ODDFELLOWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 188, 6 August 1878, Page 2

ODDFELLOWS.

The half-yearly Meeting of the Nelson District Committee was held at the Travel--1 rs Rest Lodge room ou Tuesday the 16th July last. Tiie l'ror. G. M., in his address at the opening of the meeting directed attention to the finances of the Lodges. He said:— "ln my opinion, the question of finance is a subject of grave import; to the District, and of vital importance to the Lodges individually, for I believe the degree of prosperity attainable by each Lodge will be measured by the diligence and prudence exercised in the mauagetueut of its monetary affairs. The objects of our Society are mainly to relieve those amongst us who may be afflicted with sickness, to provide funeral donations, and to assist the bereaved widows and helpless orphans of deceased members. These benefits each Lodge is pledged to accomplish for its owu nj( mhers. But however philanthropic our intentions may be, very little can actually be achieved without adequate means; and, unless we carefully husband our reso rces, we shall be powerless to perform effectually the great and worthy objects of our Society. It is therefore of th*e utmost importance that every Lodge should study its financial condition;" and, if there he any deficiency in the funds, that measures should promptly he taken to acquire means sufficient toousure the complete performance of its engagements No Lodge should rest contented with the mere capacity for liquidating the immediate claims of ita members. Something more than that is required of every Lodge. Our institution is framed not merely for the purpose of satisfying the necessities of to day and the infirmities of youth— it is intended also to provide for our wants in years to come, and the more pressing afflictions of old age; and a Lodge must make provision for the discharge of all its liabilities both present and contingent. Every member has a right to participate in the benefits of his lodge equally with his fellow members, as the necessity arises, and it is as much the duty of a Lodge to provide for the future claims of the many as to satisfy the immediate wants of the few. This cau only be accomplished by a Lodge properly regulating its receipt* by its disbursements. In our District, happily, nearly all the Lodges are in a fair way of becoming financially strong, though I think none should possess a capital Jess than an average of £10 per member."

The Prov. G.M. in concluding said, "I feel this address should not be concluded without my offering a passing tribute of respect to the memory of our departed brother, William Westbrook Squires, the late Provincial Grand Master of this District. For many years our late brother was a member of the Howard Lodge, and the earnest and efficient manner in which he discharged the duties of a brother, a Lodge officer, and Grand Master of the District, was apparent to all with whom he came in contact. His absence from amongst us now is a loss deeply to be deplored. The warm interest he took in the welfare of our District was evinced up to within & few weeks of his death, and his dying request that the brethren of the Order should join in following; him to his last last earthly resting place manifested that the Order was not forgotten by him even in his last moments."

In addition to the usual routine of business transacted at the meeting, a recommendation was received from the Management Committee of the Widow and Orphan's Fund, suggesting that the contributions to that Fund be increased from the present monthly payment of 4*d per member to sd. The Committee were induced to make this suggestion from the fact that of late yearn the demands upon the Fund have been steadily increasing, and now in amount exceed the contributions. During the present half-year the allowances to Widows and Orphans amounted to £85 10s; while £69 18a Id only was received for contributions, so that £15 lls lid. had to be taken from the Interest Account. The further consideration of this suggestion was deferred in order to give the members an opportunity of discussing the matter in Lodge. The balance standing to the credit of the Widows and Orphans Fund on 30th June, amounted to £939 3s 3d.

Enquiries have been made in Westport for relatives of a Mrs Sarah Collins, who died in London, leaving property to the extent of a quarter of a million sterling. One of our townsmen (says the Westport Times), John Collins, familiarly known as Rata Jack, has received a letter from Messrs Uniacke and Co., of Melbourne, requesting him to send particulars of his pedigree and relationship back from the third and fourth generations. The Lyell Argus reporter, writing of proceedings in the Licensing Court there, says: — Some rather severe remarks fell from the Bench regarding the quality of the liquors vended along the road, which we commend to (those interested; although staunch teetotallers ourselves ,we consider that for a shilling a traveller should receive the genuine article, besides old brands ars the safest; the Maruia Pine Tree Brand wants age. From a Parliamentary paper just issued, we gather that during his continuance of office as Premier, Sir George Grey's pension as an ex-colonial Governor will be reduced from £1000 to £125 a-year. The greater part of the correspondence relates to a mistake of two days in the date of Sir G. Grey's assumption of office, by which he points out he was deprived of two days' salary, and made to appear as if misrepresenting facts to the Colonial Office. The correspondence closes with an expression of regret on the part of the Governor that the mistake should have arisen, and an assurance that h.e would correct it by the next mail,

Frost fish have been unusually abundant ifl Otagd this yean One Dunedin fisherman Sola iO9 in a fortnight, At. the doiitiltisidri of a lecture at Wellingidn; Father lienneberry suggested that a new i&Hteiil of supporting Catholic educaticn should cfe jiddpted. in N&W Zealand,- as it was impossible that Catholics Could send their children to the Government schools, There tyrfs only one plan to adopt, which was found w be very successful in America. The plan he prop'o'Sra waa th'e same as tha,t which had been carried out iti Dunedjn, and Greymouth, viz.. thai ltisiiM of asking for contributions and making collections, the pew rents should be devoted to the purposes, of _ education $ and wherever this mode of school 3#sdeaa"nc_e had been adopted the difficulty of inainte'(ia l n*'e had been found to vanish.

From all quarters of the district, the Rangitikei Advocate hear3 of a scarcity of labor, not work, complained of. In Halcombe and Fielding, almost any number of steady men could get employment, and in both places, but especially the latter, tradesmen, such as shoemakers, tailors, &c, could find remunerative openings for their several callings. Certain of the labor employers of Halcombe are thinking of making a trip to the West Coast with a view to try and induce the emigration of reliable laborers for employment in the neighborhood. The majority of the present working class there are not those which proverbially constitute the bone and sinew of a country. An admixture of an industrious, persevering, respectable lot of laboring men should exercise a beneficial influence on the tone of working-class society.