United Grand Lodge.

the distress occasioned by tho reoent disastrous fire at St . John ' s , Newfoundland , and that the above sum be paid to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor to the credit of the Mansion House Fond . He said he need not dwell upon the great extent of the

disastrous catastrophe , and on the enormous amount of suffering brought on our fellow subjects in Newfoundland , as the circumstances were so recent . There might be a difference of opinion aa to the application of the money , but he had carefully considered the question , and he thought it was

for the honour of Freemasonry generally that in view of such a widespread catastrophe as this fire Masons should show that they were not bound by narrow limits , but that their sympathies were universal . It was also in strict accordance with precedent that they gave to a general fund .

It had been done in 1877 in the case of the fire at St . John ' s , New Brunswick , when 200 guineas was voted . The Masons of Newfoundland had suffered by the burning of their Masonic Temple , and the Prince of Wales was prepared to propose a special grant on this account at thjjj next

Quarterly Communication . Col . Marmaduke Ramsay District Grand Master of Malta seconded the motion , which was then put to the brethren , and carried unanimously . The brethren afterwards confirmed grants , which the Board of Benevolence had recommended , to

The Widow of a Brother of the Chiltern Lodge , No . 1470 , Dunstable ... £ 50 0 0 A Brother of tho St . Oswald Lodge , No . 1124 , Oswestry 50 0 0 A Brother of the Crescent Lodge , No . 788 , Hampton Court ... ... ... ... ... 60 0 0

A Brother of the Royal Savoy Lodge , No . 1744 , London 50 0 0 The Widow of a Brother of tho Royal Oak Lodge , No . 871 , Deptford ... ... ... ... ... 100 0 0 The Report of the Board of General Purposes , which

appeared in the FREEMASON S CHRONICLE last week , was brought np , taken as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes . Bro . Thomas Fenn , President of the Board , moved the first recommendation arising out of the Report : —

Tho Grand Superintendent of Works having reported that the drainage of tho Grand Lodge premises is in a seriously affected condition , the Board directed , with the concurrence of the Grand Super , intendent of Works , that an independent report should be obtained from Mr . George Jennings . After thorough examination Mr . Jennings

reports the present system of drainage to bo m a dangerously insanitary condition , and estimates the cost of plaoiog tho drainage and sanitary arrangements of the entire premises in a permanently efficient condition at £ 582 104 , including bis guarantee of efficiency

for ten yearp , free of charge . The report aud estimates having been examined and approved by the Grand Superintendent of Work ? , the Board recommend Grand Lodge to sanction tho expenditure of this Bum for tho purpose of cirrying out this most necessary work without delay .

Bro . Dr . Pocock seconded the motion ; but Dr . Jabez Hogg P . G . D . wished for more information as to why tlicy should incur this large expenditure for drainage . Twenty years ago when they spent a large snra of money on the drainage of the building , the late Bro . F . P . Cockerell

Grand Superintendent of Works assured him that what he was doing with regard to the drainage ought to last fifty years at least . It was the duty of the sanitary engineers

to find out the defects , and he would be sorry to offer an impediment to work that was necessary ; but he Avonld like to know whether complaints had reached the President of the Board from the residents and officers and the

Secretaries of the Institutions who were now in the building day after day and all day long . He had been in the urinals , which were not so sweet as they might be , but this he was told was tbe fault of the New River Company , who stopped the supply by automatic pressure .

Bro . Fenn said an examination had been made , and by the smoke test it was found that sewer gas escaped in many directions . Dr . Hogg had asked whether they had had any complaints of smells ; they had heard from those who lived in the lower parts of the building . With respect to tho

urinals he believed Dr . Hogg was right when he said the New River Company stopped the automatic pressure in the supply . As to the necessity of taking steps to perfect the sanitary condition of the drains the Committee bad no

doubt the Grand Superintendent of Works would give information and , it necessary , read the report of himself and Mr . Jennings . A brother asked whether the contract for the work was not given to Mr . Jennings , who had inspected aud reported . This was of the utmost importance . The man

United Grand Lodge.

who discovered the defects should not be the man to remedy them . Bro . Philbrick said the Board of General Purposes was , for reasons whioh appeared right to thoso who founded the Constitutions , entrusted with certain matters

under the control of Grand Lodge . The ordinary officer entrusted with the charge of the building , the Grand Superintendent of Works , to tho astonishment of the Board , made a report that , in his opinion , after an investigation by himself , the building was in a dangerously insanitary

condition , and this was before there wore any rumours of cholera in the air . The Board of General Purposes thought it their first duty to obtain independent advice and assistance , and after discussing the matter very carefully in the presence of two , if not more , experts of their own on

the Board , called in Mr . Jennings . Mr . Jennings estimated the sum mentioned in the agenda , which was within the figures calculated by the Grand Superintendent of Works ,

whioh it would cost to remedy the defects . The Board , to whom Grand Lodgo had deputed its confidence , had told Grand Lodge on this authority what it recommended , and they were prepared to take this responsibility .

Bro . Charles Barry Grand Superintendent of Works said that as an individual and not as an expert , as a Mason interested of course in everything that concerned the brethren , if an actually proved danger did exist to those who served them in that building he was sure Grand

Lodge would with one voice wish to remove that danger . The history of it was exceedingly simple . Complaints had been made of the drainage . The sanitary arrangements had not been examined in a thorough manner until he thought it his duty as Grand Superintendent of Works to make that examination . The result of it was to show that

by the ordinary smoke test the sewer gas was found to escape . He thought it therefore his duty to bring the matter before the Board , and he gave them a rough idea of what would be the cost of remedying the defects . The remedy was by relaying the whole system of drainage .

The drains , which were laid many years ago , were entirely out of character with the requirements of the present day . He had no doubt of the fact , though he was not aware of it , that the main drainage in Great Queen Street had been altered , and if the late Bro . Cockerell had had the

opportunities that now existed he never would have allowed the drains to remain as they now were . The estimate of the alterations which he ( Bro . Barry ) made was £ 6 G 0 , but when he disclosed the existing danger the Board paid him the compliment , as he was sure every Mason would

wish to do , of not ignoring the opinion which professionally he felt it his duty to lay before them . Mr . Jennings was employed to make a report , and his estimate was more than £ 100 less than his ( Bro . Barry ' s ) . Under the circumr

stances he felt that the Board had no other duty under their responsibility to the Craft than to recommend now works . Still they thought it more respectful to Grand Lodge to ask for their authority . The present drainage system at Freemasons' Hall had been in existence thirty

years . The motion was carried . Bro . Fenn then moved , and Bro . Dr . Peacock seconded , the following recommendation from the M . W . G . M . " That an addition be made to the Grand Officers appointed by the

Most Worshipful Grand Master , by the appointment of a Grand Chancellor , to rank immediately alter the Grand Wardens , and whose duties shall be those at present assigned

to the Grand Kegistrar , and got forth in Articles 31 and 32 of the Book of Constitutions ; and of Four additional Grand Deacons and a Deputy Grand Sword Bearer , and that the same take effect on and after the Grand Festival of 1893 . "

Bro . G . P . Britten objected to the proposition that the Grand Chancellor should rank before the Grand Chaplains . It was not useful , it might be mischievous , and he thought it was degrading the office of Grand Chaplain . Some

years ago an attempt was made to degrade the position of Grand Chaplain , but the Grand Master put his foot down on it . He moved as an amendment that the Grand Chancellor should rank next below the Grand Chaplain . The motion was seconded .

Bro . the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg P . G . C disclaimed any feeling on the part of the Grand Chaplains that their position was dograded by tho Grand Master ' s proposition .

The amendment was negatived . Ou tho Earl of Mount Edgcumbe putting the o . igiual motion , Bro . Richard Eve P . G . T . wished to make a few obsevva-