the Board of General Purposes consider the question of the disparity in size of the present Masonic districts. Resolutions were passed acknowledgng the services of the retiring executive officers and also the hospitality of the Dunedin brethren. The Grand Lodge was then closed, to meet again in Auckland next May. A garden party at Mr Glendining's grounds, North-East Valley, was to have been the feature of the afternoon, but on account of tho dampness of the weather a conversazione in tho Art Gallery was held in its stead. The social proceedings were concluded with a ball, which was held in Messrs Fuller and Son's new hall. There was a very large attendance-, and tho function proved most enjoyable to all present.