fl,r-28.

164

Wellington Branch, Sons and Daughters of Temperance. Dear Madam,— 29 Roxburgh Street, Wellington, 14th June, 1906. I am instructed by the Wellington Branch of the Sons and Daughters of Temperance to convey to you their heartfelt sympathy and condolence in your very sad bereavement. I am, &c, Mrs. R. J. Seddon. J. Patten, Secretary; Napier-Taranaki Railway Sick Benefit Society. Dear Madam,— Aramoho, Wanganui, 10th July, 1906. At the half-yearly general meeting of the above society a sincere vote of sympathy was passed to yourself and family at the sad and irreparable loss you have sustained by the death of your noble husband and father, and the secretary was instructed to forward you a letter of condolence. It is the general feeling of our large number of members that we have lost a frue friend and counsellor. We are deeply indebted to him for the true sympathy and assistance he has given to us to carry on the noble work our society is engaged in of ministering to the wants of the sick and suffering. As a body of public servants we feel grateful to him and the Government of which he was the head for so many years for the many improvements he has made in the service for the betterment of the workers. It is our earnest wish that God in his mercy will temper this severe blow to you and those near and dear to you and that strength will be given to you all to bear up under this sad and painful loss you have sustained. I am, &c, Mrs. Seddon, Wellington. W. Pepper, Wellington. John Knox Lodge, Protestant Alliance. Dear Madam,— Roseneath, Wellington, 20th June, 1906. I am directed, on behalf of the members of the above society in Wellington, at their quarterly meeting held last evening, to convey to you and the members of your family their sincere sympathy in the sad bereavement you have sustained by the death of your husband and father —one who for so many years has held the confidence of the people of this colony, and whom indeed the people delighted to honour. As members of a friendly society remember that one of his last acts in the colony was his memorandum to the late conference in relation to the working of these societies. Praying that you may be sustained in your great loss by Him who has said, He would be the Father of the fatherless and the Husband of the widow. I remain, &c, Mrs. R. J. Seddon. James McLachlan, Secretary.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. (TO THE GOVERNMENT.) United Friendly Societies Council. Dear Sir, — Wellington, 14th June, 1906. On behalf of the united friendly societies of the colony, I wish to express the heartfelt and fraternal regret of our many thousands of members at the untimely demise of the Right Hon. Mr. Seddon. We are proud to think that one who so indelibly engraved his name on the scroll of fame and history was a friendly society member. The memory of our illustrious brother will always be assoicated with the honoured office of Past Grand Master, and thus a permanent memorial will five in the annals of the friendly societies of the colony. The deceased Premier's sympathetic interest in our special work has earned our lasting appreciation and thanks, and will greatly augment the deep sense of loss we feel we have sustained at the sad termination of his brilliant career. To the bereaved members of the dead statesman's household we tender our sincere sympathy and condolence in their sorrow. Believe me, &c, The Hon. W. Hall-Jones, Wellington. A. Leigh Hunt, President. New Zealand Branch M.U.1.0.0.F. Dear Sir, — Wellington, 14th June, 1906. The officers and members of the above society desire to express their deep sympathy and condolence with Mrs. Seddon and family in the sore bereavement they have sustained, and to testify to their high appreciation of Mr. Seddon's life and work, and to the assistance that he has at all times given not only to our society, of which he was an honoured member, but to the friendly society movement generally. Yours, &c, The Hon. W. Hall-Jones, Wellington. J. Kershaw, C.S.