Decisions By The Tasmanian Board Of General Purposes.

DECISIONS BY THE TASMANIAN BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES .

We have on several occasions commented on the multip licity and , in far loo many cases , the absurdity of the questions which it is the custom in many of the American jurisdictions to refer to the Grand Master for his decision . We are the more pleased ,

therefore , to find that under the Grand Lodge of Tasmania the more sensible plan prevails of referring all questions which the private' lodges feel themselves incompetent to settle to be dealt with by the Board of General Purposes . Still more pleased

are wc at finding firstl y that the questions thus referred are such as may be properly determined b y a superior authority , and secondly , that the decisions of the said Board have g iven such

general ' satisfaction that " in no instance , has an appeal been even suggested from a ruling of the Board to the superior jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge . "

We have said that the questions thus referred are such as may be properly dealt with by such an authority , and here follow the ' examples of the questions—as quoted in the Board ' s reporton which rulings have been given : ( i ) A brother , after years of

useful work , had reached the chair of S . W ., and there was every prospect that he would be elected W . M . for the ensuing year . Unfortunately , his business compelled him at this juncture to

remove into a sister colony and he lost the opportunity o ' securing the hig hest honour which it was in the power of his lodge to bestow . lie , therefore , prayed Hie Grand Master to

confer upon him the honorary rank of P . M ., and in support of his petition quoted as a precedent certain extracts from the minutes of one ol " the oldesl lodges in the colony

( then under the E . C . ) which showed ( hat in the "fifties" such honorary rank had on three different occasions been conferred upon members of the said lodge . It was further urged that this lodge had orig inall y been founded b y

members of the Irish Constitution , and it was alleged that at a remote period , in some lodges at least under that jurisdiction , the practice in question existed . It was pointed out ,

however , that such practice had never been sanctioned " by the English Constitution , nor during the last 40 years by any Grand Lod"e of which we possess records . " The Board , therefore ,

declined "to recommend the Grand Master to entertain what mig ht prove an undesirable precedent . " We venture to suggest that the three cases in which the honorary rank of Past Master

was conferred , as quoted b y the petitioner as a precedent from the minutes of the old lodge referred to , may have been cases in which brethren passed the chair in order to be exalted to the Koval Arch . The practice existed formerly , and may have been

continued in a Colonial lodge to a later date than in lodges at home . In another case referred to the Board , a lodge , in order to build a hall of its own , had issued debentures , which had been taken ui ) by its members . One of these debenture-holders fell

into arrear with his lodge subscriptions , and the point raised was whether the lodge had power to deduct such arrears from the liability due to the brother upon the debenture . The Board , however , decided lhat the debenture must be regarded

as inviolable . In a third case application was made by some brethren in Western Australia for a dispensation to open a lodge under the Grand Lodge of Tasmania in an important mining centre , but the Board

promptly and very properly replied that " Western . Australia was outside the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge . " In yet nnolher case lhat was submitted a country lodge some years ago became dormant , and the Wardens , who , with the W . M ., are by

the Constitutions , ihe trustees of all the lodge property , left the Colony . The W . M . seeing no prospect of reviving the lodge was desirous of presenting the furniture and regalia to another country lodge which had lost its property b y lire , but ( he Board

luld that a trustee had no power to absolutel y dispose of property held in ( rust , and that he could onl y transfer the trust . It was nltim . 'iielv arranged " lhat the Grand Lodge should lake over the trusteeshi p of the W . M . on beliall ol ( he dormant lodge and

rent the furniture and regalia to the other country lodge at tin . nominal sum of half-a-crown per arnuni . " It was further suggested that some provision should be made when amending the ConMitutions , " for a trusteeship to be . absolutel y surrendered

Decisions By The Tasmanian Board Of General Purposes.

to Grand Lodge , which could then exercise discretionary power if unexpected contingencies occurred . " We think it will be allowed that the foregoing questions were , as wc have said , proper !} - referred to a superior authority .

Supreme Council Of Scotland.

SUPREME COUNCIL OF SCOTLAND .

The Supreme Council of Scotland for the Ancient and Accepted Rite issues what is termed the "Annual Reporter , " and the pagination is consecutive for several years until a volume is completed . ft is now Vol . Y . that is appearing . The " Reporter" is very complete , and is ably edited by the

veteran Grand Secretary , Bro . Lindsay Mackersy , W . S . There are nine members in the Supreme Council , the Grand Commander being the Ri g ht Hon . the Earl of Kintore . LordSaltoun , the Marquis of Breadalbane , K . G ., and the Earl of Haddington arc also members , so that there is no lack of dislinmiished Craft

Masons in the nine . Lord Blythswood is one of the honorary members . The Supreme Council is particularly well represented in our Colonies and Dependencies , there being Grand Inspectors-General for China , India , New Zealand , West Indies , Capetown , and Queensland , and many other Supreme Councils exchange Representatives with the Scottish Body .

It IS as to ( his point that I am so glad to have a copy of this Reporter to dale , because it has been stated that the Supreme Council of Scotland still exchanges Representatives with the Grand Orient of France . This is an error . // does not , and never has , and I hope the contradiction will reach our Masonic

brethren in the United States , where the statement was circulated . " The Supreme Council" of Scotland exchanges ' Representatives with the " Supreme Council of France , " which has no connection with the Grand Orient , either directly or

indirectl y , and , as an Organisation , has always been most anxious to advance the p rinci p les and practices of the Craft , according to the well-established landmarks , without which it would be shorn of its beauty , dignity , and continuity .

'I here are 33 members of the Thirty-second Degree , 28 of the Tliirly-Jiisf , and some 250 of the Thirtieth . A cursory glance at the roll of the Ei ghteenth suggests that the Degrees of

this kite are more popular abroad than in Scotland . The Registers of the 30 th and iSth arc in al phabetical order , enlailin " considerable editorial labour , but a great advantage to the brethren .

There are 18 Rose Croix chapters , No . 1 being at Edinburgh , No . 11 , Glasgow , and No . 20 , Ayr , the remainder being abroad . Of the eight consistories , No . 1 is held in Edinburgh , and the other seven also assemble abroad , full particulars being appended of all these bodies .

The business transacted at the various meetings of the Supreme Council for the official year is dul y and succinctly described , thus rendering the annual complete and most useful to the members of the Rile , which is in a nourishing condition . W . I . I ' lUGHAN .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Nottinghamshire .

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE .

INSTALLATION OF THK DUKE OF PORTLAND AS PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER .

With befitting- ritual an impressive ceremony was performed in Nottingham en Thursday , the 7 th instant . In the presence of members of the Craft assembled from all parts of the province , as well as many of infljence from distant centres , his Grace the Duke of Portland was installed as Prov . Grand Mailer of Nottinghamshire , in succession to the late Dakc of St .

Albans , who held the oflice with distinction for many years . It had been appropriately arranged to embody in the proceedings elements significant of the basis upon which the Craft rests . In the memorable Jubilee period of 1 S 97 the pressing need for the extension of the Nottingham General Hospital appealed to people of all classes who were desirous of aiding in the

extension of the oldest of local medical institutions . Ho v liberal was the response for funds is a matter of history . And as a oroll iry to that which was practically 3 private function , nothing could have been more appropriate than that with Masonic honours the corner-stone of the new wing of the hospital should be laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Noltinghamshire , who has thus succeeded the late Duke of St . Albans in a dual capacity .

Ihe first Grand Master of the province was Thomas Boothby Parkins , afterwards fiist Lord RancJiffe , who was appointed in 1 7 H 3 . Lord RinchiTe ' s successor was Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren , Bart ., installed in 1 S , this distinguished ollicer being succeeded in 1823 by Col . Thomas Wildman . Ctl . Wildman held the office for 37 years with conspicuous advantage to the Craft , and was followed in i 860 by Henry Pelham , fifth Duke of Newcastle ,