West Lancashire.

The income of that Institution was now , according to the last report £ 3 , 044 . The number of children being educated was 210 , at a cost of £ 1 , 580 , while the invested funds had increased from £ 15 , 900 to £ 25 , 600 . The Hamer Benevolent Institution fifteen years ago had an income of £ 290 , from

which grants were made to distressed Brethren of the Province . Last year the income was £ 1 , 374 , and twenty-one distressed Brethren received grants and annuities amounting to £ 408 . The capital account , which stood at £ 1 , 850 , now reached £ 8 , 600 . Since the years with which he had been

comparing their present position two new Benevolent Institutions had been brought into existence—the Alpass Benevolent Fund and the Victoria Fund of Benevolence . Up to 1885 there was in the Province no provision for the assistance of widows beyond a small grant from the

Provincial Fund of Benevolence . They had now the Alpass Institution , which during the past year had an income of £ 3 , 250 and which made grants and annuities to widows amounting to £ 1 , 130 , and had an invested fund of £ 9 , 500 . In 1897 the West Lancashire Victoria Fund was established

for the assistance of those sons and daughters of deceased Brethren who were not considered eligible for aid from any previously existing Masonic Fund . From that Fund grants had been made to thirteen daughters of Freemasons , amount

ing to £ 100 . Beyond the benevolent work evidenced by those Institutions a generous response had been made to an appeal for the erection of a new church at Skelmersdale . He trusted that the present flourishing condition of the Order in West Lancashire might be maintained .

The Provincial Grand Master said they , could congratulate themselves most heartily upon their position , as revealed by Bro . Goodacre ' s report , that everything should be so flourishing at the beginning of the new century . He hoped it would incite them to fresh efforts for the prosperity of the

Craft , which they all loved so dearly . He thanked them once again for the magnificent testimonial to the worth of his late father that they had given him . It was always most touching and very dear to him to think of the way in which the Brethren loved his father . He could not help referring to it

again and again when he met them . He thanked them also for the hearty support which they had given to something outside Masonry , and he should never forget their subscription of £ 350 to the fund for a new church at Skelmersdale . They had made the building possible , and they would be

hospitably received by the Brethren of Skelmersdale when they went , as he hoped many of them would , to see the laying of the foundation stone . Pie hoped the Brethren would always remember that increased strength did not consist alone in increased numbers . Their true strength lay in loyalty to the Craft .

Bro . J . J . Lambert paid a hi gh compliment to Bro . Thomas Edwards for his able discharge of the duties of Prov . Grand Treasurer during the past year , and proposed

as his successor Bro . A . Pickford , of the Architect Lodge , No . T 375 > Chorlton-cum-Hardy . Bro . Thomas Edwards seconded the nomination , which was supported by Bro . J . Slyman P . P . G . D ., and unanimously agreed to .

Bro . Lambert next proposed a cordial vote of thanks to Bro . Thomas Edwards , and it was heartily accorded . On the motion of Bro . R . Wylie , seconded by Bro . John Houlding , Bros . J . J . Lambert P . G . D ., James Piatt P . P . G D T . Callow P . P . G . T ., G . A . Harradon P . P . G . T ., and Thomas Edwards P . P . G . T ., were elected Auditors .

Bro . John Houlding moved that the allowance to the Provincial Grand Secretary be increased by £ 60 per annum , to enable him to provide assistance in the clerical work of his office . Bro . Lambert seconded , and Bro . Wylie supported the motion , which was carried unanimously .

On the proposition of the Deputy Provincial Grand Master the sum of £ 100 was voted to the funds of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association , and 150 guineas to be divided equally between the Alpass , the Educational , and the Plainer Institutions .

The Provincial Grand Master said they would , as usual , take a collection for a charity in the town , and the Mayor of Lei gh ( Bro . T . Shaw ) had suggested that one of the ' most

deserving was the Leigh Nursing Association . The nurses visited 5 , 000 or 6 , 000 patients during the year , and the Charity was supported by voluntary contributions . They would , therefore , hand the sum raised to the Association , The collection

West Lancashire.

amounted to £ 26 . The Mayor of Leigh thanked the Brethren for their gift , which , he said , would come as a surprise to the Nursing Association , and would help the Committee to meet many of the difficulties they would have to face in the coming year . The Provincial Grand Officers were invested as follow :

Bro . R . K . Fenton 1314 ... Senior Warden W . Pierpoint 148 ... Junior Warden Rev . T . J . Preece 155 ... Chaplain Rev . T . Storey-Bates 1032 ... Ditto A . Pickford 1375 ... Treasurer W . H . J . Jenkins 1050 ... Registrar

W . W . Jones 786 Deputy Registrar W . Goodacre ( re-appointed ) ... Secretary Thomas Baxter 1561 ... Senior Deacon A . J . Cunliffe 103 2 ... Ditto Edward Wilson 1061 .,. Ditto G . R . Johnson 216 ... Junior Deacon

H . P . M'Laughlin 2154 ... Ditto J . Clayton 2714 Ditt 0 R . Green 2708 ... Supt . of Works T . Bush 2290 ... Dir . of Ceremoniei H . Bouchier 1335 ... Dep . Dir . of Cers . E . Bradshaw 613 ... Asst . Dir . of Ccr * .

J . Plumpton 1570 ... Ditto W . M . Varley 2324 ... Ditto J . Matthews 1384 Sword Bearer J . T . Bramley 2631 ... Dep . Sword Bearer J . Hargreaves 139 8 ... Standard Bearer Thomas Ball 1213 ... Ditto

J . Birchall S 97 — Organist R . Knowles 17 8 ... Assistant Secretary John Bell 2525 Pursuivant James Iddon 2376 ... Assistant Pursuivant E . Tavlor 2340 - Steward T A «• . -2 L Ditto Muir 2042 ¦

J . A . " T . W . Travers 1354 D ! R . Shocklady 249 ... Ditto W . H . C . Trense 594 Ditto J . Dickenson 1354 Ditto W . J . Doran ( re-appointed ) ... Tyler . The Provincial Grand Lodge was afterwards closed .

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