ODDFELLOWSHIP.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1293, 5 April 1918, Page 6

ODDFELLOWSHIP.

THE BIENNIAL CONFERENCE. [Special to The Sun.l WELLINGTON, April 4. At the biennial conference of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, the G.M., Bro. I. Salek, presiding, additional clauses governing the formation of the war mem- I bers' relief fund were debated, and the followinp decisions were arrived at: — Any member of the society shall be deemed to be a war member who is or may be attached to any branch of the Imperial naval or military forces, and the Imperial naval or military forces shall be considered as including the corresponding forces raised In any part of the Empire, and a member becomes a war member and entitled to the benefit of this fund immediately he enters upon his military or naval duties, but he shall pay all contributions to the time of becoming a war member. The sick benefit of a war member shall be as nearly as possible identical with that to which he was entitled at the time of becoming a war member. At the time of claiming the sick benefit a war member shall certify in writing whether or not be, as a war member, has received any Instalment of bis sick benefit, and, if so, the amount and branch from which it was received. The fund shall carry the whole of the retrospective and prospective liability of the society and its branches for both the sick and funeral fund contributions and the sick benefits of any and every war member which may arise owing to any recognised sickness or Incapacity suffered whilst on active service, or be the direct or indirect outcome of some, recognised sickness or incapacity suffered before his military discharge. The objects and scope of this fund is to cast upon the society the whole of the past and future liability of the society and its branches to pay the sick and funeral contributions and sick benefits of war members, and nothing done or left undone shall limit the full operation benefit and intention of the rule, and all matters that are not provided for are hereby left to the full discretion of the central body, which may deal therewith as it thinks fit, the liability to date from August 4, 1914. No lodge shall pay to a war member any portion of the sick benefit until the original claim is authorised by the Prov. C.S., and no Prov. C.S. shall authorise the payment of sick benefit other than upon the certificate of the Base Records Office, or as provided in paragraph 8 of general rule 142, until he is authorised so to do by the society officers. Every certificate shall state clearly the complaint from which the member was suffering, and it shall be the duty of the lodge to satisfy the society officers as to genuineness or the claim before any refund can be obtained from this fund. No war member who has suffered or may suffer from any venereal disease shall be entitled to any sick pay from this or any other fund while suffering from that dissease, or the consequences of that disease, and the onus of proof shall be upon him. Without limiting the operation of paragraph 8 of general rule 142, the method of declaring on and off this fund whilst on active service shall be by certificates or (if they are not available) by such other certificate or certificates as shall be approved by the society officers. If a war member is on this fund at the time of his military discharge, he shall remain on until he is medically discharged. After his military discharge, a war member may declare on again in the same manner as an ordinary member, within the time hereinafter referred to. If at any time within twelve months after his military discbarge (if he is not then on the fund, or If he is on the fund at the time of his military discharge then within that time after he is medically discharged) a war member may again be declared on the fund on the certificate of a lodge medical officer if it is certified by such medical officer that the complaint is the result of, or arising from, his duties as a war member. AH questions relating to the lapse of time on the part of a war member on active service before declaring on and off shall be decided by the society officers on the merits of each case. So far as the same are not inconsistent with this rule, the rules to be observed by an ordinary member while he is on the sick fund shall, after his military discharge, apply to, and be observed by, a war member while on this fund, and on any breach of these rules by a war member after his military discharge, the same consequences shall follow as would have followed in the case of an ordinary member. The following officers were elected:—G.M., Bro. F. W. Watt (Ashburton); Deputy G.M., Bro. W. Thomas (Auckland); corresponding secretary, Bro J. Kershaw (Wellington) ; treasurer, Bro. G. E. Godber (Wellington); directors, Bros. T. Aitken (Auckland), D. P. Loasby (Wellington), H. Bull (Hawke's Bay), A. G. Shrimpton (Nelson), F. A. Moore (Taranaki), and W. A. Gahagau (North Canterbury). MATERNITY ALLOWANCES. Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 5. In reply to a deputation from the confer-

ence of the Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows, the Hon. A. M. Myers (Minister In charge of the National Provident Fund) said he regretted that he could not agree to back-date the maternity allowance to the beginning of the Act. He would bring the request before Cabinet to increase the maternity allowance to as is paid to ordinary contributors in the rNational Provident Fund.