A CENTENARY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 948, 15 October 1910, Page 9

A CENTENARY.

'-V— —•' •MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODD- ■■ FELLOWS, A: BRIEF HISTORY. . ■ The celebration of the centenary ol such an important friendly sociotyL as tha i. ' ; Manchester Unity Oddfellows demands ■•'-v-.-V more than a passing reference,.and, while' ■:5 there is. no . intention to write , a history, however condensed, of this great society . during the last century, : yet a , brief ' sketch of the methods, to build iip'-a 60- '■ ' •piety that has proved such a great ; poi\ er in inculcating the principles of thrift and ■ sclf-dependenco; and liqen the, means/..', of j assisting its' members and-their, families in the time of sickness and ; bereavement . will no doubt prove interesting. !; .j ; r Tho mythical origin pf Oddfellowship i . . in tho'year of grace 55, during the-reign v -: of tho detested Roman .Emperor NcroVV''"' ' •may be dismissed from' tho realm: pro->:!Yi liability, ..as may also tho fiction '-chat: ■' ; ; the name of "Oddfellow" was. bestowed • by Titus Caesar, although there is a' pos-',, sible.substratum of truth.intliesbimaging ings. .-■■■ v.- : ;/: j Tlir rOUNDVTION . ; Ihe M.U. 1.0.0.1. is. said to liavo beeu > ■ founded by.Robert.Naylor iuid'other'.citi-.' Manchester; in October, 1810. , In the early days of .tho-society. the' ttemwra'" appear to have met'for" conviviality,' tho ... relief of those suffering. froni sickness' or ; >V ; accident coming as. an; accessory to' -'the ■'" !l convivial surroundings, the means.fpr -.-';•' such relief. being: raised by a voluntary : subscriptions Provision was also inade' by ■ this means to assist in. the funeral expenses of a deceased member,' and :it"was ■ considered :tp be the duty; of. tho members :. n?i the funeral-, of-.tho member, rhe Manchester .Unity increased and "nnil- ' , v tiphcd, the members paid periodical contnbutionS into a fund that,was. under the. control' of. the respective lodged, .the';,fion- '•> Vivial souls did- not"..trpuble about , rates . '- of interest,, but acted on tho,* prinoiple'of: ,V sufficient tortile day, .etc;.' and tie younger • members did: npVforsee.cth'e' trpiMe ahead ; V ■for themselves * as. tlley :.advaric>>d".in ago and were lijtely'lo 'become: claimants on - tho .funds.'.However,- after'a timd 'Sviser ; ! .counsels' prevailed, hud the. way»;was- pi-e- .£ .pared for tlio, splendid;; system- ho\v'-ia-; : operation,, and- with. the. determination- to , ■ ; keep the;, benefit • fund and 'its contribu-, 'i : t.tonsi entirely separate: frnin other- fund^-; ,;;5 find; deveto the , income i'ln .its legitimate purpose;, Hie - proper:; investment'' of ,; ;tho .. , J lunus .claimed, attentipri.A}though'!;thero,-; were many disabilities, owii)g'/to v th« V.'.-'i lodges .being' outside: the .pale of tbe.'law, ' yet the members strove to eliminate: 1 tho. eai'lier, ; criers, tb broaden' the range >of vi -S .its' beneficent: operations, and : to', estab--lish': the .society- qli."-.'a;'...sound :'financial::<...:¥ basis,-; the: result . that,-the - society: : 1 of'tho past-Wcaiiie the society of;the; pre l . ; sent, so that after a century rof.-teiiSfi-V I cent existence, the: Manchester" Unity-lias. >. r? won- a leading'' place 'among the . thrift', in-s Jj stitutious of the'world.A.V-'S.': , ... MEMBERSHIP. Tho aggregate. membership ■ at:tho be. 1 -, ■' ginning pf ,the; tfbar : waS : 1,0::5,G27,' the adult membership.: stoo'd at :Bft2,(SGß,;of-i wlipm G9SO -aro iemale ni'cmljers. ' There - ■ - are in'- the;, adult lodges" ,somo : 6616 , ad— mitted or junior members qualifying for ' ' full, membership, and in;addition,to thcso-'V.'. ' there : are 116,454 • members of affiliated - ' , juvenile- sooietios; 13,661 widows aro sub- : . scribing to lodges and districts' for. funeral:: benents, 1 and tliere aro 11,779 honorary : some of ;a. live.'.iai; . tcrest in Oddfsllowship. ,' Knancial proaperitj- has. been won dv the dogged do- , termination of., the : !nu;mbci's.. : Taking - tho ; - latest available''tiguros; ;those'.fopl9oß,:' : the 1 capital,''of.'.the-'-sofciety is.ishowii'i at "j:■ 335,731' Is.; 2d.', ;'and recently the" nyj,-, serves have: . been: i ncreasing, at';' the * rate:;:. of about halfia year.': ; The ; tributions for .sick-,': aiid fuiieralvbenefits: ; 'for:.1908 were ''i1,010,844'135. 5d., whilfttho, •<;, ■ actual .benefit'payments'; for sickiiess -and v death : amounted ;,to JGi;pSB,S7S," and V^£3 f S,-, ■- '■• ' 076 13s; beeii ;paid : fpr, benevolent: and: L: ; otherrpurposes—an. excess, of' .payments over ' receipts'' of '-195..,'10dr-YlfHs :M' r . the; income from ,invested; capitalwinch.. ; i ' enables thoi.TJiiity t<). this in ~tJie, pre- l-t I sent,', and' will enable ■ it r 'to meet unflinchingly still heavier; claims in future yiarsiV:'; : income of the. Unity; in all its-funds T'",: for the;, year ,1908 ,w-as: ss.':ld.i - ■ and tho payments .£714,550: ssi?>..7d,\ .'Tho last' completed yaluatioil: of the assets And , liabilities: of; the, ; Phitj? the'Aprei.-.'v'f;. ' sent 'value of benefits;'' assured''.to ..bei,";: i!2-i,117,230, and" the present. vAliio of aS-' sets . applicable' .thereto , *je24,524,961,'. : ; ing a net surplus, of - .£407,625. IN NEW'ZEALAND. ' The Manchester■ Unity, was first.t-sUb-lislied ill New' Zealand' : iii tho' 'yeai; ;1842; ■; Nelson: had '.the honour ,of -being ats't'A'n- . ;.: tipodean . birthplace, it '.was'^'oii'*'" 5 -' .thpivay-put in thelohgbpat pf the, "Emma' Uidgw&y" emigrant' ship, that the • pro: hminary: meetings;were:.held.' : ,The;'.first;-:.-xr . shbre, meeting; was; lield' in Nelsen- under the fern trees; :'';The: lodge, was callfed the'ip "Strangers' Refuge." In 184? 'a 1 branch v.!:'---was opened in''Wellington undfer the.name ■'$ : ,of . .ThO';first'-i' -' ■■ officers .'of; whom recprds are extant " .were • B. 1 Rese: .(SeniorN.G.), : .yinccnt'v?' : (V.G.), .T. I!. Raine (secretary), Hirst.Olfar- . . ; riott, Griinaldi; Jlod, -■ juiu, ; lluir, Eichi;' . ardsori, 1 Plimmcr, :Hattei:sloy, Wilh'elme,: Barnettr and; Haigh.' .-The name of':T; ,'. ,W. VM'lfcnzie,; the •'"Father' of ; Welling- :: 1 ■ • ton," and only surviving,, member-'-of' tl\« ~.pioneers,: of; the: great: moVement' iii Nc'ir ■ : Zealand, ivas.proposed for. membership, in 1844'. : For-nearly sixtV-years, he continued . ■ , in;active: service in, the society,, by tho ;; . ■ members of which he lis highly esteemed; The offico of secretaryii for. fifty years,-waa filled;by;tw(r.iiien'oaly,.,.tho late Ed\Hn,'.,i?: Bannister : (for; Ihirtyj years) : - aiid ■: John .'7;? . : Kershaw (lipw: corresponding; secretary • of 'y .the; central, tody of 'tho' society,' the New ■ : ■ Zealand:. branch); for-'twenty years.. Ho - was ; su'ce'eedcd; by'Mr.'jGi' E.-Godbcr, who ; ' had previously held tho office of. secl-c----lary. of 1 the ; l)i'itahnia • L'odgo, for, nearly ■ 1,1 twenty, .years. The . presentMayor, :; ,of.;; J : Greytown' (]).: Pii L'oasby): has. long'lieea i associated with the work of ;Otldfellow slnj), . especially in- the ; Wairaripa. ~-. Tho ' Bri- " . tannia and Lodged have JC39.i9 . . aiid -'<£2726' surpluses respectively, j. The . \ society has tsfablished a- central t -body ' under- the :name'. of • the New'; Zealand ' ' branch, : to'.-: which eleven: of, the districts'. i' aiid 106 lodges., aro . affiliated, the -total i' i membership of' the, sc'ciety exceeds -22j000, -■■ • and 1 the totil funds .amount to over JE600.000.' : : ■'... '■;