MASONIC GRAND LODGE

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1751, 16 May 1913, Page 6

MASONIC GRAND LODGE

THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

GRAND MASTER INSTALLED. (By Telegraph— Press Associations Auckland, May 13. The T.egMaiive session of the Masonic Grand Lodge concluded shortly after jniilda.v. A large number of amendments to (lie constitution proposed by the Board of General. Purposes iicre considered and mostly agreed to. A proposal that the question of life insurance be a consideration in the qualifications of candidates for membership of the craft, was withdrawn, it being considered by the board that the object had been achieved by calling attention to the necessity for caution in the matter. A motion from tho floor of the Grand Lodge in favour Of voting by post was negatived by a large majority. So also was a motion in favour of life membership in the craft. The lodges' proposal in favour of centralisation of (lie Grand Lodge office in one of the four centres of the Dominion —Wellington for preference—was carried, both on division and subsequently by ballot, but requires ratification at another communication in order to be elective. Proposals that the communications be biennial instead of annual, and another in favour of a reduction of the number of representatives, were emphatically rejected. The installation of M.W. 3iro. Maurice Thompson, as Grand Master, was carried last evening at a verv largo gathering of the craft by M.W. Bro. Griffiths, P.G.M. The Grand Master then announced his appointments to tl:o higher offices ior the year as follow-.— Deputy-Grand Master. IMY. Bro. James Moncrieif (Carterton). Provincial Grand Master. 1 ?: Tt.W. Bros. T. W. Allen (Auckland); T. A. Peterkin : (AVt'llinsr'on). A. Stoneham Wtago), ,Wm. Tirnpanv .r. H. Harkness (West ('oast). 11: L. Harston (Hawke's Bav). W. B. E»dman (Nelson and Marlborough), -and P- W. Sargent (Taronaki). Senior Grand Warden, \\. Bro. AN alter Bradley (Kainpoi). Junior Owl Warden, IV. Bro. Gilbert T. Bull (Gisborno). M.W. Bro. Binns is Provincial Grand Master of Canterbury bv virtue of his election bv the Provincial Grand Lodge. These officers were invested and inducted by the Grand Master. M.W. Bro. 0. Nicholson, Past Pro. G.M., and the elective officers were invested ut the hands of M."W. Bro. A. H. Burton, Tast G.M. 11l his address to tho brethren, the Grand Master thanked them for the honour they had done him in'electinu him a.gain to the position in the Grand Lodge. The reports of the various boards and the balance-sheets showed that tho year had been a very successful one. He urged caution against the danger of lodges assuming local and temporary colouring from passim* events or from the influence of extremists. Churches would look after religion, the press entered for every shade of politician, the temperance soeiietics and tho ballot would deal tlie licensing ciuestion, and men's individual eftorts would settle the class to which they belonged. This left, to lodges a common ground on 'which even the strongest partisans of such questions might meet without diswrreeDlent, and 6U.ch dobatab'jo matters should be rigidly excluded.