The Masonic Mirror.

Bro . Stebbing saicl he was sorry this matter had been brought forward so prematurely . He hoped Bro . Havers ivould withdraw the motion aud nofc let fchem pay so poor a compliment to Bro . AVhite , as to give to Bro . Gray Clarke , after eighteen months' service , the same salary which Bro . White had after thirty-five years . He ivas sure that the poorer brethren ivould see Avith regret such a motion passed , as it would consume a sum which would suffice for five annuitants . As to Bro . Farnfieldhis salary had not been increasedbut agratuitof £ 100 iu addition to his

, , , y , salary , hacl been granted him for lengthened service . He would have no objection to give Bro . Gray Clarke some extra salary ivhen—he hoped tho day would be very far distant—it might please the G . A . O . T . U . to take Bro . White . ( Loud cries of " Oh , oh ! " ) At any rate he ought to serve five or ten years , ancl then be rewarded ; it was rather too early , after eighteen months , to ask for an increase of twenty-five per cent , on his salary ; and if they granted it he thought they would excite great dissatisfactionespecially as Bro . Clarke took office on the

understand-, ing that £ 300 was the salary . Bro . Symonds—Bro . Stebbing has not ventured to say that he thinks £ 400 a year to be too much for any gentleman who devotes the whole of his time to the duties of his office ; his only argument is , that Bro . AVhite received only £ 300 a year up to fche point of his retirement . But ho has not stated that Bro . AVhite had another appointment , the secretaryship of the Artillery Company . It was an appointment worth his holding , and of course it prevented his giving the whole of

"his time to the duties of the Grand Secretaryship . Bro . Stebbing has urged that by adding this £ 100 to the salary of our Grand Secretary , we should bo taking ifc from moneys ivhich are devoted to charity ; but our Bro . Stebbing , if he considered for a moment , must know that this is not the case , inasmuch as all the salaries are paid out of the lands ol' the Board of General Purposes , and not out of tbe funds of the Board of Benevolence . He urges also that Bro . Gray Clarke took office on that salary ; hut I believe it was never dearly explained to Bro . Clarke thai ) he ivould have ] only £ 300 a year ; I know that there were other brethren anxious to

be appointed to the office , and they thought that they were to receive £ 400 a year . But the question is , whether £ 400 is too much for a gentleman who devotes fche whole of his time and attention to the matter , and not what , in times gone by , ive have given as salaries to our officers . The business of the office has very much increased ; for , whereas iu 1 S 42 , there were issued 1 , 403 certificates , in 1850 the number was 3 , 721 . In 1842 the amount of money received ivas £ 2 , 774 , aud iu 1856 it AVUS £ 5 , 809 . Now we must be well aware that there coulcl not be that additional number of certificates and that additional amount of moneywithout

, involving a large increase of labour in the Secretary's office ; ( hear ) , and it is on these grounds that the Grand Secretary has been required to give up his whole time to the duties of his office , and that he should not be allowed to undertake any other appointment . Under these circumstances , I cannot but think Bro . Stehbing ' s observations ill-timed . AA e must not consider how long Bro . Clarke has been in the office , but whether or not £ 400 is too much to give to a gentleman ivho devotes his whole time to the duties of his office ancl to our service . I trust ,

therefore , that Grand Loclge will support the recommendation which the Board of General Purposes has felt it its duty to make . ( Hear , hear ) . Bro . E . Pin-ton Cooper brought forward as an analogous case the librarian of tho Hon . Society of Lincoln ' s Inn , with respect to whom a similar question hacl recently been raised , aucl the result was , that they had increased his salary from £ 300 to £ 400 , aud they had hacl reason to be satisfied with the result . Bro . Mason saicl , for thirty-five years Bro . AVhite had only . £ 300 a year . In fact ,

at the time of the union , the joint Secretaries only had £ 150 a year each , which , with fees , was increased to about £ 270 each ; when , however , it was thought proper to pension Bro . Hartlaad , ancl do with one Grand Secretary instead of two , Bro . AVhite had £ 300 a year . They must bear in mind also thafc although there hacl been an increase in the business of the office , there had at fche same time been an increase iu the staff , ( Hear . ) He hacl yet to learn that the duties of the office of Grand Secretary required so much talent and so much skill , or that so much talent ami so much skill hacl been displayed , as to warrant the money now asked in addition , It was certainly not a pleasing task , but he felt it a matter of duty to