Friendly Societies

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 51, 17 March 1894, Page 8

Friendly Societies

ODDFELLOWSHIP. IRYEROARGILL DISTRICT,. 1.0.0. F., M.U. The annual meeting of the Invercargill District was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Tay street, on Wednesday afternoon, 14th March. Present —The P.G.M., JBro. J. Latham; the Deputy P.G.M., Pro. C. S. Brass; the Prov. C.S., Bro. M. Mair; the Prov. Treasurer, Bro. T. Findlay; and the following delegates :—-Shamrock, Rose and Thistle Lodge : P.G. Bro. J. S. Goldie, P.G. Bro. P. Brass . G.M. Bro. Carnahan, and P.V.G. Bro.. John Ward. St. George Lodge : P.G. Bro. A. Todd, P.G. Bro. J. Cox, and P.G. Bro J. Stead. United Gore Lodge: FT.G. Bro. W. MchTee and P.G. Bro. B. D. Bust. Lumsdsn Lodg-e : P.G.’s Bros. J. Martin and A. Small. Awarua Lodge : Bros.J.S.A. McDougall and D. J. T. Long. The Riversclale and Winton Lodges were unrepresented. Guard Master’s Address. Worthy Deputy and Delegates,—X think we may congratulate ourselves on having passed a very successful year. Twelve months ag’O we had 519 members ■— now we have 580. The total number of members admitted to the various lodges was 8& —BS by initiation and four’ by clearance. Of those who left, 23 were by arrears, and five by death, making a total of 28. The Shamrock, Rose, and

Thistle Lodge heads the list in new members, with an increase of 19 for the year ; Gore comes next with 15 the St George Lodge follows with 11, Lumsden 10, and Awarna 8. Winton has lost two. The net gain for the year is 61, as against 28 for the previous year. One hundred and five members received sick pay during the year, and the amount of sickness experienced by them was 1082 weeks, being an average of one week six days to each member in the district, as against 1102 weeks, or an average of two weeks and 20 hours for 189_/. The sickness in the various lodges ranged from two weeks two days 18 hours in the St. George Lodge to two days two and three-quarter hours in the Gore Lodge. The following is a summary of financial transactions for the year 1893 RECEIPTS. SICK FUND. To Value of Sick and Funeral Fund, 31sfc Dec,, 1892... £13,628 1 2 ~ Contributions... ... 810 7 0? „ Interest ... 721 H la ~ Other receipts ... 207 9 1 £15,367 8 5 EXPENDITURE. By Sick pay ... ••• £766 13 7 „ Funeral donation .... 100 0 0 ~ District levies ... 55 3 0 „ Other expenditure ... 180 16 1 n Value of Sick Eund, 31st December, 1893 ... 14,264 15 9 £15,367 8 5 MANAGEMENT EUND. Receipts. To value Management Fund, 31st December, 1892 ... ... £l9O 4 8 „ Contributions ... ... 704 11 9 ~ Entrance fees ... 43 11 0 ~ Other receipts ... ... 192 6 8 „ Sick fund ... ... 38 3 2 £1,168 17 3 Expenditure. Ry Medical expenses ... ...£562 9 9 ~ Salaries, etc. ... ••• 93 15 0 ~ Other expenses ... 299 1 3 Value of Management Fund, 31st December, 1893 ... 218 11 3 £ll6B 17 3 The total value of lodge funds, including interest and rents due, lodge furniture, goods, &c., is £15,345 4s Id, and the funds held by the district amount to £268 4s 2d. This is exclusive of Riversdale, their returns, for the third time, not being forward to lay before the District Meeting. The increase in the sick and funeral fund amounts to £636 14s 9d for the year. The management fund receipts were £940 9s sd, and the expenditure £955 6s, showing an excess of expenditure over receipts of £l4 16s 7d. When it is pointed out that the Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle Lodge increased their management fund by £ls Is 3d, and the Gore Lodge by £2O 8s sd, you will see that some of the lodges have made a considerable loss —the St. George Lodge, -with an increase of £27 16s to their debt to the sick fund, which now stands at £95 4s, and the Lumsden Lodge, with an increase of £lO 6s 9d, which brings their debt up to. £32 4s, being the principal offenders. The Lumsden Lodge have made a levy of 5s per member, andraised flieircontributions one penny per week since sending in their balance-sheet. This is a step in the right direction, and it would be well if lodges whose funds are not self-supporting would at once take steps to make them so. You will remember that at our last meeting a motion was passed instructing the Winton Lodge to put their finances in proper order. From their balancesheet you will see that the management fund gets 124 per cent, interest, while the sick fund only receives 14 per cent. I will leave it to the meeting and the Examining Committee to say whether that is a fair division of the interest. I am sorry to say that I cannot give a good report of the Riversdale Lodge. Members of the Gore Lodge and myself have paid several visits to Riversdale, but so far without doing much good. I still believe that with good officers, and especially a good secretary, there is the making of a strong lodge in

Riversdale. During the year Purple Lectures have been held at Gore and Lumsden, when a number of Past Officers took degrees. I think the District officers should be instructed to give degrees when paying their annual visits to country lodges. Country members could then get their degrees within a reasonable time after passing the various offices. In conclusion, before retiring from the office of Grand Master, I wish to thank the brethren for the very cordial reception they have always given me in every lodge that I have had the pleasure of visiting during my term of office. I have also to thank my colleagues for the manner in which they have assisted me in conducting the business of the District. The revision and registration of the District Rules has made the work of the Prov. Corresponding Secretary of a particularly arduous nature, and our thanks are due to him for the way in which he has carried out his duties. The Deputy, Bro. C. S. Brass, and Treasurer, P.P. G.M. Bro. T. Findlay, and P.P.G.M. Bro. Walker, have each shown a great interest in the work of the District, and deserve our thanks. My term of office has been an enjoyable one, and I trust my successor will meet with as cordial a reception, and find the duties as pleasant as I have. I now declare the meetingopen for business, and in discussing the questions on the order paper you will give them your usual attention ; and I trust our meeting will tend to advance the Order generally, and he of benefit to the Inveicargili District. Bro. Goldie moved, seconded by Bro. Small, that the Grand Master he than Iced for his able address. ■ — Carried. ADJOURNMENT. On the motion of Bro. Goldie, Bro. Small seconding, it was decided as a mark of sympathy with those bereaved by the recent boating accident in the Estuary, to adjourn till seven p.m. EVENING SITTING. DISTRICT MINUTES AND BALANCE SHEET. The minutes of the District Officers and the District balance sheet were submitted and adopted. EXAMINING COMMITTEE. Two members retired from this body in accordance with the rules. Four nominations were received, and a ballot resulted in the return of Bro. Goldie (re-elected) and Bro. John Ward. FUNERAL REGALIA. A resolution was read from the St. George Lodge recommending the District to consider the propriety of procuring funeral regalia for the use of the lodges, with a suggestion that it | be lent out when required at a small fee. Bro. Todd, in proposing a motion to the foregoing effect, remarked that not a few members had expressed the opinion that the small attendance at funerals was due to the absence of uniform mourning regalia. Other societies were provided with such, and he thought that they should put themselves in the same position. About fifty sets of regalia would probably he sufficient. Bro. Martin said the system suggested was that followed by the North London district, with which he had been formerly connected. Bro. Mair said he had written to the Otago District and ascertained that they had obtained 50 sets of regalia from Home at a cost of £25, but it had been secured on exceptionally good terms, and it was probable that it would cost the Invercargill District from £3O to £35 to secure the same number. They had about 28 mourning- aprons in stock at present. Bros, Bust and Stead supported the motion. Bro. Goldie called attention to the fact that the management fund was only a few pounds in credit, and moved ’ as an amendment that the question he referred to the lodges for consideration during the next six months. He also held that it would he unfair to

charge the members for the use of the regalia after the lodges had contributed to their cost in the first instance. The amendment was seconded by Bro. P. Brass. Bro. Small also opposed the motion, and pointed out that some of the lodges were already provided with funeral regalia. It might be possible for the District to arrange to secure fifty sets without sending Home for them. *

Bro. Todd replied, and pointed out that a levy of Is 6d per member would probably cover the cost. On being put the amendment was lost.

Bros. McDougall and Cox moved that the motion be amended by the deletion of the clause referring to a fee being charged for the use of the regalia.—Carried. The motion as amended was agreed to.

•Bro. Goldie then moved, Bro. Carnahan seconding’, that the regalia be not purchased for six months. This was negatived, and it was resolved, on the motion of Bros. Martin and Todd, that 50 sets of regalia be obtained. LODGE BALANCE - SHEETS. The Examining Committee reported that they had examined the balancesheets of the Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle, St. George, Awarua, Gore, Lumsden, and Winton Lodges, and found them correct. The balancesheet of the Riversdale Lodge was not to hand. —The report was received and adopted on the motion of Bros, P. Brass and Small. RIVERSDALE LODGE. A discussion, initiated by Bro. Martin, took place in reference to the position of the above lodge. It was generally recognised that an effort should be made to place it on a proper footing, and on the motion of Bro. Goldie, seconded by Bro. Martin, the District Officers were authorised to obtain circulars for distribution in Riversdale, inviting members of the Lodge and others to meet them on a date to be fixed. WINTON LODGE. Correspondence which had passed between the Lodge Secretary and the District in reference to the apportionment of interest between the management and sick and funeral funds was read. In the discussion which followed it was pointed out that the contributions paid by the members of the Lodge were not sufficient. Ho motion was passed, and the matter was left over in the meantime. LEVIES. The levies recommended by the District, namely, for sick and funeral fund 3s, and for management fund 2s, were adopted on the motion of Bros. Goldie and Martin. Bro. Goldie moved that the salary of the Prov. C.S.be fixed at the same rate as at present. —Seconded by Bro. McDougall and carried. DISTRICT MEETING. Bro. Martin moved that the next District Meeting be held at Invercargill on the usual date in September. —This was seconded by Bro. Cox. Bro. Bust proposed as an amendment that Gore be the jxlace of meeting, and supported his proposition by a reference to the advantages that accrued from holding these meetings in country centres at intervals.- Bro. Todd seconded the amendment, which was strongly supported by Bro. McHee.—On being put the amendment was lost and the motion carried, the extra expense involved in the case of a meeting at Gore weighing with members in their decision. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The Deputy P.Gf.M. Bro. C. S. Brass and Bro. J. Stead were nominated for the office of P.G.M. A ballot was taken and resulted in the election of Bro. Brass. For the office of Deputy P.Gf.M. Bros. Small, J. Stead, and Goldie were nominated. A ballot was taken, Bro. Stead being the successful candidate. P.P.G.M.’s Bros. J. H. Smith and T. Findlay were re-elected as Auditor and Treasurer respectively.

The newly-elected Grand Master and Deputy-Grand Master were then installed by the retiring 1 G.M., BrosD. A. Smith and Findlay acting as conductors.

Bro. Brass, having taken the chair, thanked the members for the high, honour they had conferred upon him. It had been the dream of his life to be at the head ot the Order in the Invercargill District, and while recognising the responsibility attaching to the office, he trusted, with the loyal assistance of the officers and members, that he would be able to give a good account of his stewardship at the end of his term. Bro. Stead also returned thanks. A NEW RULE. Bro. Martin pointed out that the old rule undei which a member suffering from ill-health was granted 7s 6d per week and allowed to do light work had been abolished, and he wished to know if this affected members who were being so dealt with before the rule was revoked. In other words, was the new order of things retrospective, or were they to go on paying the 7s 6d and allowing light work in cases existing before the change of rules. The Chairman did not think the alteration of the rule in question would affect members who were in the position stated before the new rules came into force. At the same time the question was not one that could be settled off-hand. He wmuld make a note of it, and take steps to have the matter settled. COMPLIMENTARY. Bro. Goldie moved—That the retiring Grand Master be thanked for his services, presented with a memento of his term of office up to the value of £3, have his name placed on the Merit Board, and be recommended for the P.P.G.M.’s degree.—-Seconded by Bro. Carnahan and carried. Bro. Latham suitably acknowledg’ed the motion. LEAVING LODGES. Bro. Bust pointed out that at present no provision was made whereby a pei’son wishing to cease to be a member could retire from the Order except by arrears. He thought this should be remedied. The Chairman said the matter had been under notice when the rules were being revised, and it was found that the General Laws would have to be amended. The present condition of things was ridiculous. In other societies a person was allowed to resign if his arrears were paid up. The matter might be laid before the Annual Moveable Committee in the form of a recommendation from the District. Bro. Bust said the matter could be put on the order paper of the next meeting. This concluded the business, and after the minutes had been confirmed the meeting at 10.20. p.m. was closed. PURPLE DEGREE. A Purple Degiee meeting Avas then opened, and a number of past officers took their degrees. SOCIAL. An adjournment was then made to the lower hall, where supper awaited the delegates and a number of other members of the Order. The newlyelected P.G.M. presided, his deputy filling the vice-chair. A very pleasant hour was spent by the company. The toasts honoured were “ The Queen and the Manchester Unity” (given by the Chairman) and “ The newly-elected District Officers” ( given by Bro. Latham). Some capital songs were sung by Bros. MclSTee, Latham, Bust, Mair, Todd, Tooley, Goldie, and Small, the gathering closing with “ Auld Lang Syne.”