MASONIC GRAND LODGE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19171, 30 November 1927, Page 10

MASONIC GRAND LODGE.

FUNDS AND THE YEAR'S WORK. COMMUNICATION IN CHRISTCHURCH. Though illness unfortunately prevents the attendance of his Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, which will be opened today in Christchurch, and at which he was, by unanimous choice, to have been reinstalled as Grand Master, there will .be nothing in the nature of a Masonic interregnum in consequence. Constitutionally, and according to world-wide Masonic usage, the Grand Master holds office until his successor is installed, so that Sir Charles is still de facto Grand Master. When circumstances permit, he will be duly installed anew, at a gathering to be held in one or other of the four centres. Meanwhile, his throne will be occupied at the communication by Mr George Russell, of Wellington, who is Pro-Grand Master of the year, and the ordinary business, together with the installation and investment of other officers, will proceed as usual. The reports to be presented at the communication show that the membership of the 288 Lodges holding under the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, as on Juno 30th last, was 25,579, a net increase within the year of 756, and since then three additional Lodges have been consecrated. Accumulated Funds. The strength of the various funds accumulated by Grand Lodge for the maintenance of its beneficent work ia shown by the following table:— General Fund •• •• 12,358 Widows' and Orphans' and Aged Masons' Fund .. 82,881 Special War Benevolent Fund 7,815 Fund of Benevolence .. 5,356 Circular Appeal Funds .., 946 Representation Fund ■•. 2,247 Total .. •• 111,603 Of this sum, £25,270 is invested in Government securities, and in the securities of local governing bodies, and the interest earnings of the three principal funds are utilised for benevolent purposes. Tho increase in the capital funds in the past year lias been £11,587. Scope of Benevolence. Out of the Fund of Benevolence there has been granted during the year £IOO4, in sums ranging from £IOO downwards, in the relief of casual distress on the part mainly of widows and children of members of Lodges ! under the New Zealand Constitution, and those of other constitutions, resident in the Dominion. It is remarked that considering the amount of unemployment and distress that have lately prevailed the amount expended in this way is not remarkable. Five circular appeals to Lodges for assistance in cases requiring relief on a larger scale have been issued! in the course of the year, and three appeals made last year have been completed, in all cases to help widows and children on their way. Five sums ranging from £440 downwards have in this way been accumulated, making £1692 in all, and have been applied to the purposes for which they were designed. Three other funds are still in process of being raised, while £946 belonging to appeals of former years is in hand. As in earlier years, the Widows andi Orphans aud Aged Masons Fund, is the principal means of Masonio usefulness. The voluntary contributions from Lodges for the year amounted to £10,600, out of a total income of £15,602, the difference being mainly derived from . interest earned by the capital fund. Canterbury province heads the list of contributions with £2344, Auckland coming next with £2272, Wellington furnishing £1927, and Otago £lO6l. The largest Lodge amount comes from a working men's Lodge at Huntly, in the Auckland district, which subscribed £172. By means of this fund 154 aged members, widows, and orphans are being provided with annuities, the maximum amounts of which are £52 per annum, as against 148 last year. Under the present law of New Zealand Mdsonie annuities and benevolence grants are not exempted from inclusion when incomes are assessed for State pension purposes. In view of this fact the Annuity Board of the Grand Lodge is following as closely as possible the policy of seeing that all applicants to it for annuities/ are receiving all payments due to them under the Pensions Act, and that such payments are not reduced or prejudiced by reason of Masonic assistance. The special appeal made by the Grand Master some time ago has been an incentive to the material augmentation of the fund in the last ,two years. The total amount of the contributions from Lodges in that period has been £21,026, and taking into consideration the average contributions of other years, it is estimated that the direct result of the appeal has been about £13,000. The Special War Benevolent Fund, provided in the war years for the purpose of assisting in re-establishing themselves in occupations the Freemasons who had suffered in the general calamity, has been called upon during the'y ear f° r grants and loans to the extent of £984./ Substantial refunds are now being made by men who have received help from the fund by way of loan, the amount for the year being £l2Ol. Masonic Orphanage. The particulars given of the working of the Kirkpatrick Masonio Institute at Nelßon show that there are thirteen orphan girls in residence there. The report of the Board of Governors emphasises the necessity for extending the buildings, in order to provide increased accommodation, and indicates its intention to make a general appeal at an early date for funds for the purpose. Six new Lodges have been opened in the course of the present year, viz., Lodge Manaia, Taranaki, Lodge Manchester, Feilding, Lodge Nelson, Lodge Edendale, Southland, Charles Fergusson Lodge, Wellington, and Lodge Hamilton, Auckland. Activity in the provision of halls for Masonic purposes is noted!. Out of the total of 291 Lodges now existing in the territory, only 29 meet in other than Masonic halls, and of this number 19 have already taken steps in the direction of securing homes of their own. In pursuance of the decision of the last communication, ,a memorial obelisk has been erected in the Hillsborough Cemetery, Auckland, over the grave of the late Mr Malcolm Niccol, who was Grand Master of New Zealand in 1892-3, and Grand Secretary from 1900 to 1921. The necessary grauite was imported, and the memorial has been completed within the last week or two, It is proposed! that the next annual communication shall be held in Dunedin.