United Grand Lodge Of England.

nominating , which I now do , bis Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for re-election as Most Worshipful Grand Master . ( Applause . ) Bro . Sir W . M ARRIOTT , Q . C , rose and said : Right Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , —I beg to nominate Bro . Charles William Hudson , P . P . G . W . of Sussex , for the office of Grand Treasurer . He has been in the Craft over 20 years , and served numerous offices both in Sussex and elsewhere .

Bro . F . GORDON BROWN , P . M . i : I beg to nominate for the ofiice of Grand Treasurer the name of Bro . Alderman and Sheriff Dimsdale , banker , P . M . I , and I hope and feel sure that our brother will receive the confidence of the brethren of this Grand Lodge , and I trust he will not be unsuccessful in taking a place among the very brilliant brethren on the dais . Bro . Lord GEORGE HAMILTON ; I beg to nominate Bro . William Mason

Stiles —( loud applause—for Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year . He has for 20 years been an active Mason . During most part of that time he has been Preceptor of the Metropolitan Lodge of Instruction , and five years Secretary of that lodge . He has been Steward of the various Charities , and is Vice-President of all the Charities ( cheers ) , and has contributed out of his own funds upwards of £ 600 to the Charities . ( Renewed applause . )

I venture conscientiously to think that he is a suitable candidate from his qualifications for the office of Grand Treasurer . ( Applause . ) Bro . S . H . BAKER , P . M . 1260 , 214 , and Treas . 2472 , said : I have much p leasure in nominating for the office of Grand Treasurer of England for the ensuing year Bro . William Shurmur . I will proceed to recite his Masonic career . ( Cries of " Take it as read . " ) His Masonic career commenced

in 1873 , in which year he was initiated in the Royal Standard Lodge , No . 1298 . He joined the Islington Lodge , No . 14 . 71 , and filled every office and became Master in 1 S 86 . ( Cries of " Time , time . " ) He was one of the founders of the Highbury Lodge , No . 2192 , and was installed W . M . in March , 1892 . In iSSS , he was one of the chief promoters and founder and Treasurer of tbe Warner Lodge , No . 2256 , of which he is now

Senior Warden , and in the following year of the Lennox Browne Lodge , No . 2318 . He is D . C . of the Philbrick Lodge , No . 2255 , and in 1890 he was nominated the first W . M . of the lodge named after himself . The petition for this latter lodge was one of the most remarkable ever presented to the M . W . G . M . for approval , containing as it did the names of no less than 63 petitioners . At the consecration there were nearly 400 brethren

present , including over 100 Installed Masters . It has novv 150 members on its roll , and has donated 700 guineas to the Masonic Institutions . At the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge at Walton-011-the-Naze 30 th July , 1890 , the brethren evinced their confidence in Bro . Shurmur and their appreciation of his Masonic work by unanimously electing him Provincial Grand Treasurer . He is also founder and first W . M . of the Walthamstow

Lodge , No . 2472 , and W . M . elect of the St . Leonard Lodge , No . 1766 . In Royal Arch Masonry Bro . Shurmur has shown equal activity . ( Applause . ) He filled the chair of M . E . Z . in the Islington Chapter , No . 1471 , three years in succession , viz .: 188 S , 188 9 , and 1890 . He is M . E . Z . elect of the Empire Chapter , No . 2108 , and was a founder and the first M . E . Z . of the Warner Chapter , No . 2256 ; founder and first M . E . Z . of the Guelph

Chapter , No . 1685 , and in December , 1 S 92 , he was installed first M . E . Z . of the Shurmur Chapter , No . 2374 , and appointed Provincial Grand J . Essex . Bro . Shurmur has served 15 Stewardships to the central Masonic Charities , and is Vice-Patron of all three . He is also a member of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement and Preceptor of the Walthamstow Lodge of Instruction , which is under tbe presidency of Bro . F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , Grand Registrar , Dep . Prov . G . Master Essex , has largely conduced to maintaining the excellent working which prevails in the Province of

Essex , and through the Benevolent Associations , held in connection therewith , munificent sums have been subscribed to the Masonic Charities . At the last Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution it assisted the Shurmur Lodge , No . 2374 , in sending up one of the highest amounts subscribed by any private lodge , viz ., ^ 754 , at the same time contributing to other lists . ( Applause . ) Bro . the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE announced that H . R . H , the M . W . G . M . had appointed Bro . Robert Grey President of the Board of Benevolence . ( Cheers . )

Bro . Grey was thereupon re-invested b y Bro . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe . Bro . the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE also announced that Bro . James Brett , P . G . P ., had been again nominated for election as Senior Vice-President of the Board of Benevolence , and Bro . Charles Alexander Cottebrune , P . G . P ., as Junior Vice-President , and tbat as there were no other nominations , he declared them duly elected .

Scrutineers of votes at the election of 12 Past Masters to serve on the Board of Benevolence were then chosen and obligated , and having collected the voting cards , they withdrew to count the votes . The report of the Board of Benevolence for the last quarter vvas then read by the GRAND SECRETARY , and , on the motion of Bro . ROBERT GREY , seconded by Bro . J AMES BRETT , the following grants recommended were confirmed :

The widow of a brother of the St . Milburga Lodge , No . 1120 , Ironbridge ... ... ... ... ... ^ 50 o o A brother of the Lechmere Lodge , No . 18 74 , Kidderminster 50 00 The widow of a brother of the Lodge of Unity , No . 69 , London ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 o o The widow of a brother of the . Wickham Lodge , No . 1924 , Brockley ... ... ... ... ... 75 o o

The report concluded with a resolution of a vote of thanks to the President , Bro . Robert Grey , for the courteous manner in which he had , during the past year , presided over the meetings of the Board . The report of the Board of General Purposes was taken as read , received , and ordered to be entered on the minutes on the motion of Bro . FENN , seconded by Bro . Dr . POCOCK .

Bro . FENN said there were several recommendations arising out of the report . With respect to the first he vvas happy to say that Lodge St . Cybi , No . 597 , Holyhead , had , since tbe business paper had been issued , made its returns to Grand Lodge . They paid no attention to many applications , but when they saw this proposition on the paper they had made returns and paid their dues , therefore he had to move " that the 13 lodges first mentioned in the report having failed to make returns be summoned to show cause why they should not bc erased . "

Bro . Dr . ERNEST POCOCK seconded the resolution , which was put and carried . Bro . FENN next proposed , as a matter of form , " That the warrant for a proposed lodge to be called the Reunion Lodge , Blenheim , New Zealand , No . 2445 , having been returned unused , the lodge be erased from thc list . "

United Grand Lodge Of England.

Bro . J . E . LE FEUVRE had very great pleasure in seconding the resolution , and in doing so wished to draw attention to the fact that according to the Constitutions Grand Lodge alone had the power to erase a lodge from its list . Bro . FENN said it was in accordance with that that he was moving . Bro . LE FEUVRE : Just so . Thp motion was carried .

Bro . FENN next proposed " That the recommendation referred to in the Report of tbe Sub-Committee for an increase tothe salaries of the clerks and officials be adopted . " ( Applause ) . Bro . Fenn said the brethren had had an opportunity of reading the Report of the Sub-Committee which was brought before the Board at their last meeting . There were 19 present on that occasion , 13 of whom had been elected by Grand Lodge , and might ,

therefore , be presumed to represent it . There was not one single dissentient . The Board were unanimous in recommending to Grand Lodge the adoption of this report . He had , therefore , no reason to anticipate any opposition in Grand Lodge , but he had since been informed that some brother had intimated his intention of objecting , on the ground that the clerks are alread y well paid , better ( he was told it would be said ) than clerks in Government

offices . Novv , the same argument was used 20 years ago when a revision of the clerks' salaries vvas last brought before Grand Lodge in 1874 . The only two speakers on that occasion opposed to the increase was a brother who had passed away from amongst us , and a brother who was present there to-night , * he would read just a few lines from the remarks on this subject by Bros . Parkinson and Lord Tenterden , who both spoke from their

personal experience in Government offices . Bro . Parkinson said "he was glad the brother who had just spoken had quoted the rates of pay in Government offices , for speaking from an experience , not freshly acquired for a particular purpose , but extending over 20 years , he ( Bro . Parkinson ) affirmed that the scale of salaries then proposed for the Grand Secretary ' s department was far below

that of any of the chief Government offices , and even of many of the departments of the Inland Revenue , Somerset House , where it was true the junior clerks had only £ " 90 a year to commence with , but as they were eligible for entering the service at 16 years of age , and had ; £ io annual increment—it might easily be that at 21 they would have far higher salaries than it was proposed to give the Grand Secretary ' s junior clerks , all of

whom must be Masons , and therefore of full age , on commencing their duties . " Bro . Fenn said he might add to this last very pertinent remark of Bro . Parkinson's that they were for the same reason precluded from employing lady clerks , as it was said they were novv doing in Government offices . ( Laughter . ) Lord Tenterden said , in reference to this subject" The position of the junior officers had been compared with the position of

junior officers of the public departments , he ( Lord lenterden ) thought a very general feeling prevailed that junior officers in this country were not very well paid . " . . . " The man who begins with £ 100 a year , goes on to £ 1200 , but where will the junior officers of Grand Lodge be some years hence when they will have arrived at their limit ? " These remarks seem to have settled the question , for when the resolution

was put , it was carried with only two dissentients . Although the Board did not propose to alter the permanent scale of salaries adopted in 1874 , he ( Bro . Fenn ) was bound to say that the Committee were of opinion that the maximum then fixed had given rise to anomalies scarcely consistent with even-handed justice . There were only five clerks at that time , but another clerk had to be added very soon after , and such was the

enormous increase to the number of lodges and Masons consequent upon the Heir to the Throne becoming the head of the Craft that three more clerks had to be appointed before 1887 , which was an average of one clerk in about every three years . Since that period up to the present year there had been no increase . There were novv six clerks in the office , whose maximum was . £ 200 a year . The consequence was that a clerk might rise from the sixth to

the third clerk without an additional salary whatever , and it is a fact that the chief clerk , Bro . Pendlebury , had been five years without increase , having been previously at one time three and at another four years without increase . Bro . Dodd had been three years without increase , and previously eight years ; Bro . Lee six years , and previously five ; Bro . Green seven years , and previously four ; Bro . Berry three years , and previously five .

Bro . Sadler , who vvas without doubt the most valuable servant of Grand Lodge , to whose indefatigable researches were due the discovery of documents and information of great value , the existence of which would never have been known but for him , Bro . Sadler , who was a living encyclopaedia of the past history of lodges and Masonry and whose services vvere invaluable , had received no increase to his salary for 10 years . The Board

did not found their recommendations on an increase of work but on length of service . None of these clerks could do increased work , their time already being fully occupied . They were never idle , as our Grand Secretary could testify vvere it necessary , but length of service means increased experience and increased experience increased usefulness . ( Hear , hear and cheers . ) The total amount which vvas involved in these recommendations was this

year ; £ i 5 o , and an additional £ 150 each year ior Sour years , but the increase in the yearly income of Grand Lodge was much larger than that , so that while of great moment to the recipients it could scarcely make any appreciable difference to our funds . He hoped Grand Lodge would agree with the Board that this proposal vvas only a just recognition of the valuable services of very worthy brethren , and le felt sure that it would be a source of pleasure and satisfaction to every brother who held up his hand in its favour . ( Applause ) .

Bro . PHILBRICK , Q . C , G . Reg ., seconded . When unfortunately the sad death of Col . Shadwell Clerke , whose name would ever be revered in this Grand Lodge , took place , and the Grand Master was pleased to place the current administration of Freemasons in the hands of Bro . Fenn and himself ( Bro . Philbrick ) , he then had an opportunity personally of seeing the zeal and fidelity with which the clerks in thc office , from Bro . Pendlebury

downwards , did their duties ; and he was happy to bear his testimony as far as it would go to the entire zeal and fidelity to which those brethren showed proof of the work of their services , and hc was quite sure il Grand Lodge recognised this in the way the report of the Committee suggested , it would onl y be doing an act of justice to a most worthy class of its servants . ( Cheers . )

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , who vvas received vvith loud cheers , said that as the Chairman of this Special Committee , he had intended to second this motion , but Bro . Philbrick vvas before him . He thought all the brethren would admit that tbe work ofthe Grand Secretary ' s oilice ought to be well done . ( Hear , hear . ) Novv , if they ought to have the work well done , they must have competent brethren to do it , and they must pay