ODDFELLOWS’ CONFERENCE

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5880, 7 April 1920, Page 2

ODDFELLOWS’ CONFERENCE

CIVIC WELCOME. (Special to the Daibr Telegraph.) YCCKLATTC. Hits flaj Yesterday the visiting delegates to the Manchester Unity Oddfellows’ conference, now ih session, were given a civic welcome to Auck land by'the Mayor, Mr J. 11. Gunson. A great number of members, lady frietijls, and other associated with the conference practcally filled the council chamber, where the Mayor received and welcomed the visitors on behalf of the citizens of this city, Mr Gunson referred to the importance of this biennial conference, and acknowledged the great standing of this society, with its fine history and still greater future. None could deny the achievements of the Manchester Unity, with its world-Wlde membership of 1,500,000 and its total capital! of £18,000,000.

Bro F. W. Watt, P.G.M. (Ashburton), on behalf of the visiting deputies, responded to the Mayor’s enthusiastic welcome. The conference considered a remit to allow a membe> to follow light employment while in receipt of the lower rate’ of sick pay. As the B'oard of directors had received an unfavourable report from the actuary, the remit was not adopted. An appeal from the Blinded Soldiers' Relief Funds was also considered, a|ad the conference resolved to pool subscriptions totalling £l5O to date, to be drawn at the discretion of Mr Olutha Mackenzie.

The balance-sheet was approved. It showed the funeral fund balance to bo £18,208, management fund £IOB2, the new deficiency lodge relief fund £1377, and subsidiaries £409, a total of £51,076. Slick pay to soldier members was £9489, contributions for soldiers tdtalled £9715, and funeral benefits dispersed amounted to £10,089.