INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4943, 16 February 1895, Page 2

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS.

• (FromOnr Own Correspondent). The annual District meeting of delegates representing the 1.0.0. F., , M.U., was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Featherston, on Thursday last, Provincial Grand Master, Bro. • Mothes, presiding. 0e Delegates from the following Lodges were present:—Britannia Lodge, Antipodean Lodge, Rose of f the Valtey, Kainapoura Lodge, Rose '• of Sharon, Hearts of Oak, Greytown i North, St. George's, Petone Comf binafion, Eketahuna, Martinborough and Unity, y An apology was received from the.' a Masterton delegate, for non-attend-ance through sickness. >■ llie Provincial Grand Master deft liveved a lengthy address, in which, ho stated that tho N.Z. adult mema bcrsbip was 13,322 for the past year, making a total adult membership of 722,725. Tho total fund of the d M.U., was £8,136,532. Female $ « Lodges would be established, where ' 't wanted, as soon as tho tables were 'e prepared. The capital of the Wei--11 iington District, up till the end of y the year 1894, was £25,000 12s, being an increase of £834 14s 6d, d The number of members is 1197, One hundred and eight have been admitted during the past year; 79 fell into arrears; two obtained dear- hk ance, and 9 died, He considered there would not be so many lost by arrears, were the members of Lodges to work more in harmony with one I. another. Tho Juvenile Fund is i £269 2s 9d, and the membership d m ~ Before adjourning to lunch; it was resolved to send a congratulatory telegram to Bro. Jus. Smith, who had attained his 81st birthday on Wednesday, and it was resolved also, that fraternal greetings bo sent to •) Nelson, as holding their meeting on the same day. rt The auditor's report, Mimco jl sheet, and Warden's report, wero read and adopted, after which the following officers were elected:— ; S Pro. Grand Master: P.G.G., Bro. G- Jordan; D.G.M,: Pro, D.G.M, Bro, ;i , Joseph Avery; Pro. D. Warden: P.G-., Bro. R. Smith; Pro. Treasurer and Relieving Officer: 1'.P.G.M.,, ,(1 lira, T. McKenzie; Auditor: Bro. [ r W. Guise; Book Examiners: ;e P.I'.G.M.; Bro. S. Waters, and Pro. ;l . C.S., J. Kershaw; Arbitrators: .. I'.P.G.M.'SjT. McKcnzie, S, Waters, M i, r S. W. Brown, S, R, Johnson, G. E, j[ Godber, T. Clark, W. Guise, D. P. ; . 0 Loasby, J. if. Webb, and P.G.'s, J. Smith, jr., J. Riddick, and 0. Daly. !g It was resolved, that the next District meeting be held at the Loyal (1 Combination Lodge, Johnsonvi'lle, :l . on the second Thursday in February, 1896, at 2 p.m. 35 It was resolved, that the Purple m Lectures be held in March, June and December, at the Britannia and Antipodean Lodges alternately, and the Petone Lodge in SoptembeY Correspondence was dealt with as follows The Eketahuna Lodge, ) forwarding the following resolution, " That the District officers shall, in j some month in each year, visit the II various Lodges, and shall give at l_ least four weeks' clear notice of tho [n date of their intended visit, and shall also give tho Past Offices and Purple Degrees to any Brothers ontitled to receive them."—lt was resolved to do nothing in this matter. The Petone Lodge wrote, asking assistance for the wife of a deceased r, brother, who has been left destitute, •r —lt was resolved to grant tho it widow £lO. !• It was resolved to grant the 1- executive power to send a delegate d to a Conference, should one bo if formed to deal with Clearance Surd render Values. 0 It was resolved to accept tho offer of £5 per annum, of tho Trusn tee of the Oddfellows' Hall, WolB, lington, for the use of nioetings of is the Committee of Management. It was resolved to oxtend tho time n of P.I'.G.M,, T, W. McKenzie, to )- compile the History of Oddfellow:e ship, and when finished, it is to be s, perused by the Committee of Man- :- agement and, if approved, to bo li circulated amongst Lodges. t _lt was resolved, that this meeting it view with regret, the delicioncy n again shown by the Rose of the Valley Lodge, and though approving i- of the levy of Is. per quarter, they e would point out, that the old momn bers still pay too little to tho management fund, and they would „ ask them to call a meeting, to meet JB the District oflicers, and to discuss the mattter with them. > The Provincial Grand Master here ' read a telegram from the Nelson ! meeting, returning cordial greetings. ■' it was resolved to rescind the fine ® imposed on the Combination Lodge for non-attendance of delegate at tho last district meeting, . P.G., be presented with a P.G. jewel j as a token of the high appreciation of his past services as District War--5 den. It was resolved that the Committee of Management should be empowered to have a portion of tho Lodge room in Wellington portioned olf for the reception of photos of all past Provincial Grand Masters and . Oflicers, and to obtain a frame for . tho same. Bro. D. P. Loasby, P.G.P.M., having been requested to ■ install the newly elected officers, did . so in an impressive manner, It was resolved that the retiring , Provincial Grand Master, Bro. R. Mothes, receive a Provincial Past 1 Grand Master's degree, and his ■ name be placed on the board, and JljL . that he bo presented with a Past yf Provinial Grand Master's jewel. P.P.G.M. Mothes returned thanks suitably, Several votes of thanks wero passed. It was proposed and earned that a levy of Is 6d be struck for tho General Management Fund for tho coming ycm\ It was resolved to hold a Purplo Degree Lecture at the end of the'. , meeting. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the Unity Lodge for use of room. The minutes of the previous meeting were then read and confirmed, and the meeting terminated. . 11l tlio evening the visitors were entertained by the Unity Lodge with a dinner in the Town Hall, at which seventy sat down, the G.M. being in tho chair supported on the one side by P.P.G.M.'s Mothes and C. S. Kershaw, and on the other side by Dr Bey andMr Buchanan,M, H.R. Tho following brothers helped to £ enlivon tho harmony of tlio evening ■ with songs: -Bros, Kershaw, Waters Turner, A. Bicknell, Smith, Yolverton, Hyland, and Billows. The G.M. also gave a recitation. The gathering, which was admitted by all to bo |,a very pleasant one,dispersed shortly before twelvo after singing "Auld '. Lang Syne." Ono cannot close ; without saying that great praiee is-.-due to all who helped to make it':/' ! such a success by helping in the ap ' rangeiuents,