PROTESTANT ALLIANCE

Otago Witness, Issue 3448, 13 April 1920, Page 7

PROTESTANT ALLIANCE

GRAND COUNCIL SESSION. HEADQUARTERS TRANSFERRED TO DUNEDIN. The thirty-n'nth anniversary of the New Zealand .Grand Council of the .Protestant Alliance friendly Society of Australasia was held in the Friendly Societies' Hall at Kensington on Wednesday. The delegates, who numbered 21, and who came from all parts of the dominion, were hospitably welcomed to the city by tho Mayor (Mr W. Begg). The lodge was then duly opened by W.G.M. Bro. Jas. Stevens, assisted by the Grand Chaplain (Bro. Berry). Delegates were appointed to represent tho Wellington, St. Alban's, and Hastings lodges, which had not appointed representatives. GRAND MASTER'S REMARKS. The W.G.M., in the course of his remarks, said that they, as a Protestant society, should express their thanksgiving that tho emblems on which their order was founded, the Protestant Crown of the Empire and the open Bible, were again secure. Ho would like them to place on record their thanks to tho nation's soldiers and sailors for the victory secured. During- the war the society had made no progress, but he hoped it would now assume the position to which its high aims and traditions entitled it. Since the last meeting, the society had obtained provisional approval under the Finance Act securing to members the right to become contributors under the National Provident Fund on favoured terms, and also to a maternity bonus amounting to £6. For this small measure of State subvention they were thankful, but what was to be the outcome of the excursion of the State into competition with the friendly societies wa s a matter of concern to those who had tho welfare of the work at- heart. He concluded bythanking them for the privilege of holding the office of W.G.M., and expressing his appreciation of the arduous work of tho Grand Secretary during tho past four years, which, he said, had been more than doubled by th-j extra worfc entailed by correspondence with the Government about soldier's' affairs and National Provident Fund work. SECRETARY'S REPORT. The Hon. beoretary (Bro. is. G.. Burns) reported that, owing to delay in the receipt oi returns irom the various, lodges, he was unable to place a. proper report before them. The society had paiol out £636 12s 10d to tho end ot 1918 in soldiers' dues', The 1919 returns were still to com© in. In maternity claims £BO hid been paid, the society receiving £76 from the Government. The maternity account was in debit £4 owing to delay in obtaining a certain refund from the Government. One hundred audi twenty-two members of the order had enlisted, 17 of whom had jiaid tho supremo sacrifice. The total amount to credit of the ledges for 1919 was £16,063 14s 9d, giving an increase of £406 0s 5d for tho year. The society had paid out on the deaths of 20 members. It had admitted 24 new members, and 23 had gone out, leaving an increase of one for the year. That increase was greatly due to Lodge 11, Valley True Blues, Dunedin. In sick pay £1463 0s 6d had been paid. Touching on a visit to Hobart, the secretary said he had attended tho unveiling of a handsome honour board. One hundred and seventy members of tho order in Tasmania had enlisted, and 23 had made the supremo sacrifice. The Protestant Alliance in Australasia had 39.0 CC members, and accumulated funds, amounting to £455,461. Bro. Frith considered that somebody was very much to blame for the fact that there was no printed report from the Grand Executive before ttie meeting. The council could not deal with a report by word ot mouth. He moved that the council proceed with the next business. The motion was carried. GRAND TRUSTEES' REPORT. Tho Secretary read the ioilovving report by the GianU Trustees: —lnterest collected amounts to £713 Jbs Bd. Funeral land., ana lodge relief fund (£3) making a grand total of 3-j iib ■ iiis del, an increase oi xu-ta os luei for the year. We have now invested in funeral fund the sum of £655 at 5£ per cent., £9642 at 6 per cent., #2OO at b£ per cent., £iso at 7 per cent., £464 2s lid at 4£ per cent., Auckland Savings Bank. Uranu total, £ll,lll 2g lid, an increase of £765. Mortgages No. 66 (£«sGO), .No. 63 (£203), No. 69 (£4ou), and No. 96 (£600), have been paid off and the money rein-vested. During the year we negotiated three new mortgages, viz.—No. 98, £6OO, at 6 per cent.; No. 99, £550. at 6 per cent.; and No. 100, £SOO, at 6 per cent. Outstanding interest this year amounts to £27 7s 5d funeral fund, and £8 2s 6d ledge relief fund ;—total, £os 9s lida decrease of £9B 19s 4cl. Since closing our books the sum of £ll 9s as. interest has been paid, leaving a balance of £24 0s lid owing. The indemnity insurance again shows a profit for nbe year. In concluding, the trustees are satisfied that all money is invested on the best of securities and bearing interest. Bro Frith (Oamaru) contended that there should bo a fixed rate of interest. It was not right, he said, to take advantage of the poor beggar who was hard up and needed the money to scjueeze additional interest out of him.. The report was' adopted. LOCATION OF HEADQUARTERS. The council then proceeded to discuss the following remit from tho "Queen's Own Lodge, Christchurch: —''That the Grand Council be removed to the South Island." The remit was carried in an amended form, the words " headquarters of the society" being substituted for " Grand Council." An amendment, moved by Bro. Frith—"That headquarters be removed to the South Island "—was defeated by a very large majority. Bro. M'Caw (Christchurch) then moved—- " That the headquarters of the Grand Council bo located in Dunedin." The motion was carried. GENERAL. A number of remits proposing alterations in the rules were dealt with. A proposal from the Loyal Excelsior Lodge, Dunedin, making medical examination not a compulsory condition of registration in the funeral fund was rejected, as also was a remit from Triumph Lodge, Dunedin —"That wives' registration fees bo abolished, and that they bo admitted by a doctor's certificate." _ Remits from Triumph Lodge giving W M.'o a deliberative and casting vote, and providing that any sick member failing; to furnish a medical certificate when required should be fined 2s 6d were carried. The Secretary pointed out that tho society waa suffering an injustice because the Gov-

ernment would not allow it to pay into the industrial fund money received from the Government in connection with the payment of soldiers' dues, which were paid by the society out of the incidental fund. This money, he said, was being transferred by permission into the lodge's relief fund, but if the Government were to refuse permission to transfer front that to the incidental fund, then they would have to make a levy on members. —A delegate held that this course should have been adopted in the first instance, and that the Grand Executive had no right to deplete the incidental fund in the way it had done. —The incidental fund levy was fixed at ss. SECOND DAY. The Grand Council Session of the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society was resumed on Thursday morning, W.G.M. Bro. Stevens presiding. The following remit from Queens Own Lodge, Christchurch, was referred to the incoming Grand Executive for its favourable consideration and a report at the next session:—" That the Gvand Lodge take into consideration the important question of providing a scheme whereby aged members, say, over 65 years, when superannuated should be relieved of part of their quarterly dues, and in lieu thereof receive decreased benefits in the matter of sack pay." A proposal from the Star of Oamaru Ledge—" That in future Grand Council meetings be held in every third year "—was left over for the consideration of the -incoming Grand Council, in view of tho transference of headquarters from Auckland to Dunedin.—The secretary pointed out that if there was special business worthy of consideration a special meeting of the council could be called. A remit sent forward by the Grand Executive Council to conform with the requirements of the registrar, providing for an increase in the scale of weekly contributions to enable the society to become an " approved " friendly society was carried with the following addition: "This scale to apply to all members joining after March 26, 1920." , . , , Another remit from the council pointed out that according to the registrar and the actuary rule 70 was vague and unsatisfactory in that it stated that members should pav not less than Is 3d per week, which covered sick,, funeral, and management funds, but the rules made no allocation between the two funds, and lodge? had apparently the power to divide the amounts paid between the two funds; in whatever proportion they pleased. The society should therefore amend the rule by fixing the amount payable to the sick and funeral fund at, say, 3d per week, the intention of the framers of the rule evidently being that this amount should go to the sick and funeral fund. —After a very long discussion it was resolved, on the motion of Bro. Bell, to accept the recommendation of, the actuary that not less than. 8d should be paid to the sick and funeral fund in the case of lodges that showed a lower degree of solvency at the last valuation than 17s in the pound. A number of new rules in connection with the participation of the society in the national provident schema were adopted. The following office-bearers were elected; W.G.M., Bro. W. G. Lumley; D.G.M., Bro. J. E. Cooper; Grand Secretary, Bro. R. C. Proctor; Grand Treasurer, Bro. Falconer ; Grand Chaplain. Bro. Austin; Grand Trustees —Bros. Arnold (chairman), Harvey, and Lindsay. The session was closed in due form after the new officers had been installed with the usual ceremonv. SMOKE. CONCERT. On Wednesday evening business gave place to pleasure, and the delegates enjoyed themselves at a smoke concert in the Waratah rooms. W.G.M. Bro. Stevens presided. A good programme of songs and recitations by several of the brethren met with the warm approval of those present, Bro. Mills's recital of one of the Service poems being a very popular item. The loyal toast was first honoured, and then a number of other toasts followed.