Masons in Conclave

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 215, 30 November 1927, Page 12

Masons in Conclave

MEETING OF GRAND LODGE Progress in Well-Doing - (Special to THE SVK) CHRISTCHURCH, To-day. FOR the last day or two all Masonic roads have led to Christchurch. Representatives of lodges ranging from the Bluff to Mangonui have been pouring into the city for the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, which opened at the Christchurch Masonic Temple this morning.

rjENERALLY it is the sitting * Master of the year who has come, and as there are now 291 lodges under the New Zealand Con- j stitution, and every registered Past Master in the Dominion is also a ! member of Grand Lodge, to-day’s gathering probably numbers some-! thing very near to 400 Freemasons. i The absence through illness of His j Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson, ‘ who has been Grand Master for the ] last two years, and has again been re-elected, rather diminishes the in- j terest of the occasion, but does not affect its picturesqueness as an assemblage. After a ceremonial entry of past and present officers of Grand Lodge, with the pro-Grand Master and Past Grand Masters bringing up the rear of the procession, Pro-Grand Master George Russell, of Wellington, took the main seat on the dais, and the business began. First of all was the choice of the Grand Master for the coming year. For this the only candidate was the » present Grand Master, His Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson, nominated by lodges throughout the Dominion, and by many individual members, and he was declared unanimously elected. Similarly, Mr. George Russell was reelected Pro-Grand Master of the year, without opposition, and on the recommendation of the Board of General Purposes, other Grand officers were elected as follows: Wellington District.—Grand Chaplain, the Rev. William F. Stent; Grand Treasurer, Mr. Arthur A. George; Grand Registrar, Mr. Reginald H. Webb; President of Board of General Purposes, Mr. Herbert H. Seaton; President of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Edward J. Guineas; Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr. George i F. Browne; Grand Steward, Mr. William H. Melhuish: Members of Board of GenI eral Purposes, Messrs. Alfred Burgess, I Charles N. Cathie, Harry Hatch, Alfred ! H. Herbert and Alfred E. Kennard; j Members of Board of Benevolence, Messrs. Arthur T. Wells, Reginald J. Foss, j Arthur Greening, Geremia F. L. Lenzini, Phineas Levi, James S. Martin, Albeit IW. Rowlands and Richard J. Shakes. Auckland District.—Grand Director cf ! Ceremonies, Mr. Walter G. Mason; Junior 1 I Grand Deacon, Mr. Alexander M. McLeod; Grand Bible Bearer, Mr. Walter F. Brooke Taylor; Grand Standard ; Bearer, Mr. Thomas G. Short; Grand i Pursuivant, Mr. William K. Francis; I Grand Stewards, Messrs. Thomas Parker and Hillary Nutt; Members of Board of General Purposes, Messrs. William L. Cartmill and John Budge; Members of Board of Benevolence, Messrs. Joseph W. Barker and James H. Hodge. Canterbury Province.—Grand Chaplain, I the Rev. C. W. I. Maclaverty; Grand j Director of Ceremonies, Mr. James E. Dunstan; Senior Grand Deacon, Mr. Blaikley A. McKeown; Grand Stewards, Messrs. Hugh B. Billens and James Moyes; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. Percy H. Harris; Member of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Ernest W. Brown. Otago District.—Grand Director of Ceremonies, Mr. William R. Brush; Junior Grand Deacon, Mr. George M. Procter; Grand Sword Bearer. Mr. Roderick Cameron; Grand Stewards, Messrs. Edmond G. E. Price and Charles J. Foley; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. Cecil F. J. Bell; Member of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Henry Henderson. Southland District. Grand Bible Bearer, Mr. John J. Griffiths; Grand Pursuivant, Mr. Charles W. Wilson; Grand Steward, Mr. Eden B. Patrick; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. James I. Dixon; Member of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Garnet J. Yule. Ruapehu District.—Grand Superintendent of Works, Mr. William Mundy; Grand Steward, Mr. Christian leF. Henore; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. William D. Carson; Member of* Board of Benevolence, Mr. Francis E. Robinson. Hawke's Bay District. Senior Grand j Deacon, Mr. Thomas Fothergill: Grand I Organist, Mr. Percy W. Tombs; Member . r»f Board of General Purposes, Mr. Walter ; Dobson; Member of Board of Benevolence, I Mr. Walter R. Wright. Nelson and Marlborough District.— 'Grand Standard Bearer, Mr. James Williams; Grand Steward, Mr. Charles R. I Babbitts; Member of Board of General ; Purposes, Mr. Horace F. Pickett; Member i of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Thomas f B. Salmon. West Coast District.—Grand Sword Bearer, Mr. William P. Hambleton; Grand steward, Mr. Samuel Groom; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. Herbert Lawn; Member of Board of Benevolence-, Mr. Sherman Strachan. Taranaki District. —Grand Superintendent of Works, Mr. Thomas Richardson; Grand Steward, Mr. Frank S. Johns; Member of Board of General Purposes, Mr. William H. L. Roberts; Member of Board of Benevolence, Mr. Evan Evans. FINANCIAL PROSPERITY The Grand Treasurer’s budget reflected a splendid financial position. Grand Lodge has in its various funds an accumulated capital of £111,603, made up as under: £ General Fund . . .. .. .. 12,358 "Widows and Orphans and Aged Masons’ Fund . . ,82,881 Special War Benevolent Fund .. .. 7,815 Fund of Benevolence . . 5,356 Circular Appeal Funds .. 946 Representation Fund .. 2,247 MASONIC BENEVOLENCE The report of the Board of Benevolence showed a distribution of £1,004 in assistance given to cases of distress. it also showed that in order to meet poignant cases five sets of circulars had been issued appealing to the generosity of lodges, and three appeals of the previous year had been brought to completion. Each of these that had been completed bad resulted in the raising of a special fund in the vicinity of £4OO, which had been used i to carry out some special scheme for | the assistance of a family. ANNUITIES FOR AGED MASONS AND WIDOWS The work of which New Zealand J Freemasons are proudest is that accomplished through the annuity system of the Widows’ and Orphans' and I Aged Masons’ Fund. The report of the Annuity Board showed that out of the interest earnings of this fund 149 widows and | worthy old Masons are receiving annuities, ranging up to a maximum of £52 per annum, and amounting in the

aggregate to £6,428 per annum. These annuities, it was pointed out, are not now exempted from inclusion in the recipients’ assessment of income for State pension purposes. Two years ago Freemasons in New Zealand were invited by the Grand Master to open their pockets in order to give a special fillip to this deserving fund. The result has been the fine subscription of £21,026 to the fund in voluntary gifts, and of this £10,599 came in in the last 12 months. As to the Kirkpatrick Masonic Institute, Nelson, endowed under the will of the late Mr. S. Kirkpatrick, it was stated that at present 13 orphan girls are maintained there. An indication was given of an early appeal to enable the enlargement of the in- j stitution. The war benevolent fund was shown to be furnishing useful assistance to returned-soldier Freemasons by helping them in their farms or business with grants in extreme cases, and loans in others. CRAFT STATISTICS Statistics given by the Board of j General Purposes showed that the i membership of lodges had made a net increase of 756 in the year, giving a present total of 25,579. Six new lodges | had been consecrated. All but 29 out > of the total of 291 lodges met in halls j of their own, and 19 more were taking : steps to acquire their own homes. \ In recognition of worthy service it; was proposed to give the rank of Past l Pro-Grand Master to Mr. Judah Kees- ! ing, of Wanganui, that of Past Junior j Warden to Mr. M. A. Benney, Auckland, and Mr. R. Bishop, of Napier. The reports from which the above information is extracted were dis- i cussed and approved, and this con- i stituted the bulk of the morning’s pro- j eeedings.