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Ar00904

EMISSISTS SATURDAY , DECEMBER 2 , 1899 . &

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The regular Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge will be held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the 6 th instant , at seven p . m ., when a full and varied programme jf business will be laid before the brethren . Much of this is of the usual character ,

and includes nominations for the offices of Grand Master and Grand Treasurer , the appointment and investiture of a President of the Board of Benevolence , and the election of the Senior and Junior Vice-Presidents , as well as of 12 Past Masters to serve on the same Board . The Reports of the Boards of

Benevolence and General Purposes will also be submitted , the latter containing one principal recommendation to the effect that certain lodges in New Zealand , to the number of 20 , which were formerly under our Constitution , but have already placed themselves , or have decided to place themselves , under that of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand , should be

erased from the roll of Grand Lodge . Of these 20 lodges , one has heretofore been included in the District of Canterbury , 12 in that of Otago and Southlandleaving only four under the rule of Bro . T . Sherlock Graham , Dist . G . M . —one in the Westland District , two in Auckland , and four which were not constituents of any Dist . Grand Lodge .

•* * As for the other business , there are two Notices ol Motion and two Appeals , of which one is against the ruling of the Deputy District Grand Master of Jamaica and the other against a decision of the Deputy District

G . M . and the District Board of General Purposes of ihe District Grand Lodge of South Africa ( Central Division ) , One of the Notices of Motion has been given b y Bro . the Rev . F . Bethune N . Norman-Lee , G . Chaplain , and contemplates the addition of a

Masonic Notes.

clause to Article 165 , Book of Constitutions , while the other stands in the name of Bro . Sir Reginald Hanson , Bart ., M . P ., P . G . W ., and proposes a grant of 1000 guineas from tho funds of Grand Lodge to the Mansion House Transvaal War Fund , to be

distributed in certain proportions among the branches of the said Fund . The acceptance of this proposal for grants may be looked upon as a foregone conclusion , either in the manner suggested or in one that may be deemed preferable .

* * * Mark Grand Lodge will hold its regular Quarterly Communication at Mark Masons' Hall , on Tuesday ,

the 5 th instant , when the nominations for the ollices of Grand Master and Grand Treasurer for the year 1900-1 will be made . But the chief interest will centre in the report of the General Board .

From this report we learn that warrants for four new Marklo dges and one new Royal Ark Mariner lodge have been granted since the previous report , two ol the-former being for the Provinces of Essex and Derbyshire respectively , and the other two for Districts

Abroad — Natal and Burma—while the Royal Ark Mariner lodge will be attached to a Mark lodge in the District of Bengal . We are further informed that during the quarter ending 30 th September there were issued 220 Mark certificates , raising the total number

of registered Mark Master Masons to 40 , 452 ; and 42 Royal Ark Mariner certificates , raising the total number registered as having been elevated to that Degree to 6056 . We are further informed that his Royal Highness , the M . W . G . Mark Master , has been pleased

to appoint for a further term of three years Bro . T . F . Halscy , M . P ., as Prov . G . M . M . of Hertfordshire , and Bro . Chas . Roper Martin as iDist . G . M . M . Victoria . Two Mark lodges in the District of Victoria have

returned their warrants , and a Mark lodge , with R . A . M . lodg ; e attached , having been reported by the Dist . G . M . M . Bengal as not having had any meeting since 1 S 82 , the Board recommend they be removed from the roll of lodges .

* - •• Perhaps the most satisfactory announcement contained in the Report is to the effect that the difficulty in the Ashton Mark District has been solved in a manner which reflects the greatest credit on all who

had a hand in bringing about the solution . The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons for the Ashtonunder-Lyne District has been formally dissolved , and its funds voted to certain Masonic Charities in Lancashire and Cheshire : and a warrant ' of

confirmation has been granted to 36 of its former members as "The Ashton District Lodge , T . I ., " to rank fifth on the Roll of Lodges . Our opinion is that this difficulty ought never to have been allowed to arise , but that having arisen , no better or more honourable mode of

determining it could have been adopted . Moreover , the happiness of this solution is greatly enhanced by the considerateness of the Pro Grand Mark Master , the Earl of Euston , in proposing to hold a Moveable Grand Lodge in Cheshire early next year for the purpose of consecrating and constituting the new lodge .

••• We must not omit to mention that a motion will be made to grant 100 guineas from the funds of Mark Grand Lodge to be paid over to the Daily Telegraph Shilling Fund for our Soldiers' Widows . and Orphans . * * *

The half-yearly Chapter of the Great Priory of the Order of the Temple will be held at Mark Masons ' Hall on Friday , the 8 th inst ., at 5 p . m . Here , also , in the course of the proceedings a motion will be submitted for a grant of 100 guineas to be made from the

General Fund of the Order to the Daily Telegraph Shilling Fund for the widows and orphans of our soldiers and sailors . The report of the Council will also be submitted , and when Great Priory has been closed , a chapter of the Great Priory of the Order of

Malta will be opened for the admission as members of those Knights Templar who have previously signified their desire to join the Order . The usual banquettickets one guinea each—will be held at tho adjoining Freemasons' Tavern at 7 p . m .

The Report of the Council is a somewhat lengthy document , containing matter of more than usual interest . Some account is given of the Fourth Annual Conference of the three Templar governing bodies in

the United Kingdom—the Great Priories of England and Ireland , and the Chapter General of Scotland—in Dublin , on the 14 th April , there being also present the M . E . General J . Corson Smith , Past Grand Commander of the Grand Encampment of the United States .

Masonic Notes.

One of the points . considered at this meeting had reference to the interchange of representatives with our other Templar Governing Bodies , and it was explained by General Smith that the Grand Commanderies in sundry of the States had no authority to make such interchange , the only body so entitled being

the Grand Encampment . It was stated that there had been a correspondence between the Grand Commandery of Kentucky of the one part , and the Great Priory of Ireland and the Chapter General of Scotland of the other , in which it was affirmed that such representation already existed between the former and the two latter .

It was pointed out that the Templar Bodies in Ireland and Scotland had never appointed representatives , and General Smith added that , if such appointments had been made , they would have been irregular . The matter was left over for further consideration at the next annual conference .

? * * Another matter that came under discussion had reference to the existence in Melbourne , Colony of Victoria , of a body styling itself " The Sovereign Great Priory of the United Religious and Military Orders of the Temple and of St . John of Jerusalem , Palestine , Rhodes , and Malta , for Victoria , Australia , "

the English delegates pointing out that the Great Priory of England already had a Provincial Priory in the Colony . Ultimately , it was agieed unanimously that the so-called Sovereign Great Priory of Victoria was not a legitimate Templar body , and that all intercourse between it and the Templar bodies of the United Kingdom be prohibited .

» The Council further mention that the Fifth Annual Templar Conference will be held at Mark Masons ' Hall , London , on Thursday , the 10 th May , 1 9 , being the day immediately preceding the half-yearly Chapter

of Great Priory . It was also announced that the M . Ethe Marquis of Breadalbane had been appointed to represent the Great Priory of England at the Chapter-General of Scotland , and the M . E . the Earl of Euston the Chapter-General of Scotland , at the Great Priory of England .

» * The Great Treasurer ' s Statements of Account show balances amounting to . £ 497 on the General Fund and , £ 117 on the Benevolent , so that financially , as in other respects , the Templar Order in England is in a prosperous condition .

« * » The St . Alban's Lodge , No . 29 , was consecated on the 29 th ult . by the R . W . Prov . G . M ., Bro . T . F . Halsey , M . P ,, in the presence of a large gathering , and Bro . C . O . Burgess , Prov . G . W . Berks , was installed as the first W . Master . Although the meeting was a

complete success , the proceedings were somewhat marred by the news—only received the previous evening—of the sudden death of Bro . G . E . Lake , Dep . Prov . G . Master , which occurred on the 28 th ult . Bro . Lake was to have performed the installation ceremony after

the consecration , and his loss , which was referred to in feeling terms by the Prov . G . Master , will be severely felt throughout the Province of Herts . We shall refer next week to our deceased brother ' s valuable services to Freemasonry , and shall also give a full report of the consecration proceedings .

? * » It is with great regret we announce that Bro . B . L . P . Valenani , who , in 18 97 , had the brevet rank of Past Grand Standard Bearer conferred upon him by the M . W . G , M ., died , after a prolonged illness , on Sunday , the 26 th ult .

» » » The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge ol Dorsetshire was held at Blandford on Monday , the 27 th ult ., under the presidency of Bro . Montague J .

Guest , Prov . G . M . A large sum was voted to the War Fund , and the services of Bro . J . H . Whadcoat , J . P ., P . Prov . G . W ., as Steward at next year ' s Benevolent Festival were cordially accepted . Particulars next week .

» * * We understand that steps have been taken for the formation of an independent Grand Lodge for the Colony of Western Australia and that one English lodge has resolved on remaining in its old allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England . We are not

surprised that this step should have been taken b y our West Australian brethren , who we know have for some time past been contemplating such a change . To this , no doubt , is due the rush for warrants for new lodges to which we have drawn attention more than once .

* * Among the items of news which will deli ght our Mark readers is the formal announcement which was made in Mark Grand Lodge on Tuesday , that the Earl of Euston , Pro G . Mark Master , has consented to preside at next year ' s Festival in aid of the Mark Benevolent Fund ,