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No. 152. — Pioneer Lodge, No. 47, United Ancient Order of Druids. — This lodge, situated at Christchurch, is in reality a brancn of an order the head office of which is in Melbourne. On this ground it was compelled to register as a separate society. There are known to be seven lodges of this order in New Zealand; and a desire for registration is commendably conspicuous. No. 153.— Loyal United Friends Benefit Society.- —This body, situated at Auckland, is in reality a lodge of the Society the name of which it has assumed. The head office of the order being outside New Zealand, the lodge is placed in the position explained above under No. 152. No. 154.— The New Zealand Railways Employ is' Benefit Society, Invercargill Branch. No. 155.— Hope of St. Alban's Lodge, No. 95, United Ancient Order of Druids. —This lodge is situated at Christchurch. Its legal status is the same as that of No. 152. No. 156.— Ray of Hope Division, No. 17. —This body, situated at Greymouth, is a branch of the Order of Sons and Daughters of Temperance of Australasia, being a subordinate division of the Grand Division of New Zealand of that order. Though it could not have been registered as a branch of the order as a whole, for the reasons set forth under No. 152, it might have been as a branch of the Grand Division of New 7 Zealand, had the latter body taken the necessary steps to secure this result. No. 157. — Dawn of Light Division, No. 19.—This branch of the Sons of Temperance is situated at Rothesay, near Dunedin. The remarks given under No. 156 are equally applicable to it. Ten subordinate divisions of the order, with an aggregate membership of 398 males and 37 females, and with funds to the amount of £2,199 7s. 5d., were in affiliation to the Grand Division of New Zealand on 30th September, 1879. A list of unsuccessful applications for registry* up to 30th June, 1880, and a list of registered societies to date, are given in Schedules 11. and 111. appended hereto. 8. New Branches Registered during the Yeah. The following lodges and courts were registered as branches of registered societies: — Auckland District of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity. —I,* Loyal Howiek Lodge, No. 6,220,f situated at Howiek. North, Canterbury District, Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows in New Zealand. — 1, Loyal Volunteer Lodge, No. 5,428, situated at Sydenham. North Westland District of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity. —1, Loyal Reefton Lodge, No. 5,931, situated at Eeefton. Otago District of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Friendly Society. —5, Loyal Tapanui Lodge, No. 5,775, situated at Tapanui; 7, Loyal Prince Alfred Lodge, No. 5,467, situated at Waikouaiti; 10, Loyal Palmerston Lodge, No. 5,810, situated at Palmerston (S.) ; 20, Loyal Mosgiel Lodge, situated at Mosgiel. Independent Order of Odd Fellows of New Zealand, Friendly Society. —15, Loyal Pioneer of Southland Lodge, No. 27, situated at Invercargill. Hawke's Bay District of the Ancient Order of Foresters. —1, Court Sir Charles Napier, No. 5,502, situated at Napier; 2, Court Captain Cook, No. 5,840, situated at Napier; 3, Court Sir Henry Havelock, No. 5,841, situated at Havelock; 4, Court Robin Hood, No. 6,389, situated at Port Ahuriri; 5, Court Ruahine, No. 6,496, situated at Waipukurau. Wellington District, Ancient Order of Foresters. —12, Court Marquis of Normanby, No. 5,533, situated at Carterton. In addition to these branches, notice of the establishment for the purpose of registration has been made in respect of 26 other branches —set forth in Schedule 11. (d.). In the case of 3 of these branches objections to the rules were made by the Revising Barrister, and these objections have not yet been met by alterations of the rules. Twenty-two of the branches belonging to the New Zealand Central District of the Independent Order of Rechabites, Wellington, had not any rules at all distinct from the district rules. The Act requires that branches on registration shall furnish branch rules; and, as these 22 branches have not framed any rules specially applicable to themselves, it has been found impossible to register them. One of the objects of registration is to register the rules specially applicable to the body desiring registration, and, as the Act stands, if a branch does not fragfie some rules specially applicable to itself as a distinct branch, it cannot be placed on the register. The branches have been informed that, in order to enable them to effect registration, rules of the most simple character will bo accepted, such as rules for the constitution of the branch, for its name, for due subordination to tho district, and (if it is not desired to make laws in detail) adopting generally the district laws relating to branches as the special laws of that branch, provided that such district laws make provision for all the matters required by the Second Schedule to " The Friendly Societies Act, 1877." Although this would only involve the necessity of making two or three short rules, yet the 22 branches mentioned have not thought proper to adopt the suggestion. It is true that in the case of these branches a few additional rules would have been necessary to comply with the provisions of the Act of 1877, as the district rules had been registered under the former Friendly Societies Act. This suggestion has been found useful in other cases, and, by the adoption of that course, several brauches have been able to secure registration. It is to be regretted that so large a number of branches should, on account of a difficulty Which they could so easily get over, shut themselves out from the benefits of registration. As, however, there is apparently a strong objection on their part to make rules, it is worth consideration whether, by a slight modification of the Act, this objection could be met. As a general rule, the laws of a district are divided into two parts—(l) those general laws relating to the constitution of the district, and general matters to be dealt with by the central executive and by the representatives of the aggregate lodges ; (2) the special subordinate lodge laws regulating their internal economy to a certain extent, but giving them power to make by-laws supple-

* Some of the cases included under this head do not profess to be formal applications for registry, but merely intimations of a desire to register and requests for information as to the mode of procedure. t The number prefixed to the name of each branch is its number on tbo Register of tins office. The number quoted after the name, is the number assigned to it by tie central body of the order to which it belongs,