MASONIC GRAND LODGE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2460, 13 May 1915, Page 9

MASONIC GRAND LODGE

ANNUAL COMMUNICATION ITS CONTRIBUTION TO WAR RELIEF SEMI-JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS The annual Communication, of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand Freemasons was opened at the Town Hall yesterday morning. There were assembled some three hundred members of Grand Lodge and representatives of the individual lodges on its roll, extending from the far north of Auckland to Southland. M.W. Bro. J. J. Dougall, of Christchurch, the Grand Master of the last twelve months, occupied tho throne. Board of Benevolence. The report of the Board of Benevolonce showed that the grants made during tho year in the relief of casual distress had amounted to J!319. Three sums had been raised by way of circular appeal, amounting respectively to £259, £2U (incomplete), and -C2OO (incomplete). A circular had been issued by the Graud Master to the lodges of the Dominion, commending to them the establishment of a special fund to make provision for the needs of brethren who may return from the war wounded, sick, or otherwise unfitted for the battle of life, and in assisting the dependents of members of the craft who may fall at the front. The proposal had been eagerly taken up. and the returns up to April 10 showed that iE1353 had been voluntarily subscribed, while lodges had adopted various devices for raising moneys on behalf of the fund, by way of entertainments, levies, collections, and other means. Annuity Board. The Annuity Board reported that the capital value of the fund under its control amounted to .£24,447, an increase of Xlßl3, raised by voluntary means, for the year. The amount now being expended annual in annuities was .£845, and the income of the fund left a margin of JE2I6 for the creation of further annuities. The Wellington district contributions to the fund for .the year had amounted to .£258, being only outstripped by Auckland's .£386 and Canterbury's J!297. Board of General Purposes. This board's report showed that the total fuads of Grand Lodge at the end of the financial year amounted to .£35,374, distributed as follows:—General Fund, ■£3938; Fund of Benevolence, .£3915; Widows' and Orphans' and Aged Masons' Fund (Annuity I'und), .£24,447; Circular Appeal Funds, .£1664; Representation Fund, .£512; Special War Benevolent Fund, .£B9B. Three Dew lodges had been established within the year, at Mount Somers (Canterbury), Seatoun. (Wellington), and Takapuna (Auckland). A proposal for the creation of a new Masonic district having as its southern boundary the Manawatu Eiver, and its northern the district of Taranaki, and to be called the Buapohu district, was approved by the board. It was estimated that 200 members.of tlie craft had gono from New Zealand to the seat of war, and that another hundred are at present in camp at Tientham, training for the front. A grant of ,£IOO had been sent to the Grand Lodge of France, as a contribution towards a fund which it is raising to establish an ambulance for wounded, without distinction of nationality or religion, a service of free meals, and a service of domestic" help for eiok women. The board congratulated Grand Lodge on the prosperous condition of its affairs at the olose of the twenty-fifth year of its' existence. It was mentioned that in May, 1916, the office of Grand Lodge will be removed from Christchurch to Auckland, and it is taken for granted that the next annual communication will be held in Auckland City. All the above reports were duly adopted. Election of Grand Master. M.W. Bro. J. J. Dougall was unanimously elected to the office of-Grand Master for the ensuing year. Other officers were elected in accordance with the following scheme of distribution:—From Canterbury Province.— Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. itev. A. J. S. Seaton; Grand Treasurer, W. Bro. H. J. Otley; Grand Registrar, V.W. Bro. Edward Darker Mosley; President of tho Board of General Purposes, R.W. Bro. riydney Clifton Bingham; President of the Board of Benevolence, V.W. Bro. John Thornton; Grand Director, of Ceremonies, W. Bro. J. N. Du Feu; Grand Organist, W. Bro.' T. L. Crooke; Grand Steward, W; Bro. W. C. Brydon; Members of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bros. F. C. B. Bishop, A. H. Hobbs, H. Hopkinson, H. B. Sorensen, and M. B. Wright; Members of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bros, C, F. Whiteside, T. Compton, J. W. Eoberts, A. H. Webb, and W. M. Eobinson.

Auckland District.—Junior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. D. Jamieson; Grand Standard Btarer, W. Bro. H. D.Bunby; Grand Pursuivant, W. Bro. C. N. Flyger; Grand Stewards, W. Bros. S. L. Bygrave and R. W. Hears; Members or the Board of General Purposes, W. Bros. P. A. Balcke and Joseph Wooler; Members of the .Board of Benevolence, W. Bros, J. C. Woodward and G. F. Lovegrove. Wellington District.—Grand Chaplain, Bro. Rev. W. Shirer; Junior Grand Deacon, W. Bro, James Eod; Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Bro. W. H. Jones; Grand SworiJ Bearer, W. Bro. James M'lntyre; Grand Stewards, W. Bros. H. J, T. Jaggard and R. Jenkins; Member of the Board of General Purposes. W. Bros. C. W. Nielsen and T. W. Kirk; Member of the Board of Benevolenoe, W. Bros. A. W. Chapman and H. J. Booth. Otago District.—Senior t Grand Deacon, W. Bro. T. Gallagher; JGrand Sword Bearer, W. Bro. Shirley E. W. Baker; Grand Standard Bearer, W. Bro. D. Harris Hastings; Grand Stewards, W. Bro. Alex. Allan and Bro. J. L. Miller; Members of the Board of General Purposes, R.W. Bro. A. Pieldwick and W. Bro. D. C. Cameron; Members of the Board of Benevolence. W. Bro. H. E. Moller and W. Bro. R. Bain. Southland District.—Grand Bible Bearer, W. Bro. B. J. If. Jamieson; Grand Pursuivant, W. Bro. G. A. Reid; Grand Steward, W. Bro. Edward Frobarth; Member of. the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. Edward Parker; Member of the Board of Benevolence,' W. Bro. Charles Campbell. Hawke's Bay District.—Senior Grand Deacon, W. Bro. Louis Freedman; Grand Steward, W. Bro. W. A. Chambers; Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro: Fred. Craven; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. R. S. Chadwick. Nelson and Marlborough District.— Grand Bible Bearer, W. Bro. Roy P. Furness; (Jrand Steward, W. Bro. Malcolm M'Kenzie; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. Walter Cowin. West Coast District.—Grand Superintendent of 'Works. W. Bro. E. Wariies; Grand Steward, W. Bro. G. W. Jones; Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. R. Colligan; Member of the Board of Benevolence, W. Bro. E. Schafer. Taranaki District.—Grand Superintendent of Works, TV. Bro. A. E. Surrey; Grand Steward, W. Bros. W. H. H. Young; Member of the Board of General Purposes, W. Bro. J. B. Sim. Business of Sitting. The morning was devoted to the consideration of the reports of the various boards as outlined above, and these were eventually adopted. A resolution was passed empowering the Board of General Purposes to invest the funds of Grand Lodge in local body debentures or similar approved securities instead of limiting them as heretofore to deposit with the Public Trustee; also recommending . t'ho board to consider the question of a consultative committee upon investments, consisting of financiers in the citie3 other than that where the board is for the time, located. The afternoon sitting was given up to matters of purely Masonic import, the etllnf tii&tlßf of (Htewvt the ififi--firmation by Grand Lodge of the election.

a , as ter'of a. southern lodge, which had been challenged as beiug irregular on technical grounds.

INSTALLATION OF GRAND MASTER. HIS SEMI-JUBILEE ADDRESS. An exceptionally large gathering took place in the main Town Hall in the evening, when K.W. Bro. Dougall was reinstalled as Grand Master, with tho usual Masonic pomp and ceremony, "To-day,;* said M.W. Bro. Dougall, in opening his address to the brethren, bra lid Lodge celebrates its seini-jubi-lee. I'or twenty-live years it has swayed the destinies of Freemasonry in this 130I minion. .Through evil report and good j report, through storm and calm, through lmpecimiosity to comparative affluence, it has steadily persevered in sowing the seed, or Masonic knowledge, and m propagating the ideals and traditions of the fraternity. It has not only survived the labour ot what may be deemed a prematurei birth, but stands to-day an emblem of the foresight of its progenitors, at peaco with the world, a peer among peers, (\ triumphant vindication of tho sacred right ot free government. 1 ' After reviewing the history of the institution, ho proceeded: Eminently satisfactory as lias been tho progress of Grand Lodge, remarkable > as has been the wise administration, -the distribution of charity, the accumulation of wealth, and tho increase of membership, still more remarkable would have been tho result had . re , em . asonr y * n this country been a united body. One can on*- hope that the results already achieveu may in the near future convince those brethren who do X See eye to eye with us, that the future of Freemasonry in New Zealand is indissolubly wrapped up with the progress of Grand Lodge. If it does well, JNew Zealand receives the credit; if it does badly, the discredit will bo New Zealand s. The only desire of Grand Lodge is to foster Freemasonry iu strict accordance with the Masonic tradition. Grand wants every Freemason in tho Dominion to assist iu this laudable object. "Tho accretions to the Annuity 1) und, and the relief afforded to the distressed, constitute tho brightest jewel in the crown of Grand Lodge, and give a complete answer to those opponents who contended that "any hope of permanently establishing a benevolent fund of a substantial character from so small a body of Masons, was fallacious. The fund has increased in the most creditable manner. On March 31, 1903, the credit balance was <£2265, on March 31, 1905, ,£5037, on March 31, 1910, .£13,638, on March 31, 1915, .£24,447."

Referring further to the work done by the national Masonic institution in the relief of distress, the Grand Master showed that up to 1905 the amount provided by lodges through the medium of oircular appeals was not recorded in Grand Lodge omce, as the funds were controlled by the originating lodges. It was, however, estimated that ,£IO,OOO had been raised by that means since the inauguration of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. Taking that amount as a basis, and adding on the known amounts of the last ten years, the grants from the central Benevolent Fund, and the annuities, it was found that Grand Lodge since its inception had disbursed in charity a total sum of .£25,i28. • This was,quite apart from the private benevolence of lodges, which could fairly be set down at considerably over •£SOOO in addition. Notwithstanding this heavy expenditure, the benevolent funds now showed a cash balance of .£30,92-1, while the general fund was ill credit, MlatS, making a gross credit of ,£35,374. Further comment wns needless. Concluding his address, tho Grand Master asked:—"Has Grand Lodge, as the result of 25 years of labour justified lis existence? Surely, no one will say nay. We may not have achieved all that was hoped. It may be that some things could have been done bettor. But it must be remembered that wo have had many obstacles to surmount, and many difficulties to overcome. Whatever success has attended our proceedings has been achieved at much sacrifice and self-denial. At present Grand Lodge placidly floats in a sea serenely calm. All omens favourably smile. The future seems assured. But let us not forget that our early brethren had to contend against a very siege of troubles; that their aotioff was viewed by the majority of their fellows with intense disfavour, and that their object was gained only by incessant perseverance and unremitting toil. To them belongs all credit. To them we give all praise. It may be that the success attained iu largely due to the strenuousness of the early fight for existence; that we have been chastened and Tefined by the trials through which we have passed; that the measure of our suecess is the sum of the toil and selfsacrifice of the brethren who so faithfully laid the foundation of Grand Lodge. May tho edifice erected in that foundation prove worthy of PrMmasonry. May it be instrumental in diffusing the light of wisdom, aiding the strength of reason, dispensing the beauties of virtue, and lessening the aggregate of human vice. May the Great Architect guide, protect, and prosper the work."

Other Grand Officers. After his installation the Grand Master announced the appointment under Ms prerogative powers of the higher officers for the year as follow:— Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. J. H. Harkness (Westport). Provincial jGrand Masters:-Auckland district: M.P.W., Bro. 0. Nicholson; Wellington district: R.W. Bro T A Peterkm; Southland district: R.W Bro' Timpanv; Otago district: R.W. Bro. J. J. Clark; Hawks's Bay: R.W. Bro H. L. Harston; Taranaki district: R.W. Bro. R. W. Sargent; Nelson and Marlborough district: R.W. Bro. W. E. Redman; West Coast district: R.W. Bro. R. H Richmond; Raiapehu district: R.W. Bro. D. J. F. M Far lane, M.W. Bro. Binns Is Provincial Grand Master of Canterbury as head of the Provincial Grand Lodge Senior Grand Warden, R.W. Bro. Joseph Barton Dunodw; Junior Grand Warden, R.W. Bro. M. J. Harris, of Paeroa, Auckland. .

Grand Lecturers: V.W. Bros T W Rowe, W. G. Mehaffey, and H. B. Bridge! Most of these officers were present and were inducted and invested in due form. A powerful and well-trained choir, with, Bro. Rotart Parl&r as organist, added musical brightness to the well-conducted ceremonies.