The Benevolent Institutiona Year's Work.

special efforts—efforts , too , which have had the most satisfactory results ? The next section of tho Report deals with the number

of annuitants on the Funds of the Institution , the number seeking admission to its benefits , and the vacancies which were available for them . After the Election of 1884 the Institution had upon its Funds 352 annuitants ( 170 men

and 182 widows ) , of whom 21 ( 18 men and 3 widows ) died during the twelve months to the clay of election of 1885 . For this year ' s contest there were 118 approved candidates , for whom the twenty-one vacancies caused by

the death of former annuitants were the only natural ones open . The Committee , however , in face of so formidable a list of applicants , decided , at their meeting in February , to increase the number of vacancies , by placing three more

men and ten more widows upon the Fund , ancl later on the Governors and Subscribers , at the Annual Meeting on the day of Election , declared vacancies for ten more "widows , so that the number of annuitants was raised to

375—173 men and 202 widows—to which number it was that day increased and now stands . The amount required for these 375 annuitants is £ 13 , 384 per annum , in addition to which it must be borne in mind that a further annual

sum of £ 420 will be needed to provide the half of late husbands' annuities assigned to 21 widows , and payable during the first three years of their widowhood . This very considerable increase in the number of annuitants "will of course necessitate even more strenuous exertions

in the future , as any falling off in income must naturally be followed by a corresponding decrease in the number of recipients ; bufc such an event we trust it will never be our task to record .

There are several other items of interest ia the Report , but inasmuch as we give it in * full in another column , it is not necessary to refer to them here . We may , however ,

again congratulate the Committee on the pleasurable task they have had to perform , and express a hope that their future annual statements may always be as satisfactory .

Referring now to the statement of the receipts and expenditure of the Institution , we find that the totals for the year under all heads have been : Beceipts £ 19 , 822 0 s 4 d , and Expenditure £ 16 , 168 6 s 7 d , showing a surplus of

£ 3 , 653 13 s 9 d , of which latter sum £ 2 , 077 10 s has been expended in the purchase of Government Stock , the total The year ' s work , therefore , has resulted in an increase in the funded property of the Institution , at a cost of upwards

of two thousand pounds , and an increase of £ 1 , 576 3 s 9 d in balances carried forward , in addition to the payment of the annuities and the current expenses of the twelve

months . The Male Fund started the year ( reckoned from 1 st April 1884 ) with a balance of £ 3 , 445 12 s 9 d , and received , during tbe term under notice , a total of

£ 8 , 39719 s 7 d . Of the receipts , £ 2 , 017 10 s 8 d comes under the head of permanent income , comprising annual grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter £ 900 , and dividends on Stock in Government Funds £ 1 , 117 10 s 8 d . The balance of £ 6 , 380 8 s lid is made up of special grants from Grand

Chapter , donations from Lodges , Chapters and individuals , annual subscriptions , legacies , and sundries . The expenditure during the same term was £ 8 , 254 4 s 5 d ( exclusive of the amount spent in the purchase of stock ) , and may be

divided under three heads , as follows : annuities £ 6 , 700 , expenses in connection with the inmates of the Asylum at Croydon ( medicine , warden , pension to late gardener , gardener ' s salary , rates and taxes , entertainment of

Stewards and annuitants , rent of field , & c . ) £ 227 18 s 5 d

and expenses of management , postages , election , salaries , commission , & c . £ 1 , 326 6 s . The Female Fund had a balance brought forward at the commencement of the year of £ 3 , 981 3 s , ancl received £ 11 , 394 15 s 9 d during the

twelve months . In this case the receipts under the head of permanent income amounted to £ 1 , 575 10 s 4 d , made up of grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter £ 850 , and dividends on stock in Government Funds £ 725 10 s 4 d ;

while the donations from Lodges , Chapters , special grant from Grand Chapter , and individuals , annual subscriptions , legacy , & c . total up to £ 9 , 819 5 s 5 d . The disbursements ( exclusive of the sum invested ) amounted to £ 7 , 909 18 s 2 d ,

aud , divided as in the case of the Male Fund , shows the following totals : annuities £ 6 , 297 , expenses in connection with the inmates of the Asylum at Croydon £ 243 18 s 8 d , and expenses of management , & c . £ 1 , 368 19 s 6 d . The sustentation of Building Fund had a balance on 31 st of March 1884 of £ 73 6 s 7 d , received dur-

The Benevolent Institutiona Year's Work.

ing the year £ 29 5 s ( from dividends on stock in Government Funds ) , and expended £ 4 4 s on repairs , so that it stood £ 21 5 s better off at the end of the year than at the commencement . Summarising the totals of tho

three funds we have the following as the statement of the year : Balances brought forward £ 7 , 500 2 s 4 d , Receipts £ 19 , 822 0 s 4 d ( £ 3 , 622 6 s on Permanent income account , and £ 16 , 199 14 s 4 d donations , & c ) , expenditure

£ 16 , 168 6 s 7 d , Purchase of Stock £ 2 , 077 10 s , and balances carried forward £ 9 , 076 6 s Id . The expenditure summarised under the three heads given above totals up as follows : Annuities £ 12 , 997 , Expenses at Croydon £ 476 Is Id , and Expenses of Management , & c , £ 2 , 695 5 s 6 d . This latter item is one which brethren are

sometimes heard to refer to as being very heavy : but a brief examination of it will , we think , go far to correct this opinion , or at all events to considerably modify it . The totals for the year show an expenditure of £ 2 , 695 5 s 6 d , under what we have termed expenses of management , & c . ;

but this title is somewhat misleading , as the details of

the several items comprised in it will prove . No less a sum than £ 1 , 313 10 s 9 d has to be deducted under the head of Postages , & c , including expenses of election

( £ 472 Is ); Stationery , Printing , & c ( £ 356 0 s 4 d ) ; Provincial , & c . Expenses ( £ 132 8 s ) ; Repairs , Painting , & c ., and goods supplied ( £ 119 8 s 6 d ) ; Rent of Office and hire of Hall for election ( £ 95 5 s ) ; Advertisements ( £ 47 13 s 9 d ) ; Votes of thanks to Stewards ( £ 42 12 s 6 d ) ; Messenger and Petty Expenses ( £ 48 Is 8 d ) . This leaves

us a total of £ 1 , 381 14 s 9 d expended in management expenses proper , and even of this sum £ 496 6 s 9 d has to be deducted as the amount of the Collector ' s commission ( £ 488 16 s 9 d ) , and premium on his guarantee policy

( £ 7 10 s ) , giving a final balance of £ 885 8 s , as the

expenses entailed in the Secretarial and Clerical duties necessary in connection with the receipt and expenditure of close on twenty thousand pounds . We do not think those who complain of this so-called extravagance can have

given any attention to the subject ; tbey have known that a large amount was being annually expended on matters outside actual annuities , without taking into consideration that a very large portion of this outside expenditure was

represented by postages , printing , stationery , rent , < fcc , or they would never have imagined thafc the management of the Institution was an expensive one . The actual costexclusive of collector ' s commission , which we consider

should be considered separately from management expenses —is less than four and a half per cent on the total raised ! If we may judge of the value of services by the result which follows , and of the cost of management in . comparison with

what it realises , we may hold up the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution as a pattern of excellence , rather than , as some would have us believe , an expensive and extravagantly managed Institution .

In conclusion , a few words as to this year s election . We have already seen that there were forty-four vacancies to be filled , and one hundred and eighteen approved candidates to compete for them . Of this latter number 5

died previous to the contest , so there were 113 left to go to the poll . Of these , forty-four were elected as immediate annuitants , six as deferred annuitants , and the remainder were sent away unsuccessful;—with the exception of the

four ( two male and two female ) highest on the poll , wbo are entitled to receive the sums of money granted by the Committee of the John Hervey Fund . We offer our congratulations with those of the two former classes , and

our sympathy with those of the latter . All we can hope for them is , that they may be more fortunate next year , when we trust it may be possible to give as gratifying a record as this has been of the year ' s work of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution .

Last week we published the names of the successful candidates , with the number of votes polled ; in another part of this issue we publish a list of the unsuccessful , with the number of votes standing to their credit , all of which will , as usual , be carried forward for their benefit next year .

it exerts a most wholesome and beneficial influence . Well nigh all the indigestions give way to this simple treatment , aided by purifying and aperitive doses of HoIIoway's Pills , round each box of which plain " instructions " aro folded . Bilious disorders , loss of appetite , fullness after eating , lassitude , gout and rheumatism may be effectually checked in thoir painful progress , and the eeecU of long suffering eradicated by these remedies .

HOM , OWAT ' S OINTMENT AND "PILLS . —AS Spring advances a most favourable opportunity offers for rectifying irregularities , removing impurities , and erasing blemishes , which have arisen from the presen-e of matters forbad by winter from being transpired through the pores . This searching Ointment , we ' ll rubbed upon tbe slcin , penetrates tn the deeply-seated organs , upon which