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, KBBBfflWSV ^ A N ^ ^ S SS S ^ -W-MJACT SATURDAY , 17 TH OOTOBER 1891 .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

THE October Quarterly Court of the Subscribers was held on the 9 th . inst ., in the Hall of Freemasons ' Tavern . Bro . Riohard Eve , Patron and Trustee , Past Grand Treasurer , and Chairman of the Board of Management , presided , and there was a large attendance of brethren .

After the reading and confirmation of the minutes the Chairman moved—That in consideration of the eminent services rendered to the Institution in connection with tha late Festivalby Worshipful Bro .

, Goodacre P . G . S . B ., Prov . G . Seo . of West Lancashire , when the donations from that Province reached the unprecedented sum of £ 6025 10 s , the Board of Management recommends that the distinoof an Honorary Vice-Presidenoy be conferred on the said brother , nnder Law XI .

Having read the law , he said the brethren all recognised the eminent services of Bro . Goodacre , which resulted in the immense amount of £ 6 , 025 10 s being contributed by West Lancashire at the last Festival . Bro . Benson , North Wales , seconded the motion , -whioh was put by the Chairman , and carried unanimously .

The Chairman next moved , in pursuance of the following recommendations of the Council , at a meeting holden Saturday , 3 rd October

1891—That in consideration of the signal success of the late Festival , it be a recommendation to tha Quarterly Court , on Friday ; 9 th Ootober 1891 , that five additional boys be elected to tho benefits of the Institution , making the total number to be elected 24 , from an approved list of 37 candidates , reduced to 3 G by the withdrawal of ( No . 8 on list ) Dadley Ward Ferguson .

Bro . Henry Smith P . G . D ., Deputy Prov . G . M . West Yorkshire , seconded the motion , which was unanimously adopted . The Chairman further moved : That the proposal from the Province of Northumberland , for the

right to a perpetual presentation , to be called the " Hubert Laws Memorial , " to be purchased by payment of 1000 guineas , on the same terms as previous agreements of a like nature , be accepted ,

subject to the condition that the presentation shall be available only for sons of Northumberland Masons , and that each boy presented nnder same shall in every case be qualified under the then existing laws of the Institution .

He said he moved it pro forma , but he was afraid it would not pass with the same amount of unanimity as the former motions . He would , however , call attention to tho fact that the Institution had already several of these presentations . Five Provinces had at the present time the right of

presentation to the Institution on the same terms . It was thought by the Council a desirable thing to accept the present offer , with the further stipulation that the father of the boy presented should be a Northumberland Freemason , and also that the boy should be qualified according

to the laws of the Institution . Those conditions were put in simply for this purpose : the Province having the right of presentation might not have a boy ready , and so far the Institution would gain by not having him in until he was qualified ; the stipulation was made that other than a

Northumberland boy should not be presented by that Province . He had heard that the ground of the opposition to the present motion was that the sum of a thousand guineas was not enough ; but in answer to that [ objection he might say that other Provinces were enjoying the privilege of presentation after having paid the " same amount .

Bro . Capt . S . G . Homfray , P . A . G . D . C ., Deputy Grand Master Monmouth , seconded the motion , baiug of opinion that it was ford the benefit of the Institution . Bro . W . H . Saunders wished to know what was the amount of the invested funds of the Institution . The Chairman said £ 25 , 000 , and that amount had lately been increased .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

When they were to invest this thousand guineas he did not know . However , he mig ht oonfidently say that the Councl would iuvost as much as they considered should be investel Bro . A . C . Spaull desired to know when , if the Province had a boy in the Institution by presentation ,

it could present another . He thought there was some misconception on that point . Some thought that a Province having a presentation could nominate every year . This was not iutended . The Chairman said a Province

with a presentation coald have only one presented boy in the Institution at the same time . Brother C . H . Webb inquired how much each boy in the School cost at the present time every year ? Bro . McLeod said £ 41 .

Bro . Webb contended that 1000 guineas invested at the present price of Consols was not sufficient for a perpetual presentation . He would recommend a better investment than Consols , and by this means the Institution would be relieved . They were now giving increased benefits and

more votes . The Chairman—cries of " Time " being raised—said the question was not the investment of the money , but whether the proposal to give 1000 guineas for a presentation should or should not ba accepted . Bro . W . F . Smithson P . G . D .

said he felt rather strongly on this matter after giving xt very earnest consideration . He advised the brethren to accept this thousand guineas . By so doing they would associate the Province of Northumberland permanently with the Institution . The Province wanted to be so

associated by naming this presentation after a worthy brother of Northumberland who had been a most active and energetic Mason , and whom they delighted to honour . Brother Webb had mentioned inoreased benefits . The Institution was giving increased benefits and also more

votes . That was true , bnt the Subscribers were paying for the benefits and votes , and why should they not use them ? But what he wished to impress upon the brethren was , that there were already six Provinces which were enjoying the privilege of presentation for which they had each paid n . thousand tmineas . That monev had been accepted at a

time when the cost per boy wa 8 from £ 45 to £ 47 . The boys now had a better education , aud were better provided for at £ 41 per head . Bro . Goodacre pointed out that that cost was the total cost ; it included office and

management expenses , cost of the staff of the Institution , and everything , not merely the expense of keeping one particular boy . Bro . Brett P . G . P ., Senior Vice-President Board of Benevolence , begged the brethren not to be carried away by the eloquent speech of Bro . Smithson , who

was one of the Yorkshire brethren who were pushing forward this motion . West Yorkshire had presentations , and the brethren of West Yorkshire were in a good position—he would not say an unfair position—through these presentations . They had done

their share ; they had paid their thousand guineas each for two presentations . Each thousand guineas had brought in only £ 35 a year , and each boy had cost the Institution about £ 47 , the Institution thus losing £ 10 or £ 12 a year on each boy presented . Yorkshire said they would have

another if they could . Bro . J . S . Cumberland , interrupting , said they were not now discussing Yorkshire , but Northumberland . Bro . Brett observed that he had not heard any one from Northumberland supporting this proposition . The brethren knew the benefits West Yorkshire

had received from the Institution ; they had done a great deal , but they got full value for their money . The brethren had been told this was a gift of a thousand guineas , but it was a Yorkshire gift . Northumberland wanted to perpetuate the name of a good old brother who had just

died . Probably there would be more such proposal . — ( A Brother ; Tho more the better . )—It was not fair to tho other Provinces that five should have presentations and that the others should be called upon to make up tho

deficiency . If the brethren passed this they would have smaller Provinces coming forward asking to be allowed to make these perpetual presentations . They were putting a millstone round the neck of tho Institution . The amount

ought to be £ 1500 . No soonor was one boy out than another was put in . Tho door never ought to have been opened for these presentations . Bro . Charles Pnlman P . P . G . S . D . North imbjrland

remarked that Bro . Brett really did oot know what ho was talking about . Ho was on the subject of Northumberland , and he talked about Yorkshire . As far as Northumberland went , it had always done its best for the cause of Charity , and for all the Masonic Charities . If