United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

rpHE principal item of business which will require - * - attention at the regular Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge , to be held on Wednesday next , is that relating to the rebuilding of the Masonic Temple , which will come before the brethren in the form of a report from the Special Building Committee appointed by order of

Grand Lodge in June last . Briefly stated , the proposal of this Committee is to purchase Bacon ' s Hotel , which adjoins the present Freemasons' Tavern , and rebuild it , so as actually to form a part of the Tavern itself , the large hall of which would , however , he utilised in order to form a

Temple twice the size of that destroyed by fire . The proposal appears to be the besfc thafc could have been made , although we hardly consider it satisfactory in every respect . The chief objection is tbat of time—we imagine that the proposals now submitted , even if approved next

Wednesday , will not be confirmed until December , so that it may fairly be reckoned that work will not be commenced in earnest much before the beginning of next Spring , then the Tavern alterations have to be completed before Grand Lodge work fcan be entered upon

so that it is indeed a matter for speculation as to when our new Temple will be ready for occupation .. The Special Building Committee consists of eight brethren—four appointed by Grand Lodge and four elected by the Board of General Purposes . Brothers George

Burt , John Gibson , W . Baynham Stewart and J . Lewis Thomas being the Grand Lodge nominees , aud Brothers William Bristow , Ealph Clutton , Sir John B . Monckton and J . Ebenezer Saunders the four chosen by the Board of General Purposes . These brethren , afc their first

meeting , elected Bro . Sir John B . Monckton as their Chairman . The arrangement as regarded the Insurance was the firsfc item to which attention was given , and this was settled for a total of - £ 8 , 550 in cash , together with all accruing expenses as regards the buildings , and the return

of the damaged carpet . With this sum the Committee consider the reinstatement of the Temple could be easily accomplished , should Grand Lodge determine on such a course , bnt that is not the plan recommended by the members of the Committee themselves . Special

consideration was given to the proposal to remove the Masonic Temple from its old site ; the Thames Embankment , as being almost , if not quite , the only alternative location , receiving particular attention ; but in the result the Committee unanimously agreed " that such a step would nofc

only seriously prejudice the value of the property of Grand Lodge in Great Queen-street , but , irrespective of this , would require an enormous expentiture , far beyond the resources of Grand Lodge to provide the multifarious items of necessary accommodation , without corresponding or

proportionate benefit . " We think this view will be accepted , by the brethren generally , and that all idea of removing Grand Lodge buildings will , at least for the present , be abandoned . The real point of the matter then presents itself . The requirements of the Craft are now of

such a nature thafc it is absolutely necessary the accommodation of Grand Lodge Temple should he increased but the difficult y is to determine how , as the adjoining property ( the Tavern ) is let on a lease , of which twentytwo years are unexpired ( afc an annual rental of -61 , 200 ) .

United Grand Lodge.

It will therefore be apparent that any action to be taken must be taken jointly by the lessee and lessor , and such boing the case we aro pleased to learn that an amicable arrangement has been arrived at . Ifc is proposed , as we have already said , to purchase Bacon ' s Hotel , and to rebuild

it , so as to form a part of Freemasons' Tavorn , which ifc is estimated will cost , 621 , 000 ( £ 6 , 000 to be paid to Mr . Bacon , and . 615 , 000 for rebuilding expenses ) . Messrs . Spiers and Pond , the present lessees of the Tavern , will then give up their grand banquetting hall , and pay an

increased rental of £ 2 , 000 per annum , a new lease being granted to them for a term of fifty years from the completion of the alterations . The present banquetting-hall of the Tavern and the old Masonic Temple will then be available for the construction of the new Temple , and this

work , as estimated , will cost -616 , 400 ; by this ifc will be seen , as the insurance has realised -66 , 400 , the actual outlay to the Craft will be -610 , 000 . In addition to these two items , amounting to £ 31 , 000 , which are required for building purposes , £ 5 , 000 is set down as the cost of removing the

Tavern kitchen to the top of the new building , and converting the present kitchen into a supper room , while £ 4 , 000 is to be allowed for fittings , decorations , au d . contingencies , thus giving a total outlay of £ 30 , 000 . For this snm Grand Lodge will have provided for

their use a Temple capable of holding 1 , 500 persons , they will get an improved rental of £ 800 a year from Messrs . Spiers and Pond , but will lose £ 360 a year from Bacon ' s Hotel ( that being the rental at present paid ) , so that their net monetary gain is £ 440 a-year , and

as the interest on the required outlay would amount to £ 1 , 200 a-year ( even at 3 per cent . ) , it follows that the additional cost to Grand Lodge , consequent on the enlargement of the Temple , would be £ 760 per annum . Tho amount appears to be wholly out of proportion to the

benefits to be gained . Are we to understand that the cost of the Masonic Temple , for interest on construction alone ( if erected twice the size of the old one as proposed ) would be something like £ 1 , 520 per annum , if so , then we think Grand Lodge has to pay a most expensive rental , but of course it is at all times difficult to make additions

or alterations to existing buildings . The net income of Grand Lodge is , of course , ample to allow of this increased expenditure , notwithstanding the alienation , as the

Committee are pleased to call it , of a permanent grant of £ 800 a-year to the Benevolent Institution . We think any reference to this grant comes in very bad taste from the Committee : ifc is certain that Grand Lodge , as a

body , would not agree to the grant being withdrawn , nob even to add a yard or two to the space available for its Quarterly Communications , much as a certain class of brethren seem to desire it . The Committee had as much

right to refer to any other grant of Grand Lodge during the past few years as to this , and we consider it a display of animus to even go so far as to hinfc that this sum of £ 800 a-year might have been available .

The only other items on the agenda are those relating to the confirmation of the minutes of the June meeting , and of three Special Grand Lodges ( on the 29 th June , 18 th July , and 8 th August ); the consideration of the report

of the Lodge of Benevolence , in which seven recommendations for grants are made ; and that of the Board of General Purposes , which merely contains a statement ; of Grand Lodge accounts , and the disposal of twq notices of