Provincial Grand Lodge Of Devon.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DEVON .

THE meeting of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of tho Proviuce of Dovon was held at Nowton Abbot , on Tnesday , 1 st inst ., aud , aa is usual , was preceded by various Committees . The auditors Y . W , Bros . J . E . Curteis P . M . 70 P . P . G . S . W . and W . S . Pasmore P . M . P . P . G . R ., haviug performed their duties , tho Huyshe Memorial Com . mitteo met at tho Devou , 113 S , Lodge room . There wore preseut W ,

Bros . John Brewer P . G . S . Chairman , J . E . Curteis , W . L . Elphingstone Stouo P . F . G . J . W .,. Rev . W . Whittley P . P . G . C , C . Godtschalk P . M . 70 P . P . G . D ., R . H . Rao P . P . G . D ., J . Stocken P . G . T ., J . Jerman P . P . G . S . Works , aud J . B . Gover P . M . 70 P . P . G . A . D . C . Tbe accounts having been gone through and verified , the following report was adopted : —

The Huyshe Memorial Fund beg to report that the subscriptions received , a summary of which is annexed , amounted to 55110 s . Of this sum £ 525 was appropriated in payment of the purchase of a life presentation in the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys , and £ 7 15 s lOd in expenses for printing and postages , leaving a balance of £ 18 14 s 2 d , which yonr Committee recommend should be presented in the name

of the Provincial Grand Lodge to the same Institution on the Steward ' s list of Bro . Godtschalk , who in August 1881 moved the resolntion in the Prov . Grand Lodge that , the John Huyshe Memorial should take tbe form which is now consummated . The presentation has been filled by the nomination of Sidney Sowden , son of the late Bro . Sowden , of Lodge 372 , Budleigh Salterton . Your Committee further

recommend that this Report , together with the summary before referred to , be printed and forwatdod to each Lodge and Chapter in the Province . The next meeting was the important one of the Committee of Petitions . Here the Y . W . Bro . J . E . Curteis presided , and there were present W . Bros . J . B . Gover Secretary , C . Godtschalk Rep . in London , J . Brewer P . G . S ., J . Stooker P . G . T ., E . Aitkin Davies P . M . 1099

P . P . G . S . Works , W . Whittley P . M . 156 P . P . G . C , Webb E . Elphing . stone Stone 372 P . P . G . J . W ., J . Chappie P . M . 1396 , G . Merrifield P . M . 282 , D . Watson P . M . 328 P . P . G . J . D ., Henry Stoker W . M . 39 , L . D . Westcott P . M . 70 P . P . G . S . Works , H . Welch P . M . 202 P . P . G . P ., G . C . Searl P . M . 710 , William E . Warren 1358 P . P . G . O ., Robert Hambly W . M . 1855 , T . D . Ford W . M . 1091 , James Murray P . M . 1402 P . G . S ., John Hurrel P . M . and T . 797 , J . Bassett I . P . M . 1212 , R . G .

Bird P . M . 1550 , J . R . Lord P . M . 70 and 1247 P . P . G . S . B ., R . Cawsey P . M . and S . 230 , A . R . Lethbridge P . M . 1847 , Samuel Jones P . M . 112 P . P . G . J . W ., John T . Crosby I . P . M . 952 , S . Loram P . M . 1442 P . P . G . D . C , G . T . Barry P . M . 248 P . P . G . P ., H . J . Kitt W . M . 105 , Edmond T . Fulford P . M . 1254 , William Brodie P . M . 1753 P . P . G . J . D ., Thomas Ford P . M . 1125 , George Evans P . M . 1181 P . P . G . S . D ., W .

Powell P . M . and S . 1205 , S . B . Harvey P . M . and Sec . 1255 , Henry G . Beachy P . M . 1138 P . P . G . T . A letter was read from the chairman , the R . W . Bro . W . Goddard Rogers D . P . G . M . stating his inability to attend . The minutes of the last meeting having been read , were con . firmed . The Secretary read his report as 'ollows : — The number of votes received from the Provinces for the past year

have been for October 1881 , 253 t oys' and 184 girls '; for April 1882 , 267 boys' and 184 girls '; for May 1882 , 434 men ' s and 444 widows ' , showing an increase over the number received last year of 214 votes . This improvement clearly demonstrates the utility of widely circulating the Reports of the London representative , in which Reports will be found many wholesome truths and undeniable facts . There

are , however , still some Lodges who persistently withhold their support . This must be because the brethren who are appointed to represent tbeui on this Committee fail in their duty . The Lodges who have neglected during the past year have been Nos . 106 , 489 , 710 , for the eleventh year 1135 and 1753 . The Chapters are 106 , 444 , 710 , 90 , and 1284 . Tbe disposal of the votes will be shown in the

Report of Bro . Godtschalk , as also the position of the Province , whioh is highly favourable . The report of the London representative ( Bro . C . Godtschalk ) having been printed and circulated was in the hands of each member of the Committee of Petitions , and is abridged as follows : — The Annual Report referred first to the fact that at the half-yearly

Report , Devon owed to other Provinces a total of 2 , 204 votes , whilst there were due to Devon 1 , 949 votes . The first election of the year was that of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , 8 th April 1882 , and a peculiar feature of this election was tbat at a Quarterly Communication , held immediately preceding the election , a motion was carried that all the candidates ( twenty-seven ) should be admitted

without a ballot . Henoe , the thousands of votes collected with so much care , became waste paper , and Devon was enabled to pay their liability of 626 votes . Of course arrangements had been made to pay in full if it had been required . The next election was for the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , 10 th April 1882 ; the Devon votes received by Bro . C . Godtschalk from the Province were 267

Boys ' , with 816 repaid by Warwickshire , 197 borrowed , and fifty from a private source . These 1 , 330 votes were disposed of as follows : —Repaid Worcester 457 , Cheshire 29 , Bro . L — 33 , lent Cheshire 500 , to Warwickshire 257 ,. and to South Wales 54 . At the election of the Royal Masonic Institution for Widows , 19 th May , there were received from the Devon Province 444 votes , add to

these the following votes obtained by your representative from Warwickshire 816 , from Monmouthshire 535 , from Cheshire 1 , 000 , from South Wales 108 , borrowed from Cornwall 239 , and from Gxmouth , exchange for men 47 . These 3 , 189 votes are thus accounted for : The candidate selected by the Committee , the widow of an Exeter brother , had , dnring two previous elections polled 22 votes , 1 , 381 votes were polled for her , and she was elected with 1 , 403 votes .

Then selecting tbe widow of the Plymouth brother whose friends had previously guaranteed to poll for hor some two or three hundred votes ; 1381 votes were polled for her by me , and she was elected by a total of 1 , 841 votes ; 427 were then lent ; this accounts for all received . The exceptionally high polling at the election of widows , at which only thirteen were to be elected out of sixty-three candidates , meant that the highest candidate polled 2 , 096 votes , and the

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Devon.

lowest elected 1 , 373 . At tbe Election for Aged Freemasons , ou tbe 19 ch May , the Devon votes were 434 j borrowed from Cornwall 207 , from Wiltshire 50 , repaid by Cumberland 104 . These 795 votes were thus dealt with , including sixteen rejeoted coloured votes , because three Lodges and two Chapters had neglected to pay their dues to Grand Lodge , to a brother of Exmouth . In exchange tor 100 Widows *

votes , lent Exmouth 175 votes , and in exchange for tweuty . hve guineas to be paid to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys on the list of Bro . C . Godtschalk , 504 votes were handed to Bro . Carter , and he was enabled to elect a duly qualified Devou candidate with 988 votes . Thus at four elections , the total number of Devon votes received by your representative were 1329 ; whilst tbe eleotiona of

Devou candidates during same elections a total of 3 , 641 votes more had been used , and yet our Province has no future liability , other than can be repaid by votes lent toother Provinces . Devon has now on the London Charities seven Aged Masons , seven WidowB , and three others receiving half their late husbands' annuities , six Devon orphan boys , and eight girls in the Schools . Bro . Godtsohalk ' s Report

concluded with a regret that the duties were so manifold , and with less time at his disposal , he should not seek re-election at the expiration of his term j hia successor , however , would find the Province under no liability for a single vote in connection with the elections . An animated disoussion arose hereon as to the disposal of some of the votesaud the independent line of action adopted by Bro .

Godts-, chalk at the several elections , as shown by this and other of his reports . In reply , Bro . Godtschalk said evidently two or three of the Committee were labouring under a mistaken notion . They must bear in mind in every case since he had represented the Province at the Great Masonic Charities , he' had first , from his own etforts ,

supplemented the small number of Province votes placed at-his disposal , and with tl-ese votes at once eleoted the candidate , whether man , woman , boy , or girl that had been selected by this Committee . Had these poor candidates been left to reap the benefit of what the Devon Province votes would have done for them , it is certain they would not have been eleoted , but been left out in the

cold , and by now probably be hungry . Not only had he , without a single exception , elected the candidates selected by , the Com . mittee , but had , with surplus votes obtained entirely outside the Province , eleoted other duly qualified Devon candidates , for which the Province of Devon is under no liability whatever . He also pointed out to the two or three brethren who cavilled at this inde .

pendent action , tbat had he used the large number of votes obtained wholly outside Devon , by electing candidates not belonging to the Province , then there might be something in their objection , but they well knew such had never been the case . He failed to see , looking at the fact that bis action had been to relieve the Province , by electing duly qualified Devon candidates , whose cases mast sooner or later have

come before this Committee , who not having the power to elect the same would have had a burden to deal with , which , by his action , to the extent of the candidates elected , this Committee is relieved from dealing with . Moreover , let it be noted that in two recent cases of Devon candidates eleoted , they not being selected by this Committee , monies have been paid to the respective Institutions , for which

Devon gets the credit , and future votes , through her Steward . Think , ing thus , it would be well if certain brethren , before giving vent to the very crude objections expressed , were to throw a little light thereon , and endeavour to post themselves with a knowledge of some of the featnres of a contested Masonic eleotion ; they would learn that during the two hours of the poll being open , and after previous well .

arranged plans have been made for the election , and the ultimate disposal or votes , many contingencies arise ; by having to depend on others for votes , which have to be allotted , repaid , marked , and polled , and to the brother whose word is good for the prompt return at a future election within the last hour of the poll being open , large parcels of votes are sometimes offered ; this requires instant decision ,

with the knowledge of what number he wants to elect hiB candidate , and not to poll at random , and so waste votes ; and also to know that he will be in a position to repay the borrowed votes at next eleotion ; to do this requires a representative , not a mere go-between who must needs wire his Province for instructions over every small transaction . For some years he had been , in the sense first-mentioned , their representative , and the large number of Devon candididates—Aged

Masons ' , Widows ' , Boys ' , and Girls' —carried by him , with only a small moiety of Devon votes to do so , placed him in a position to say to carping brethren , " In tbe interest of our Province , and for the benefit of our unfortunate and necessitous poor , —Go thou and do likewise . " At the conclusion of these remarks , Bro . Godtsobalk ' s report was received and adopted by the Committee , for presentation to the Provincial Grand Lodge . The following Report was likewise adopted for presentation to the

Provincial Grand Lodge : — The Committee of Petitions , in submitting their annual statement to the Provincial Grand Lodge , have the pleasure to report tDat r *^ result of their efforts has been aa successful as in former years . The total number of votes for all the Charities received by the Committee from Devon for the year have been 1766 , an increase over the former

year of 214 . With these at their disposal the Committee have succeeded in securing the election of one aged Mason , two widows , and one girl , aud for this purpose 4851 votes have been used . Where ana how the enormous balance of over 3000 votes were obtained is shown in the Reports of Bro . Godtschalk , to whom the Province is 1 ** 8 * ? indebted for his indefatigable energy and skilful arrangements . W * still , however , a subject for regret that many Lodges do not suppo *

the Committee . Those who have neglected to do so in the past yea are Lodges 106 Exmouth , 489 Bideford , 710 Totnes , for the eleventh year 1135 Ilfracombe , for the fourth year 1753 Okehampton , ana Chapters 106 Exmouth , 444 Starcross , 710 Totnes , 954 St . ^ ° ^' 1284 Topsbam . There are at least 600 votes annually lost to thei province , either by being given to candidates outside Devon , or not Dei g utilised . It sbonld be remembered that the pink coloured votes se to Lodges and Chapters are rejeoted by the scrutineers if the wra