Grand Lodge.

Board of General Purposes had been accidentally omitted , although it was contained in the report presented to the Committee of Masters . The resolution was then put and agreed to . Bro . L . EVANS then moved the third resolution . The G . REGISTRAR seconded the motion , which was put ' and

carried unanimously . Bro . LLEWELLYN EVANS in moving the fourth resolution , said it was necessary that District Grand Lodges should have the same powers for regulating all matters relating to their own body and hi their own district . The G . REGISTRAR seconded the motion .

The G . MASTEE pnt the question , and the motion was unanimously carried , with the exception of the last clause which was " provided that nothing herein contained , shall in any way interfere with the powers of the District Grand Masters . " Bro . L . EVANS Said that clause 5 had been omitted , which re-enacted the law which had been repealed by article 2 , and which gave to District Grand Lodges the power of erasing

lodges or expelling Masons within their respective districts . He moved that those words bo re-enacted , as that article was contained in the report read to the committee of Masters . Bro . CLABON seconded the motion . The D . G . MASTER said he had no doubt upon this point , as it appeared the President of the Board of General Purposes had

submitted this clause as a part of his motion , and in that state it came before the committee of Masters . All , therefore , that they had to do was to re-enact that part of the rule which was repealed by the first resolution , and not wait until the next Quarterly Communication . The G . REGISTRAR said ho wished to make a few observations

before the resolution was put to Grand Lodge , and to call the attention of the Grand Master to the subject which was before thorn . It was the theory that every lodge was represented at the committee of Masters , and thus that everything that would be brought before Grand Lodge was known throughout the Craft . It was deemed essential to the interests of the Craft that every matter that was to be brought before Grand Lodge

should be known to the members of lodges ; and it was the duty of Masters of lodges to communicate the business to them , so that they might not be taken by surprise as to what was to be transacted . The Report having thus been read to the Board of Masters , it was a notice to the whole Craft . . That being so , as all the business to be transacted was laid before the

Board of Masters , everything to be done in Grand Lodge was known to ail lodges through their representatives . Bro . HAVERS , P . G . W ., said he could not agree with the ruling of the Grand Registrar , although he was no lawyer , and perhaps he ought to be thankful that he was not so , and was only-a man of plain common sense . They were not informed of

all that took place in the Committee of Masters , and therefore it was that the paper of business was placed in their hands . The occasion of the fifth clause was a clerical error in the Grand Secretary's office , for he held in his hand the original report , in which ho found the fifth ciar . se , and as they had taken i £ as read and received it , they hail bound themselves to it . Had the

report been read , they would have found in it the fifth clause The GRAND REGISTRAR said it was a notion that everything proposed in Grand Lodge should bo communicated on the paper of business . Bro . SAVAGE , P . G . D ., said , if they considered everything that was not on the paper of business , it might lead to a very

dangerous practice , unless Grand Lodge declared that it should not form a precedent . As they were only asked to re-enact what had been the law , lie should oiler no opposition to it ,

but iie trusted it would not be made 3 precedent on any future occasion . Bro . Stebbing P . G . D ., objected to laws being altered without notice on the agenda . If the reading of a Report before a committee of Masters was sufficient , then it was not necessary that the members of Grand Lodge should have the paper of

business at all , and they ought to do away with it altogether . For his part ho urged that they ought to put up with any inconvenience rather than break a law to alter a law . He should protest against it , for it was ruled that a business paper should be sent to every lodge , so that they might know what was to he done and they felt safe , hut he objected altogether

to that liocuspocus -which went on in small rooms up-stairs , by which the laws of the Craft might be altered without notices to the lodges being received . The G . REGISTRAR explained . Bro . STEBBING said he held that if the ruling of the Grand Registrar was right , the business paper was not necessary .

Bro . LLEWELLYN EVANS said the fifth clause was inserted in the report which he had signed , and it was read to the committee of Masters , and on that ground he contended that all the requirements of the " Book of Constitutions " had been complied with . The G . MASTER said , he thought as Grand Master he should

state his opinion before he put the question to the Grand Lodge . He confessed that they were in a difficulty , but they would be in a still greater difficulty if they refused to adopt the resolution moved by the President of the Board of General Purposes . They should recollect that by the first resolution they had repealed a portion of the " Book of Constitutions , " which they would not have done unless they were prepared to re-enact it by a fresh clause . It appeared that there

had been an irregularity on the part of the printer in omitting a paragraph read before the committee of Masters contained in the report , and which had been taken as read .. They were not about to enact any new law , hut to re-enact a portion of a law which had been repealed that night . He thought , as it was a difficult matter , he should recommend

them to pass the resolution moved by the President of the Board of General Purposes , after that to pass a resolution stating that it was an exceptional case , and all the circumstances which had taken place through the omission of the clause by the printer . Also because the clause re-enacted what was a portion of the law of the Grand Lodge , and only repealed

that night . He would then put the clause , " That District Grand Lodges shall have the power of erasing lodges and expelling members within their respective districts . " Bro . STEBBING said he should move an amendment . It was not in the power of the Queen of England to alter the laws of the country except hi a constitutional way , and he hoped that

the irregularity of the Grand Lodge would not be brought up against them on some future occasion . Let them have a special Grand Lodge to consider it rather than do anything contrary to the law , and he hoped that Grand Lodge would hesitate before they proceeded in the matter , and whatever the inconvenience might he , to put up with it rather than strain the

laws . He moved , as an amendment , that the further consideration of this clause be deferred to the next Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge . The G , MASTER , s . iid he had no desire to dictate iu any way but having stated his opinion he would leave the matter in the hands of the Grand Lodge , and however they might decide he was sure they would do that which was right . Bro . MAUDSLAY seconded the amendment . The D . G . MASTER said these colonial questions had led to