LOYAL PUKEKOHE LOOSE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 579, 29 October 1920, Page 2

LOYAL PUKEKOHE LOOSE.

RECEPTION TO GRANDMASTER Tuesday evening was one of unusu al importance to members of the Lo.\al Pukekohe Lodge, No. 8063, M.U., 1.0.0. F., A.D., being the occasion o a visit by Bro. Wm. Thomas, Grand master for New Zealand. The Lodge was in session from 8 till 9 p.m. after which harmony was indulge* in, Bro. A. D. Young, P.G., presiding. Associated with the G.M. were Provincial Deputy Grandmaster Bro. Tyke, Provincial Corresponding Sec retary Bro. John McLeod, Past Pro vincial G.M. Bro. W. Dean, Past Pro vincial G.M. Bro. Pople, and Bro. C K. Lawrie (Mayor of Pukekohe) Thanks to Bro. J. A. Nodwell secretary of the reception com mittee, and his assistants, the sup per and arrangements therefor were very satisfactory indeed. There was a splendid muster, th< lodge-room being taxed to its ut most, and the function was terised by that fraternal spirit whic! is found only in lodge circles, when men are banded together for mutua help and the good of mankind. Th< material wants of the brethren werf adequately catered for, after whic! the toast of "The King" was dul\ honoured. Bro. A. D. Young, P.G., proposer the toast of the Grandmaster, Bro Thomas, whom, he said had been a hard worker for the Order for many yg'ars in this district? The G.M. had always a warm spot in his heart for Pukekohe, which good feeling was heartily reciprocated. His installa tion was the first on record wherein a G.M. had been installed in his own district. The Patumahoe branch, the speaker said, was a signal success, and it had been auspiciously com- ] menced on the occasion of the visit i of the G.M. and Corresponding Secretary, Bro. McLeod. It was a great ' . honour for any man to attain to the I positionof G.M, of New Zealand. Such ! an one must be a man of outstand- ' ing ability. The toast was tendered ; enthusiastically with musical honours. ; Responding, G.M. Bro. Thomas e-x- ---; pressed his gratitude for the tri--5 butes paid to him. One of the rea- ' sons for his friendship for Pukekohe ; was his association with the late Bro. ' Wilkinson. His absence (for ever) ' had been the means of forcing other members to come out and take some ' of the responsibilities of the late Bro. Wilkinson. One of these new and promising leaders was Bro. YQung. P.G.. whom he regarded as one of the promising lights of the • Order. (Applause.) It was to the \oung men that the Order must look to for the advancement of the Lodge. The speaker's predecessors Had also been great men, and one of the present high officers, P.G.M. Bro. McLeod, was one who was worthy of the highest traditions of the Order. If the heart was of the right mettle much could be accomplished by one and all. The speaker wished io see every young man join some friendly society, thereby showing his prudence,* and fitness for full citizenship. He had belonged to the Order for forty years, and he was a gainer, ever: though he had never required assist ance. But if he did rcqav.-j it, help would be forthcoming in the evening of his Jife. He was particularly pleased to see the Rev. J. P. Cowie present, for there was no one more conversant with the misery resulting from failure to make provision for rainy days than :i clergyman. The G.M. got a sly dig at a number of members who pleaded multiplicity of public duties as an excuse for failing to attend their Lodge regurarly. He had been a member of several local bodies, but had always managed to attend his Lodge. (Applause.) P.G. Bro. F. Hard proposed the toast of the Auckland District Officers, referring to the large measure of support -they had rendered, even at considerable sacrifice to thera- ' selves. Prov. D.G.M. Bro. Tyke returned thanks briefly and suitably, as did other officers. Provincial Corresponding Secretary Bro. John McLeod reviewed his experiences in Australia, whither he had gone primarily for health reasons. The Lodge in Australia had increased tremendously since the war, and had opened fifty* lodges during the year. Propaganda work was being carried on very largely, but he thought the New Zealand literature was .ather better, being more concise and telling in respect to the advantages of the Order. A good member of the Lodge was an acquisition to society at large as a desirable type of citizen. He noted in New South Wales that paid canvassers were not nearly so successful as voluntary ones. The Government of New South Wales subsidised friendly societies, which boon was offered by the late Right Hon. Richard John Seddon, but foolishlyrefused bv the leaders of New Zealand societies at the time. The society in New Zealand was valued at £921,051, or £42 12s 4d per head, as against £25 12s-6d per head for other societies. The M.U. was incomparably strong, both financially and numerically. The Corresponding Secretary expressed his gratitude for the loyal leception he had received ; n Australia. Their system of lending was better than that obtaining in New Zealand, the borrower starting to pay back principal and interest right away, clearing himself within 13 or 14 years, whereas in Auckland district some mortgages had been in existence for 30 years, not one penny of principal having been cleared off. The Dominion officers were seriously considering following suit. But he was looking forward to the day when there would be 10,000 members in the Auckland district. A man could not do a better service to his T *riend than to persuade" him to join the Manchester Unity. Past Prov. G.M. Bro. Dean supplemented the former speaker's remarks. Last year the M.U. in New Zealand increased bv 4.85 per cent., but Auckland district advanced by l> per cent. (Applause.) Borough of Pukekohe was proposed by the G.M., who congratulated the citizens on the progress evident in the town. Bro. C. K. Laurie (Mayor of Pukekohe) responded, neatly turning off the jest about Hie lights goin" out at 11.30, by remarking thai this was a concession to the ladies who awaited their husbands' re!urn home from social flection-. Bio. Lawrie said- he bad been a member of the Order for about thirty years. "The Presb" was entrusted <u the branch secretary. Bro. 0. Haslnm. who made complimentary references to the report--" of lodge fwv-timis winch appeared in the "Times." He was certain that the "Times" report of the inaugural meeting at Patumahoe was partly responsible for the splendid membership already obtaining in that thriving district, where the district paper was read in practically ('■■• cry household. Responding, a representative id Ihc "Times," after thanking the pro poser for the kindly references to the, "Times," said he sometimes wondered if members of n friendly society fully recognised all that their respective Orders stood for. In the name of the branch of the Order he had the pleasure of addressing the members of there were two words of outstanding significance, the first being the word "loynl," and the second "order." In all healthy-minded British communities the Throne signified the keystone of the Arch of Empire, around which all the varied institutions characteristic of British life aqd ideals centred; therefore the woVd "loyal" in the name of the local branch was pregnant with lofty

meanings. And "order" was similarlj meaningful: these were days of turmoil and unrest, when many influ:nces were aiming to overturn the established order of things; this was i healthy sign so long as desirable >.nd rational changes were striven or by orderly, constitutional near? but unfortunately there were active, r'sguideu mind.' which '-en. 1 bent <■: "btruction without having apythi: i of a constructive nature ready as übstitutes. Happily, there were tit' nverful, well-balanced counteract g influents of friendly societi" nd the churches that were steady ng the helm. The most rabid an rchist, even if he accomplished hi 'esire of destroying our present sc ial system, would have to establis' )rder" out of the Chaos he wouh reate before he could put his ow leals into practice. Order was t! ■rowning triumj)h of all civilization.' nd was the clear demarkation lir tetween rude barbarism and the wpi Irous complexity of a highly skille< nd cultivated civilization. Looke • t in this light, one could visualb he vast fmportance of .friendly s< ieties in the fabric of nationhoot iUite apart from the very niateri: benefits rightly stressed by the hig' ifficers of the' Order that night. Tl speaker always felt himself on saf Mid reputable grounds when doir what little his humble talents pe mitted him to do towards the a<f .ancement of the interests of frienc ly societies, especially in the case o an Order possessing the fine tradi tions and present prestige of such ■ useful and uplifting institution a: the Manchester Unity.

Items were very acceptably rer dered by Bros. T. Walker, Pople, El liott, Adams, accompaniments played by Mr. K. L. Cannell.