Provincial Grand Lodge Of Wiltshire .

position throughout a period of three years . The Prov . Grand Registrar ' s report was approved and his suggestion adopted . Bro . WILLIAM NOTT , Prov . Charity Secretary , then read his report on behalf of the Provincial Charity Organisation and Benevolent Fund Committee , which was as follows :

CHARITY ORGANIZATION . On behalf of the Committee I beg to lay before this Provincial Grand Lodge an account of its work during the past year . This province , having no candidate for either the Boys' or the Girls' School , was enabled to so dispose of its votes as to more than cancel its indebtedness , and leave a small balance of votes owing to it .

On the Benevolent Fund account matters were different . It having been decided that the case of Mrs . Roach , the candidate adopted by the Committee , should , if possible , be carried at the election last May , arrangements were made by which this object was effected . Owing to the increase in the number of Wiltshire votes sent in to the

Committee , to the good help given by outside friends of the candidate , and to certain advantageous arrangements which your Secretary was enabled to make , our candidate ' s success was secured with only a comparatively small debt being incurred by this province on the Benevolent Fund account . Our candidate was seventh on the list of the thirteen successful candidates , with a total of 144 S votes .

Thus far , as regards this province more especially , but it may be mentioned as regards the other provinces with which Wiltshire is associated , that at the Boys' School election in April , out of the twelve successful candidates , four were from the allied provinces , namely , one each from Lincoln , Worcester , Somerset , arid Leicester ; whilst at the election for the same Institution in October now Just past , the only case in which the

Association was interested , a Gloucester case , came in at the head of the poll . As to the Girls' School elections , in April , the whole of the candidates were declared elected without ballot ; in October the allied provinces determined to run one candidate only , a Worcester case , and succeeded in carrying it ; while the surplus votes beyond the number necessary were polled for a Somersetshire case , which has been adopted for the election next spring .

As regards the Benevolent Fund , and the other provinces alluded to , a widow ' s case from Bristol would in addition to the Wiltshire case have been successfully carried had it not been for some unfortnnate mischance in the counting of the votes sent in . As it was , she was highest on the unsuccessful list , and at the next election there will doubtless be little difficulty in carrying her case together with , it is hoped , those of two other candidates , one from Monmouth and one from Worcester .

Your Committee highly appreciates the hearty co-operation received from the representatives of other provinces , and would more especialy mention Bros . Captain S . G . Homfray , D . P . G . M ., Monmouth ; R . C . Else , D . P . G . M ., Somerset ; W . H . Bowden , Bristol ; George Taylor , P . G . Sec . Worcester ; the Rev . W . Langlcy , Leicester ; and Col . Basevi and his successor , R . Vassar Smith , Gloucester . In order to carry out the work which has been recapitulated , your Charity Secretary attended at three of the elections during the year .

The votes the Committee has placed at its disposal by the lodges in the province , and voters connected therewith , during the last three years have been as follows : 1 SS 0 1 SS 1 18 S 2 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 372 407 47 s Do . do . Girls 350 372 35 6 Do . Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons ... ... 223 219 235 Do . do . for Aged Widows ... 127 119 153

1071 1117 1219 being an increase in this year over last year of 102 votes , and being considerably more than in any previous year . The voting power of the province is thus shewn to be increasing , and it is very necessary that it should increase if Wiltshire is to hold its own at the elections ; the number of votes necessary to carry a candidate at either of the Institutions , having increased something like fifty per cent , during the past few years .

WILTSHIRE RECIPIENTS OF MASONIC CHARITIES . As it may be interesting to the brethren to know what advantages are being derived by this province from the various Masonic Charitable Institutions , the following particulars have been gathered together : — BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

Three widows arc now enjoying annuities of £ 32 each , or , a total of £ 96 per annum ; one ( whose husband belonged to the Trowbridge Lodge , 632 ) , having been in enjoy ' ment of her annuity for six years ; another ( Devizes , 663 ) for four years ; the other ( Chippenham , 626 ) being the annuitant elected in May last .

THE MASONIC SCHOOLS . The Wiltshire scholars , with the lodges to which their fathers belonged , are as follows ; and against the name of each is an extract from the report of the Governess or Master of the School respecting them : GIRLS' SCHOOL . A . M . C . ( Old Swindon , 355 ) , aged 13 ; elected 1 S 79 , leaves the School 1 SS 5— " Will rise to third class after Christmas ; is a good girl . "

A . L . W . ( New Swindon , 1295 ) , aged 13 ; elected 1 S 79 , leaves 1 SS 5— "In fourth class ; has lost time through delicate health , but is stronger , and likely to make more progress ; is a good girl . " E . M . G . ( Salisbury , 5 S 6 ) , aged 11 ; elected 1879 , leaves iSSC— " In fifth class and backward ; is a good little girl . "

F . J . N . ( Old Swindon , 355 ) , aged 11 ; elected 1 SS 0 , leaves 1 SS 7 —( No report . ) G . E . B . ( Old Swindon , 35 s ) , aged 11 ; elected 18 S 0 , leaves iSS 5 ~ " In fifth class , but is likely to make progress ; is a good girl . " G . M . S . ( Old Swindon , 355 ) , age 9 ; admitted 1 SS 2— " Is a nice little girl , admitted this September ; is backward . " L . M . S . S . ( Trowbridge , 632 ) , aged 10 ; admitted 1 SS 2 —( No report ) .

BOYS' SCHOOL . H . V . N . S . S . ( Trowbridge , 632 ) , aged 12 ; elected 1 S 77 , 'eaves 1 SS 6— "Conduct satisfactory ; ability and industry fair , and has much improved of late . " It will thus been seen that there are at present no less than eight Wiltshire children enjoying the advantages of education at these Schools , an education which must represent a money value of some £ 400 per annum , and which , added to the annuities , gives a total of about , £ 500 a year .

STEWARDSHIPS FOR THE CHARITIES . During the year the folluiwng amounts have been taken up to the festivals of the different Masonic Institutions by the following Stewards from this province : Bro . Martin—Benevolent Institution £ S I J 5 o „ Dr . Ringer—Girls' School 5 6 j o „ William Nott—Boys' School 147 o 0 „ Dr . Ringer—Boys' School 15 15 o Total £ 308 3 o

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Wiltshire .

BENEVOLENT FUND . No claim has as yet been made on this fund . The Committee has therefore been enabled to invest the whole of the net income , thus helping to form a capital fund , which will in a short time be sufficiently large to be able afford from its investments a substantial annual inrnme .

In last year ' s report the Committee was only able to furnish a provisional account of receipts and payments ; but a complete account for the year ending 31 st December , 1 SS 1 , is appended hereto . Your Committee in its last year ' s report ventured to express an ' opinion that the number of contributing lodges would this year be increased . Such anticipation has been realised , and there is every reason to hope that next year the whole , or nearly the whole , of the lodges in the province will be direct contributors to this fund .

Under the rules of this fund , the Provincial Grand Lodge is entitled to nominate one of its officers as a Life Governor of the fund , in respect of the donation of £ 50 voted to it last year . The R . W . the Prov . Grand Master , the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , the Prov . Grand Treasurer , the Prov . Grand Registrar , the Prov . Grand Secretary , and the Charity Secretary are already ex-officio members of the Committee . It is , therefore , suggested whether it would be desirable that this Provincial Grand Lodge should name another of its officers to be a member of the Committee as Life Governor .

Devizes , 3 rd November , 1 SS 2 . WILLIAM NOTT , Prov . Charity Sec . The report was unanimously approved , but the consideration of the suggestion contained in the last paragraph thereof was postponed . The Prov . Grand Secretary , Bro . TOMBS , produced the report of the

Bye-Laws Committee , accompanied by the draft of the bye-laws , which such Committee recommended for adoption . These bye-laws having been already well discussed in the province and generally approved , no discussion now took place upon them .

On the motion of Bro . SirG . GOLDNEY , D . P . G . M ., secondedbyBro . Lord H . F . THYNNE , the report of the Committee was adopted , and the bye-laws as presented were approved and passed , and ordered to be submitted for the approval of Grand Lodge ; and it was resolved that if and when such byelaws were so approved , they should be printed and circulated in the province .

Bro . J AMES POWELL , W . M . of the receiving lodge , the Gooch Lodge , No . 1295 , asked permission to introduce for the approval of the Prov . Grand Master , a banner which had been presented to the Gooch Lodge , the device thereon being the armorial bearings of the esteemed brother from whom that lodge was named , Sir Daniel Gooch , Bart ., formerly Deputy

Prov . Grand Master of Wilts , but now the R . W . the Prov . Grand Master of Berks and Bucks . Permission having been granted , Bro . Powell , accompanied by the Past Masters of his lodge retired , and re-entered with the banner in question , begged leave to present this banner to the Prov . Grand Master and to ask his sanction to its being used as the banner of the Gooch Lodge .

Lord METHUEN , in reply , said that he most willingly gave his sanction , and that it would have given him additional p leasure if their dear friend , Sir Daniel Gooch , whose name they saw on the banner before them , could himself have been present on the occasion .

Bro . POWBLL thanked the Prov . Grand Master , and the banner was then hung in its proper situation on the walls of the lodge-room . Lord METHUEN then said that a very pleasurable duty devolved upon him , and that was to recognise the services to the cause of charity of two brethren who , during the past year had acted as Stewards for two of the

Masonic Chanties . He first called upon Bro . William Knott , Prov . Charity Sec , who having in previous years twice filled the office of Steward for the Benevolent Institution , and once the like office for the Girls' School , and thereby become the possessor of the Charity jewel and one bar , had , in 18 S 2 , acted as Steward for the Boys' School ( with a list of nearly £ 150 ) , and thus entitled him to a second bar . This bar the Prov . Grand Master

now , in the name of the Provincial Grand Lodge , presented to Bro , Nott , coupling the presentation with the remark , that all the brethren were deeply indebted to him for his successful efforts during many years past in the furtherance of the cause of Masonic Charity in Wiltshire , and the hope that the province would long have the benefit of his services .

Bro . NOTT briefly returned thanks for the presentation , and expressed his gratification that his efforts in the cause of charity had been so well supported , and hoped that in the future he mi ght still merit the approbation of his lordship and the brethren of the provinee .

The PROV . GRAND MASTER next called up Bro . Deputy Surgeon-General Theobald Ringer , of Lodge No . 1533 , Marlborough , and P . M . of Lodge No . 130 S , who had during the past year filled the office of Steward , both for the Girls' School and for the Boys' School , taking up for the former fifty-five , and for the latter fifteen guineas . This entitled him to the Charity

jewel , and such jewel the P . G . M . then , in accordance with the practice in the province , presented , on behalf of the Provincial Grand Lodge , to Bro . Ringer . Lord Methuen expressed the pleasure it gave him to thus recognise Bro . Ringer ' s exertions , and that it was with still further pleasure he found that brother ' s name down as one of the Stewards of the province for the ensuing year .

Bro . RINGER thanked his lordshi p and the brethren for this recognition of his services .

The PROV . GRAND SECRETARY read the letter issued by the Grand Secretary , dated gth November , 1 SS 1 , declaring the precedence of Grand Officers over all Provincial Grand Officers ( except Provincial Grand Masters ) , whether in their own province or not . This letter was ordered to be entered on the minutes .

The Committee as to revised Book of Constitutions presented a report , in which certain alterations were recommended . This report was unanimously adopted , and the alterations recommended were directed to be submitted to Grand Lodge for consideration . The R . W . the PROV . GRAND MASTER then addressed the meeting , congratulating himself and Masonry 011 the excellency of the attendance .