Friendly Societies

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 25, 15 September 1894, Page 5

Friendly Societies

ODDFELLOWSHIP. INVERCARGILL DISTRICT. The half-yearly meeting of the District held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Tay street, Invercargill, on Thursday evening. The following District Officers were in attendance : p.G.M., Bro. C. S. Brass (presiding) D.G.M., Bro. J. Stead ; Pro. Treasurer, P.P.G.M., Bro. T. Findlay; Pro. C.S., Bro. 3f. Mair;. and P.P.G.M., Bro. J Latham. Delegates were also present from the following Lodges :—Shamrock, Hose and Thistle Lodge : P.P G.M., Bro. J. H. Smith ; P.G., Bro. A. Carnahan ; G.M. ; Bro. N. Mcßobie; N G., Bro. J. Ward. Awarua Lodge : P.G., Bro. J. S. A. McDougall; P.G., Bro. D. J. T. Long. Winton Lodge: P.G,, Bro. D. McKenzie. St. George Lodge : P.P.G.M., Bro. W. B. Scandrett ; G.M., Bro. H. Derbie ; P.G., Bro. A. Todd. Lumsden Lodge ; P.G., Bro. J. Martin ; P.G., Bro. A. Small. Gore United .Lodge : P.G., Bro. W. McNee ; P G., W. Broadbent The following address was delivered by the Chairman :

Worthy D.G.M. and Delegate!,—According to usual custom it is now ■ my duty to make a few remarks regarding the progress of our Order, and, as this is only the half-yearly meeting, I will make them as brief as possible.

From the report submitted to the Northhampton A.M.C., I find that the Manchester Unity continues to make splendid progress, both numerically and financially. The net increase of adult members for the year 1893, being 13,322, making the total adult membership on Ist January 1894, 722,725, the total membership including honorary members and juveniles, being 832,714, and the funds • s>f the Unity gained during the year £290,907, ■which is an achievement in the history of Friendly Societies without parallel,Jand reflects very high credit upon those officers who are responsible for the proper investment and safe disposal of .the funds of the brotherhood. The total funds of the order now stand at £8,136,532 8s 9d. Registrar’s Report : From the annual report of the Registrar of Friendly Societies, presented to Parliament during the current session, we find the position of the Manciiester Unity in N. Z. to be as follows, as at the Ist January 1893 : —Total membership of registered Societies, 28,754; increase for 1892, 1202. Number of members M.U. 11,323 ; increase 262. Funds of various societies, £5 1,154 16s ; increase £25,020 19s 2d. Manchester Unity, £267,627 13s Id; increase £6,177 13s 7d, which shows that considerably over half the total funds belong to our Order.

From Lodge returns for the year ended 30th June we find the position of the Invercargill District to he as follows : —Total funds of private lodges (exclusive of Riversdale, Lodge) £15,755 6s 7|d; gain for half year 32374 8s 6id. District funds £243 10s lOd Total membership of district, 590, being a gain of 10 members for the half year. The total sick pay paid was £345 14s 6d and funeral claims, £IOO. The sick pay has been unusually heavy owing to the epidemic of influenza, and the funeral claims have unfortunately been made heavy owing to the extremely sad boat accident at the Bluff, by which the Awarua Lodge lost three most estimable and worthy young members, viz., P.G.’s Bros. King and McQ.uarrie, and 3LS. Bro. A. McKenzie. The St. George and Shamrock, Hose, and Thistle Lodges each lost a member and a member’s wife by death. The Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle lost a very old member in P.P.G.M. Bro. Anderson, who had held the office of Treasurer for 20 years—almost up to the day of his death, and was deservedly much esteemed by all the brethren.

During the half-year the five-yearly valuation of the district has been proceeded with, and we expect the report from the Registrar at an early date. We hoped to have had it in time for this meeting, but the returns for Dipton and Riversdale Lo Jges caused the delay. Although the District Rules were revised - over six months ago, no steps have as yet been taken to revise the Lodge by-laws. This is a matter that should be early attended to by *he Lodges, and I think could be best done by appointing a committee from the various Lodges, which would be less expensive, as the mimber required for all Lodges (with slight alterations) could be ordered at the one time. I regret to see that although some lodges Rave increased their management fund during the half-year, others have gone back and increased the debt to the Sick and Funeral .Fund. This is a matter that requires careful attention, and I am glad that an opportunity has been given to bring it before you at this meeting from two lodges. At the last meeting it was decided that efforts be made by the District Officers to ■endeavor to put the Riversdale Lodge in good working order. We have tried our very best to do so, and were greatly assisted by Gore members, especially P.P.G.M. Bro. Latham, but have been quite unsuccessful in doing any good, being unable to get any of the old members to take any interest in the matter. We could not get anyone to be secretary, nnd could see no use of calling a meeting under the circumstances. We will he pleased if this meeting will again consider and advise us as to what is best to be done in the matter.

During the half-year X had the pleasure of visiting the Gore Lodge with the D.G.M. and the S.K. and L. and St. George Lodges with all the District Officers, and received a very cordial reception, and was much pleased at the attendance, and manner in which the business was done. We also visited the Juvenile Lodge, and we e much pleased at our reception and the manner in which onr young brothers conduct the business. The D.G.M. Bro. Stead also visited the Awarua Lodge, and was very cordially received, and at the invitation of the Lumsden Lodge took the chair, and gave an address at the anniversary concert there last month, which was, owing to bad weather, unfortunately not a financial success.

I desire, in closing, to thank my fellowofficers for their advice and assistance at all times cheerfully and readily given, and the officers and members of the Lodges for their courtesy and respect when visiting them; and finally to thank you for the'patience you have shown whilst listening to this address. I now respectfully invite your close attention to the work of the meeting, knowing that in all our deliberations and discussions we shall be animated by the one resolve to do our duty faithfully to the brethren whom we represent. I now declare this meeting duly opened for the transaction of business. On the motion of Bro. McDougall, seconded by Bro. McNee, a vote of thanks was passed to the chairman for his address. The minutes of the meetings of District officers were read and confirmed. Nominations were then taken for the offices of Pro. G.M. and Deputy Q.M., the following being made: For Pro. G.M.; —D.P.G.M., Bro. J. Stead, P.G. Bro. E. D. Bust (Gore), P.G. Bro. J. Harvey, and P.G. Bro. James Martin (Lumsden). For D.P.G.M.:—P.G. Bro. J. McDougall (Bluff), P.G. Bro. J. Harvey P.G. Bro. R. Dewar, P. G. Bro. A. Carnahan, P.G. Bro. A. Small, and P.G. Bro, James Martin (Lumsden), P.G, Bro. Bust (Gore). P.G. Bro. A. Todd, and P.G. Bro. J. S. Goldie.

Bro. McKenzie, on behalf of the Winton Lodge, moved that they be allowed to devote one-third of the income from their hall to the management fund, and in doing so explained the position in which the lodge stood. —The chairman ruled the motion could not be accepted, as the sick and funeral and management funds must be kept separate. After further discussion it was resolved, on the motion of Bro. Scandrett, that a committee consisting of the P.G.M.’s' of the district be appointed to inquire into the position of the Winton Lodge, and especially into the hall account, with a view to recommending the District or District Officers to give relief to the management fund. A communication was read from the Otago District inviting co-operation in an effort to give' effect to the resolutions p ssed at the Nelson Conference re having a uniform table of clearance surrender values, so that a member leaving one district could join a lodge in another district on the same footing, as to age and contributions, as that on which he was originally admitted a member of the Order. It was suggested that a conference should be held to discuss this question, and that of a common scale of contributions and benefits.— On the motion of Bros. Martin and Todd it was decided that the Otago District be informed that this District is quite in accord with them in the matter of surrender values with clearance, and would support a conference of representatives from each district meeting in one of the principal towns for the purpose of framing tables for uniform ra' es of contributions and benefits and clearance surrender values.

Bro. Todd, on behalf of the St. George Lodge, submitted a motion re honorary members in the direction of making that section more popular, reducing the initiation fee, and allowing such members to go on the medical list, but the motion was ruled out of order as it involved an alteration of the general rules. A satisfactory report was read from the committee appointed to examine the lodge balance-sheets. The report was adopted on the motion of Bro. Martin, who incidentally brought up the question of the Lumsden lodge being allowed to devote part of the interest accruing from investments to the management fund. —It was explained by Bro. Smith that the sick and funeral fund could be debited with part of the cost of managing investments in connection with the funds. Reference having been made to the Riversdale lodge, Bro. Latham explained the position at length, after which it was left to P P GM’s Bros. Latham and Boyne to enquire as to the possibility of re-organising the lodge, failing which, that it be closed in accordance with the rules, and accounts paid—the District Officers to act on the report made by . Bros. Latham and Boyne. The District officers recommended that tie levies be as follows :—Sick and funeral fund, 2s 6d j management fund, Is 6d. Bro. Smith moved and Bro. Martin »econded, that the levy on the management fund be Is. Bro. McKee proposed as a amendment, seconded by Bro. Broadbent, that the levies be as recommended by the District Officers. — This was carried. The salary of the C.S, was fixed at the same amount as heretofore. Bro. McKee moved that the next District Meeting be held at Gore in March, and dilated on the advantages resulting fro n having these gatherings at different centres periodically. This was seconded by Bro. Todd. Bro. Smith moved that the meeting be held at Invercargill,—This was not seconded,

and the motion was then passed. The Grand Master then presented P.P.G.M. Bro. Latham with a largesized handsomely framed photograph of himself, and in doing so bore testimony to the zeal and ability which that gentleman had displayed in the performance of the duties of his office. Bro. Latham was a most valuable member of the Order, and would make his mark as an Oddfellow, not only in the District, but in New Zealand. Bro. Latham made suitable acknowledgment of the gift. He had striven to do his duty, and if he had come short in any respect he trusted they would attribute it to lack of ability rather than of will. The meeting then closed. A number of degrees were afterwards conferred. The delegates and a number of other members then adjourned to the lower hall, where Mrs Boss had a capital repast in readiness. Songs and addresses were given by Bros. Latham, McEobie, R. Miller, Stead, Scandrett, Cox, Walker, McNee, Cook, Small, Martin, M!air and others, a very pleasant gathering closing with “ Auld Lang Syne ” shortly after midnight.