FREEMASONRY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20096, 27 November 1930, Page 11

FREEMASONRY.

COMMUNICATION OF

GRAND LODGE.

LORD BLEDISLOE INSTALLED GRAND MASTER.

The Annual Communication of the Masonic Grand Lodge of New Zealand was held at the Christchurch Masonic Temple yesterday, the Grand Master, Mr J. J. Clftrk, C.8.E., of Dunedin, presiding, and most of the Lodges in the territory being represented. The election of the new Grand Master resulted in the unopposed return of his Excellency Lord Bledisloe. Mr J. H. Harkness, of Westport, was elected Pro-Grand Master. District Officers. Other Grand Officers were elected as follows: Canterbury Province—Grand Chaplain, the Rev. H. N. AVright; Grand Treasurer, Mr O. AV. B. Anderson; Grand Registrar, Mr G. T. AVeston; president of Board of General Purposes, Mr P. H. Harris; Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr E. T. Lawn; Grand Stewards, Messrs W. R. Gahagan and P. W. Hislop; members of Board of General Purposes, Messrs G. Yemm, J. W. Beanland, C. H. Burgon, W. E. Rogers, and A. T. Smith; members of Board of Benevolence, Messrs F. L. Adams, S. K. Bassett, J. E. Cooper, D. Crozier, M. Dorreen, A. F. Fisher, W. V. Mockett, and J. A. Stables.

Auckland District—Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr A. J. Pople; Senior Grand Deacon, Mr Arch. Burns, jun. • Grand Bible-bearer, Mr A. C. Hallett; Grand Sword-bearer, Mr C. R. B. Speight; Grand Standard-bearer, Mr s! Lewis; Grand Pursuivant, Mr W. T. Pakes; Grand Stewards, Messrs H. A! Armstrong, P. P. Bynon-Powell, A. Cannell, E. E. Hammond, A. Shand, and W. C. Wilson; members of Board of General Purposes, Messrs F. A. B. Cameron and G. F. Lane; members of Board of Benevolence, Messrs D. E. Connell and R. H. Dunn.

Wellington District—Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr j. E. F. Perry Junior Grand Deacon, Mr AV. Britland' Grand Superintendent of Works, Mr J. McArdle; Grand Standard-bearer, Mr E. A. Dawson; Grand Stewards, Messrs H. T Greathead, P. C. Watt, and A. E. inzenberg; member of Board of General Purposes, Mr F. G. Roe; member of Board of Benevolence, Mr L. C. Gibbins. Otago District—Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr Adam Smith; Grand Superintendent of Works, Mr D. Sutherland; Grand Bible-bearer, Mr G. Smith: Grand Pursuivant, Mr E. Syrett; Grand Stewards, Messrs R. H. Bagshaw and F. Lischner; member Board of General Purposes, Mr J. Quaile; member Board of Benevolence, Mr W. R. Brugh. Southland District—Senior Grand Deacon, Mr H. E. Niven; AssistantGrand Director of Ceremonies, Mr J. Manson; Grand Organist, Mr F. Tilley Grand Stewards, Messrs J. D. Campbell and G. J. Yule; member Board of General Purposes, Mr H. C. McGibbon; membe- Board of Benevolence, Mr I. Copeland.

Ruapehu District—Assistant-Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr C. D. Fraser; Grand Sword-bearer, Mr K. W. Delghton; Grand Stewards, Messrs J. Mogridge and J. Boss; member Board of General Purposes, Mr W. H. Sandford; of Benevolence. Mr A. H. Sutton.

Hawke's Bay District—Grand Chaplain, Rev. B. D. B. Waugh; AssistantGrand Director of Ceremonies, Mr T. H. Barclay; Grand Stewards, Messrs E. E. Bott and W. A. Wilkie; member Board of General Purposes, Mr W. Dobson; member Board of Benevolence, Mr G. W. Wardrop. Nelson and Marlborough District— Junior Grand Deacon, Mr J ; F. Nosworthy; Assistant-Grand Director of Ceremonies, M> Jas. Williams; Grand Steward, Mr \V. Max; member Boaird of General Purposes, Mr W. Nicholson; member Boafd of Benevolence, Mr A. M. Thomson.

West Coast District—Assistant-Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr M. H. Houston; Grand Stewards, Messrs T. H. Boustridge and D. McGregor; member Board of Benevolence, Mr H. Campbell; member Board of Benevolence, Mr J. Neilson.

Taranaki District—Assistant-Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr A. E. Washer; Grand Stewards, Messrs L. H. Carrel and M. D. Stagpoole; member Board of General Purposes, Mr A. Diprose,* member Board of Benevolence, Mr J. W. Darby. Fast Grand Rank. Past Grand irank honoris causa was conferred as follows:—Mr IV J. Hunn, Lodge Masterton, to be Past Grand Warden (Junior); Mr W. H. Hopkins, Lodge Palmefston, Past Grand Director of Ceremonies; Mr W. R. Snellgrove, Lodge Ruapehu, Past Grand Deacon (Senior); Mr G. E. Smith, Lodge Waterloo, Past Grand Deacon (Sfenior); Mr G. F, Henry, Lodge United Service, Past Grand Deacon (Senior); Mr W. S. Williams, Lodge Auckland, Past Grand Deacon (Senior); Mr H. O. Carter, of Dunedin, Past Provincial Grand Master. Finances. The statement of finances showed that the aggregate balances of the various funds of Grand Lodge were £133,795, as against £127,403 last year. New Lodges, Three new lodges were reported to have been consecrated in the past year, Pukemiro, First Temple (Auckland), and Chevalier, bringing the total number of lodgeß on the register to 303, with a membership of 27,259, a net increase for the year of 305. Home for Boys. An advance in the arrangements for the establishment of a Masonic homo for boys in Auckland was reported. Last year an Auckland Freemason presented to Grand Lodge an area of land at Papakura for the purpose. Since then the donor has executed a declaration of trust appropriating certain properties, mortgages, shares, debentures, and other assets, of an estimated value of £50,265, as an endowment for the proposed home, and the trustees of the Grand Lodge have accepted the trust. The institution is intended for the reception of sons of Freemasons, not less than three years of age, but if enough such children are not available, boys of non-Masonic parents are to be qualified I'or admission. The management is to be in the hands of a local committee, working under conditions laid down by the Board of Benevolence. Nest Place of Meeting. Wellington was chosen as the place for the next annual communication. The business sessions, morning and afternoon, were devoted to matters interesting only within the Craft itself, contained in the reports o£ the executive Boards, and to motions relating to the amendment of Grand Lodge laws. A hearty reception was given to Lord Bledisloe on his appearance in Grand Lodge shortly after bis election to the Grand MastershipWarm acknowledgment was made by tesolutloij of thi thoroughness of the

arrangements for their entertainment by the lodges of Canterbury. Installation Proceedings.

The evening session was held in the Civic Theatre, when the ehief business was the installation of Lord Bledisloe as Grand Master, and the induction of Mr Jas. H. Harkness as Pro. Grand Master, and Sir Odin H. Moller, of Dunedin, as Deputy-Grand Master. The attendance of visiting and local Freemasons was very large, and included the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cantorbury, and representatives of the Provincial and District Grand Lodges of sister constitutions.

Mr J. J. Clark, the retiring Grand Master, and Mr J. J. Dougall, Past Grand Master, officiated as Installing Grand Masters, and Past Grand Masters, who also took part in the-principal ceremonials, w-re Messrs T. Boss, S. C. Bingham, .d E. W„ G. H. Watts.

Proineial Grand Masters for the various Masonic districts were appointed by the netv Grand Master, and invested. All were reappointments, with the exception of Mr S\ S. Wood, West Coast District, Mr H. H. Edwards, Nelson and Marlborough, and Mr T. Byrnes, Buapehu. Grand Wardens for the year ■Were appointed, invested, and inducted, viz. Senior Grand Warden, Mr J. H. Colebourne, of Hastings; Junior Grand Warden, Mr W. G. Mason, of Auckland. The officials elected at the morning sitting were also invested. The proceedings were brightened with appropriate music by a capable orchestra and choir. Grand Master's Address. Xri his address to the assemblage after installation, Lord Bledisloe said that the invitation that he should accept the highest Masonic office in New Zealand had been so cordial and pressing that it appeared to him that refusal would have been hot merely ungracious and ungrateful, but also a violation of his Royal master's motto "leh dieri" ("I serve")- He had also been assured that the brethren of the Dominica would be -willing to provide him with a most experienced, popular, and energetic ProGrand Master in Mr Harkness, to exonerate him from personally conducting many of the more important tasks normally undertaken by the' Grand Master. If in these matters he sought friendly indulgence, it was djie to no iack of Masonic zeal, but simply to the limits of human strength, and the belief that in these dayi, when we were faced with grave industrial and economic problems, such surplus physical energy as he might possess should be devoted preponderantly to their attempted solution. The welfare of the cfaft and all connected with it would ever be his constant concern, and an object very near to his heart.

"I rejoice," said his Excellency, '' that Freemasonry, with all its salutary influence upon the community at large, is such a live and generous growth in this country. . . Let it be patent to the uninitiated that a typical Treemason is one who, edified by our ritual and fortified by our tenets, intuitively and invariably radiates charity in his domestic and vocational environment, and who is ever raising a shapely ethical superstructure on a firm foundation of upright character —a man indeed to quote Wordsworth's description of "the happy warrior": Whose high endeavour is an inward light Which makes the path before him always bright Who, not content that former worth stand fast, Looks forward, persevering to the last, Prom well to better, daily self-sur-passed. A Revival. "If as I would fain believe, we in this country, as elsewhere in the world, are on the eve of a great revival of those forces which make for the permanent uplifting of mankind and a more secure anchorage for human life and conduct than has obtained since the great upheaval occasioned by the war—a revival foreshadowing for the human race a more confident happiness, rooted in purity and integrity of life, but nevertheless full of the "joie de vivre" which is m no way repugnant to the highest ideals of human attainment, and to which modern conditions, properly directed, can so generously _ contribute, may we not wake our Masonic temple to the nucleus of such a renaissance, the acknowledged treasure-house of the test plans of a new ethical architecture? At least that is the ambition and the objective to which, on assuming for the time being this high and responsible position, I am bold enough to aspire on behalf of the Craft of this fair Dominion. '' Concluding, his Excellency said: "Allow me to express the earnest hope that Freemasonry may be an ever increasing power for good throughout this country during the period for which I shall have the honour and privilege of acting as your Grand Master, and that jf, as we all believe, righteousness exalteth a nation, sueh exaltation wiil characterise the future history of New Zealand, and that our Craft may be a potent influence in the process."