Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

son . May I ask the brethren to express their sympathy , not by a formal vote , but by rising in their places now . The whole of the brethren silently rose in their places . The acting Prov . G . Master continuing said : I will now read a letter from the Provincial Grand Master , which I received this morning . It is from Beaulieu , South of France , and says :

My dear Deputy , I am greatly obliged to you for taking my duty on Wednesday . May I ask you to be good enough to allow me to take this means of conveying to the Charity Committee , and to the various lodges in the province my grateful appreciation of the many expressions of sympathy with my family and

me in our great sorrow . Again thankine you , Believe me , yours very truly and fraternally , W . L . J ACKSON . Worshipful Bro . Richd . Wilson ,

Deputy Prov . Grand Master .

It will also be our duty to place on record in our minutes our sense of the loss we have sustained by the lamented death of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria , and our loyalty to King Edward VII . Personally , I regret that every lodge was not allowed to give feeling expression of its sorrow at the time of the death of our beloved Queen , and of its loyalty to our King , who was the head of the Craft , because it is only by the exercise

of such feelings that we can strengthen and perfect them , and it is too cold for the nature of a Yorkshireman to simply place his feelings on record . We will later express our gratification that H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught has been unanimously elected , and has accepted the office ol Most Worshipful Grand Master . You will have the report of the Charity Committee presented to you , and it is very full of instructive information . As you

know , we possess three magnificent Institutions in London , and our own West Yorkshire Charity for emergencies . The Earl of Warwick presided over the last Festival for the Old People's Institution in February , when the splendid sum ot , £ 25 , 542 was announced , the largest amount ever given for the Old Folk except at the Jubilee in 1892 . Outside these and in every town , we have hospitals , infirmaries , convalescent homes , and other most

excellent charities which strongly appeal to us , and there are now so very many ways olfered by which to dispense our charity that we are often led to decide which , by our opinion of the care with which the money is expended and economy exercised in administration . Our desire , therefore , is that knowing our own Charitable Institutions to be the finest in the world , we shall be able to assure all our brethren that these large sums of money are

spent in the Charity , and that the expenses are no more than are necessary . We have a petition for a new lodge at Barnsley which meets with our approval , and will be forwarded to Grand Lodge . By the death of Bro . W . H . Cowper , Past Grand Std . Br ., of Middlesbrough , this province has lost one known and esteemed by many of us . He attended our meetings and took great interest in all our affairs . The new Masonic Hall , Great George-street , Leeds , has

made great progress , and it is expected it will be ready for occupation in July next , The directors have so earnestly tried to arrange suitable rooms for offices for Prov . Grand Lodge that we shall have to consider their proposals . Although the Prov . Grand Lodge has met at Dewsbury a dozen times , this is the first time we have met solely under the banner of St . John ' s Lodge , No . S 27 . Formed in i 860 , it is now one of the most

successlul lodges in the province , with 73 members . It resides on its own property , and by a recent purchase it has considerably enlarged and beautified its premises . As to the returns of the province , I have to report a decrease in the initiations of new members of 66 , an increase of 16 resignations , 11 exclusions , and of 25 in arrears . As there are 35 lodges without any in arrears , 46 lodges with 143 in arrears calls for your attention . If the

decrease in new members arises from greater caution in the admission of brethren , the Craft as a whole will not be the worse for it . If it bs that we are getting too exclusive , I say it is a bad sign . The resignations are chiefly governed by removals , but with regard to the exclusions I have not looked to see how they arise . With ' respect to the arrears I would call the attention of the Worshipful Masters , Treasurers , and Secretaries of the

lodges in which they occur to the matter . In the appointment of officers the Prov . Grand Master has made it his endeavour not only to do right , but also to avoid doing a wrong to any lodge or brother , and collars have been given in 20 different towns . In expressing my pleasure at being with you to-day at a meeting which is a record one , inasmuch as every lodge in the province has been responded for , and thanking you for your attendance ,

allow me to remark that neither in the individual , the lodge , nor the province can there be any great result except by work , and it is for us individually to see that we work in the right direction . Nothing tends to keep the heart young , and therefore the outward appearance young , as a mixture of kindly feelings , help in the sorrow of others , and the practice of doing good . Let us , therefore , try to so spend our lives that the world will be better and brighter for us .

Bro . W . BLACKHURN , P . P . S . G . D ., Chairman of the Chant )* Commitlee , in moving the adoption of the annual report of the Committee , said : R . W . Sir and brethren , I do not intend to take up much of your time , as nearly all I wish to say is contained in the annual report which was drawn up and adopted by the Charity Committee at Wakf field , on Saturday , the 30 th March . I strongly recommend that the Charity members of

the various lodges should read the report in open lodge for the information of the brethren . During my travels throughout the province I have heard a great many complaints that the brethren do not understand the nature of the Charities , lt is , therefore , necessary that the report should be read in order that the brethren may become acquainted with our position with regard to these Charities . Last year we elected all the cases nominated ,

viz ., seven . At the Boys' and Girls' Ejections , on April nth and 12 th , we had one girl and three boys , which we succeeded in electing at a cost of 19 , 619 votes . The father of the boy Curtis was a member of Britannia Lodge , No . i _ ' ) , Sheffield , and D / amatic Lodge , No . 1609 Liverpool , and West Lancashire assisted us in carrying this with a gift of 2450 votes . We have four candidates for the elections on May 17 th next , viz , two men and two widows . I think I can say lhat although there are so few vacancies

those four old people will be eltcted . We have also to face the elections in October , for which we have already live candidates—four boys and one girl . When the brethren take into consideration that we have already elected four for this particular province , besides having assisted other cases , that we have four old people to elect in May , and five cases for election in October , the brethren can understand that the votes of the province will not be sufficient to do anything like it . The Committee will ,

Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

therefore , have to depend upon their ability to borrow votes from othe provinces . The Province of West Yorkshire possesses 35 , 000 votes , bu ' to elect all the cases already before the Committee this year we shal ' require upwatds of 65 , 000 votes . The Charity Committee will , theref ore have to ask from other provinces for tokens of kindly feelings towards them and that they will reciprocate the favours which have been extended to them

in the past . In order to keep ourselves to the front—for several years we have prided ourselves that we are to the front—I shall have to ask the brethren to be this year a little more generous towards the Charities than at present the list indicates . Last year the brethren subscribed £ 3535 . So far they have subscribed towards the annuitants ^ 810 . The Earl of Warwick asked you ( when at Leeds last July ) to support him , and the brethren

have done so loyally . Towards the Girls' School you have so far contributed ^ 1386 . This is the Girls' year ; while towards the Boys there is onl y the pittance of ^ 170 . I , therefore , ask the brethren to consider more favourably the Boys' Festival . For the West Yorkshire Fund you have contributed £ 303 , which I think hardly sufficient , considering it is a home Charity . The West Yorkshire Educational and Benevolent Fund will , I

believe , in the years to come prove to be one of the best Charities connected with this province . The Worshipful Deputy Provincial Grand Master has invested the sum ot £ 500 in _ h per cent . Wakefield Corporation Stock , and I should like him to be placed in the position of being able to invest another £ 500 in the purchase of similar stock . If the brethren who have not already done so would become Life Governors of their home institution , the Treasurer would soon be placed in that happy position . It was

suggested that Bro . Green should give fuller information with regard to our position , with respect to the work of the Charities in London and at home , to the brethren , who are only too anxious to give their money if they are assured it is well spent . This he has done most ably , and I will add that those who know most about the Charities to which I havereferred are hi ghly satisfied that they are managed as well as modern Charities can be managed . I thank the acting R . W . Prov . G . M . for his kind references to the Charities .

Bro . H . S . CHILDE , Vice-Chairman , C . C , seconded the resolution . He said it was his pleasant duty particularly to thank the Charity Stewards of the different lodges for the efforts they had made on behalf of the Charities , and also to thank the brethren who had so well supported them . The Charity Committee wished to accentuate the paragraph in the report that , wherever possible , the subscriptions of the brethren should be given in the name of the Master ' s chair . They would be more enduring , and help the

Charity Committee a great deal more than if given in the names of the brethren . With regard to the West Yorkshire Fund , they were living on the interest—not on what they owed , like some absentee landlords , but on the interest of what was due to them . They had never made a call upon the brethren . He hoped when a call was made a hearty response would begiven to it . He concluded by remarking that , at any time , Bro . Blackburn , himself , or the Secretary would be happy . to give any information respecting the Charities to the brethren .

The report was adopted . The following resolution was moved b y the acting P . G . M ., seconded by Bro . W . BLACKBURN , P . P . G . D ., and resolved : That this Prov . Grand Lodge of West Yorkshire desires to place on record its profound grief at the death of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria , Grand Patron of our great Masonic Charities , which sad event took place at Osborne House , Isle of Wight , on Tuesday , 22 nd January , at 6 . 30 in the evening .

Tbis Prov . Grand Lodge offers its sincere and respectful condolences to his Majesty King Edward the VII ., and their homage on his accession to the British Throne . It is sensible of the many great benefits conferred on the Order by his Majesty during the 27 years that he had occupied the chair of M . W . Grand Master .

Whilst expressing our natural regret at the unavoidable resignation of the Grand Mastership of England by the King , we wish to record our great gratification that his Majesty ' s brother , H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , K . G ., has been unanimously elected Most Worshipful Grand Master , and that he has accepted the office .

ihe Prov . G . Treasurer , Bro . W . H . WILSON , in presenting the accounts for the past year , remarked that the province was in a worse position at the close of the year than at the commencement . They began with a balance of ^ 787 , and left with one of £ 762 . There had , however , been two special grants which more than made up the deficiency , namely , a grant of ^ 25 to the library , and £ 21 to the South African War Masonic Relief Fund .

Bro . C . b . BENNETT , Prov . G . R ., in moving the adoption ot the balance-sheet , said that the accounts had been properly and faithfully kept . No one could help being pleased with the way in which they had bcen kept and the vouchers and different papers required by the Auditors produred by the Prov . Grand Secretary . He kept tne accjunts generally , and the careful , satisfactory , and clear manner in which he had done so was highly creditable to him .

The acting PROV . G . MASTER formall y seconded the resolution , which was carried .

Bro . J . LANE FOX , Prov . G . Supt . of Wks ., reported that he had inspected the regalia and property of the Prov . Grand Lodge , and had found all in perfect order . He had made an inventory of the same . On the motion of Bro . W . H . WILSON , Prov . G . Treas ., seconded by Bro . J . MARSHALL , P . P . G . O ., Bro . Robert Potter , P . M . 275 , was unanimously elected Prov . G . Treasurer for the ensuing year . Bro . POTTER briefly thanked the brethren . The acting Prov . G . Master proceeded to invest the ofiicers for the

ensuing year . Bro . John Lee Walker , J . P ., 290 ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ Henry Chalker , 154 ... ... ... p . J . G . W . „ Rev . Evan Morris Young . 302 ... ... *) _ _ _ , „ Rev . Hugh Doig , 337 ... ... ... j ° v . G . Chaps .

„ Robert Potter , 275 ( elected ) ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ John Tweedale , 827 ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ Major H . G . E . Green , 1019 ... ... p . G . Sec . „ Arthur Wm . Chapman , 289 ... * j „ Hugh Kershaw , 2 330 ... ... ... V Prov . S . G . Ds .

„ Richard Wilkinson , J . P ., 837 ... .., ) „ John Barraclough , 304 ... ... ... 1 „ Edward , Holmes , 1 779 ... ... ... £ Prov . J . G . Ds . ,, George Williams , 139 ... ... ... _) „ William Towers , 306 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of Wks .