Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Income And Expenditure Of The Board Of Benevolence.
THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE OF THE BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE .
AT last the authorities have thought it desirable to call the attention of the Board of Benevolence to the condition of the Fund it has to distribute , and which , during the last ten years , shows an excess of
expenditure over receipts amounting in the aggregate to £ 12 , 686 , or upwards of 12 per cent on the total sum disbursed , which , during the same period , was £ 105 , 017 . We cannot understand why the
unsatisfactory state of affairs which has existed all through these ten years has been allowed to continue so long without official comment . Certainly it cannot be said that no notice has been taken of the matter from
outside ; there has been no lack of criticism on the subject —but then we must remember , as current events are amply proving , the " powers that be " in the Masonic world do not approve of criticism , and are either in-¦ » ¦ •! ¦ •••i •_ . __ . ••••. _» .
* capable ol recognising it , or wilrally misrepresent it when they are forced to face it . But at last we suppose the matter has got so bad that something in the way of reform is regarded as necessary , and as a
preliminary step a statement of income and expenditure during the past ten years has been prepared and presented to the Board , and through it to the Craft at large . *
Before making any comment on the present state of affairs it may be well to go back a few years and consider the subject as it then presented itself . At the March Communication of 1880 Grand Lodge was
asked to devise a means of checking the accumulation of invested funds by the Board—which then had more money to deal with , including upwards of £ 50 , 000 of investments , than was considered advisable , especially as the £ 50 , 000 of investments was looked upon as ample to meet all possible
contingencies . It was accordingly suggested that onethird of each year ' s " surplus " income should be appropriated to the Boyal Masonic Institution for Boys , and another third to the Boyal Masonic
Institution lor Crirls , tor the purpose of forming funds for apprenticing the children who had been brought up in those schools , or in otherwise assisting tham tov
' t o ^^ " commence life . It will be noticed that this suggestion did not dispose of the whole of the expected surplus of the future , two-thirds only had been
appropriated for the objects named ; it was intended the other one-third portion should be added to the already accumulated fund . As we have said before , this proposition may be regarded as the outcome of
the operations of the Boyal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund , and it received the same opposition as was shown to those who worked to establish that
Fund , with the result that it was ultimately withdrawn by its proposer , Bro . J . M . Clabon . At the time of which we are speaking ( March 1880 )
The Income And Expenditure Of The Board Of Benevolence.
feeling was very strong on the subject , and there were a few who openly declared they would show that the income of the Board was not sufficient to meet the
calls made upon it . A surplus should not be the trouble of the future , they declared , and , whether it is they have acted up to their threats , or from some
other reason , it is very certain that from that time an annual excess of expenditure has been the rule , with the result that £ 12 , 000 of invested capital has been sold out ; moreover , the Board was in debt , on the 31 st
Dec . last , to the extent of £ 1886 . In brief , the surplus of upwards of £ 50 , 000 which in 1880 created alarm on account of its magnitude , has been reduced to something over £ 36 , 000 in the space of nine years .
If this falling off is the result of organised opposition to the proposals made in 1880 by Bro . John M . Clabon—and there , are many among us who regard it in such a light—it is a disgrace and a scandal to the English Craft , but at the same time » # -- - — —
__ , we are afraid such a solution of the problem would only be in accordance with other proceedings which have unfortunately attracted attention within the
limits of Freemasonry . What other explanation is possible in face of the facts which are before us ? For years the income of the Board of Benevolence
was ample for all its requirements ; indeed it was sufficient to show a surplus year after year , until upwards of £ 50 , 000 had been accumulated . At this
time a proposal was made—in answer to actions by what are known as "Blue Masons , " brethren below the dais of Grand Lodge—to expend a portion of
future surpluses in a manner which these aforesaid " Blue Masons " advocated . This was opposed , and immediately ths surpluses disappeared , and deficiencies took their place , with the result we have already referred to .
We suppose now that the subject has been formally brought forward some steps will be taken to mend matters , but it is difficult to say how or where the alteration will have to be made . We do not believe
the Craft will agree to an increase of the quarterages paid by each subscribing Mason—that method of meeting the difficulty was suggested in 1882 , and was
rejected ;• the interest on invested funds cannot be increased , neither can the other items of income . The natural inference therefore is , the expenditure
must be reduced , although such a course would be repugnant to the feelings of a large number of brethren . Still , it is absurd to go on year after year
giving away more than can be afforded , or more than the position of the Craft justifies . The Board of BfinfivolftTK-ft mnst limit th <_ wnrlr it , li $ > . _ __ in TIAV . - — * . . v /* i tvw \ ±
. __ __ __ , ____ . __ , „ —_______ . „___ . , , v _ . * _ - . __ . VW KJS . form , and must learn to know that its liberality must be governed by the sum at its disposal . No doubt , as some argue , there is a modicum of truth in saying that a grant of £ 100 may be of the greatest service to
a man m distress while £ 80 would be useless ; but , on the other hand , half a loaf must be better than no bread , and if an applicant is made to understand
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Income And Expenditure Of The Board Of Benevolence.
THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE OF THE BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE .
AT last the authorities have thought it desirable to call the attention of the Board of Benevolence to the condition of the Fund it has to distribute , and which , during the last ten years , shows an excess of
expenditure over receipts amounting in the aggregate to £ 12 , 686 , or upwards of 12 per cent on the total sum disbursed , which , during the same period , was £ 105 , 017 . We cannot understand why the
unsatisfactory state of affairs which has existed all through these ten years has been allowed to continue so long without official comment . Certainly it cannot be said that no notice has been taken of the matter from
outside ; there has been no lack of criticism on the subject —but then we must remember , as current events are amply proving , the " powers that be " in the Masonic world do not approve of criticism , and are either in-¦ » ¦ •! ¦ •••i •_ . __ . ••••. _» .
* capable ol recognising it , or wilrally misrepresent it when they are forced to face it . But at last we suppose the matter has got so bad that something in the way of reform is regarded as necessary , and as a
preliminary step a statement of income and expenditure during the past ten years has been prepared and presented to the Board , and through it to the Craft at large . *
Before making any comment on the present state of affairs it may be well to go back a few years and consider the subject as it then presented itself . At the March Communication of 1880 Grand Lodge was
asked to devise a means of checking the accumulation of invested funds by the Board—which then had more money to deal with , including upwards of £ 50 , 000 of investments , than was considered advisable , especially as the £ 50 , 000 of investments was looked upon as ample to meet all possible
contingencies . It was accordingly suggested that onethird of each year ' s " surplus " income should be appropriated to the Boyal Masonic Institution for Boys , and another third to the Boyal Masonic
Institution lor Crirls , tor the purpose of forming funds for apprenticing the children who had been brought up in those schools , or in otherwise assisting tham tov
' t o ^^ " commence life . It will be noticed that this suggestion did not dispose of the whole of the expected surplus of the future , two-thirds only had been
appropriated for the objects named ; it was intended the other one-third portion should be added to the already accumulated fund . As we have said before , this proposition may be regarded as the outcome of
the operations of the Boyal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund , and it received the same opposition as was shown to those who worked to establish that
Fund , with the result that it was ultimately withdrawn by its proposer , Bro . J . M . Clabon . At the time of which we are speaking ( March 1880 )
The Income And Expenditure Of The Board Of Benevolence.
feeling was very strong on the subject , and there were a few who openly declared they would show that the income of the Board was not sufficient to meet the
calls made upon it . A surplus should not be the trouble of the future , they declared , and , whether it is they have acted up to their threats , or from some
other reason , it is very certain that from that time an annual excess of expenditure has been the rule , with the result that £ 12 , 000 of invested capital has been sold out ; moreover , the Board was in debt , on the 31 st
Dec . last , to the extent of £ 1886 . In brief , the surplus of upwards of £ 50 , 000 which in 1880 created alarm on account of its magnitude , has been reduced to something over £ 36 , 000 in the space of nine years .
If this falling off is the result of organised opposition to the proposals made in 1880 by Bro . John M . Clabon—and there , are many among us who regard it in such a light—it is a disgrace and a scandal to the English Craft , but at the same time » # -- - — —
__ , we are afraid such a solution of the problem would only be in accordance with other proceedings which have unfortunately attracted attention within the
limits of Freemasonry . What other explanation is possible in face of the facts which are before us ? For years the income of the Board of Benevolence
was ample for all its requirements ; indeed it was sufficient to show a surplus year after year , until upwards of £ 50 , 000 had been accumulated . At this
time a proposal was made—in answer to actions by what are known as "Blue Masons , " brethren below the dais of Grand Lodge—to expend a portion of
future surpluses in a manner which these aforesaid " Blue Masons " advocated . This was opposed , and immediately ths surpluses disappeared , and deficiencies took their place , with the result we have already referred to .
We suppose now that the subject has been formally brought forward some steps will be taken to mend matters , but it is difficult to say how or where the alteration will have to be made . We do not believe
the Craft will agree to an increase of the quarterages paid by each subscribing Mason—that method of meeting the difficulty was suggested in 1882 , and was
rejected ;• the interest on invested funds cannot be increased , neither can the other items of income . The natural inference therefore is , the expenditure
must be reduced , although such a course would be repugnant to the feelings of a large number of brethren . Still , it is absurd to go on year after year
giving away more than can be afforded , or more than the position of the Craft justifies . The Board of BfinfivolftTK-ft mnst limit th <_ wnrlr it , li $ > . _ __ in TIAV . - — * . . v /* i tvw \ ±
. __ __ __ , ____ . __ , „ —_______ . „___ . , , v _ . * _ - . __ . VW KJS . form , and must learn to know that its liberality must be governed by the sum at its disposal . No doubt , as some argue , there is a modicum of truth in saying that a grant of £ 100 may be of the greatest service to
a man m distress while £ 80 would be useless ; but , on the other hand , half a loaf must be better than no bread , and if an applicant is made to understand