The Approaching Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE APPROACHING ELECTIONS OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

Though there is a moderate reduction in the number of candidates for thc approaching elections of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution as compared vvith last year , the total is still a formidable one . For the Male Fund , there were 66 candidates in iSgt , and for this election there are 6 9 ; for the Female Fund , there were 81 candidates in 1891 , and this year there

are only 70 . But if the decrease in numbers from 147 to 139 is not much to boast of , the prospects of the candidates at the elections which take place at the annual meeting on the 20 th instant have been very materially enhanced by the increase in the number of vacancies which will be competed for . In 1891 those on the Male Fund , including the three deferred , were 21 , while

the number declared 111 February last , including the deferred , was 31 . For the Widows there were 17 , including the three deferred , elected last year , the number of vacancies declared in February being 21 , including , of course , the three deferred . To these must be added the further vacancies which have occurred or may still occur by deaths since the declaration vvas

made , so that the number of unsuccessful candidates , instead of being , as it was last year , in excess of 100 , vvill be in all probability about 80 or even less . Consequently , we shall be to this extent nearer to the time when , as vve have pointed out more than once already , there will be a reasonable chance that when an applicant ' s petition has been once approved and

his name ordered to be placed on the list , he will be elected in a comparatively short time , instead of being compelled , as has been the case in too many instances , to wait for eight , ten , or even a dozen years . However , on

ibis point we have said enough in former articles , and , therefore , we shall proceed to analyse the lists , so that our readers may be able to judge better of thc prospects of the several candidates . For the

MALE FUND there are , as we havc said , 69 candidates for the 31 vacancies declared in I ' ebruary last , and such others as havc occurred , or may occur between now and the annual meeting . Of these London furnishes 15 , and the Provinces 54 ., the London candidates being as follow , namely : No . 5——seventh application—vvith 71 S votes to his credit ; Nos . 10 and 11—fifth

applications—of whom the former has the satisfaction of bringing forward 2388 votes , while the latter has only 97 votes in hand ; No . 12—fourth application —who has 2492 votes to the good ; Nos . 20 , 22 , and 24 third applicationswith 2220 , 157 , and 142 votes severally to their credit ; Nos . 27 , 35 , and 36 , who were candidates for the first time last year , and have standing to their

credit 910 votes , 16 72 votes , and 57 votes ; the remaining live being Nos . 4 ^ , 4-8 , 51 , 5 6 , and 57 , who will obtain their lirst insight into the mysteries of the ballot at this election . The 54 country candidates are furnished by 24 provinces , of which Devonshire and Kent arc each responsible for five , the Devonian five being No . 4 , a candidate for the eighth time , who has only 166

voles to start with ; No . 9—a fifth application who brings forward 28 votes ¦ ro m his four previous attempts ; No . 13 , who has stood three ballots and scored only 13 votes ; No . 16 , who , though he has been a candidate at two elections , has no votes to his credit ; No . 53 , who makes his debut on this "tension . The Kentish candidates are No . 23 , who starts with 687 votes

obtained at the elections last year and the year before ; No . 25 , who has 21 voles in hand from last year ; and Nos . 52 , 55 , and 6 7 . Three provinces scnd up four candidates , namely , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , No . 1 , M' 10 ' » the course of his leu ballots has amassed OiS voles , an 1 will make a

•urllier and let us hope final attempt on the third Friday in May , and Nos . -15 , fi . S , and 66 , who are new candidates . The North and Fast Yorkshire ¦ rcthrcn are No . 2 , who is about making his tenth endeavour to obtain the •'rnnnty of which he has been adjudged worth )* , and has 82 votes in hand ;

•>o . ( , , the number of whose applications corresponds with his place on the ist and who has 44 votes to thc good ; Xo . 8 , who vvill present himself for 10 fifth time of asking with 112 votes in hand , ancl No . 47 ; while thc 01 l , r fro m West Yorkshire are Nos . 15 -third application ; 311 second applicall ° n ; and 54 and 60 . Three candidates hail from Durham , namely , Nos .

/ and 18 , who started their candidature in 1890 and have 18 and 14 votes hand respectively , and No . 28 , who made his first attempt last year 'J-obtained no support ; and there is a like number from West Lanca' rc- . \ o . 21 , who began in 1890 , and No . 29 and 39 , who made their first

' PPwra ncc in 1 S 91 . There are no less than nine provinces vvhich furnish fo y ' reScntat | ves , Cheshire being responsible for Nos . 40 and 68 ; Cornwall . l ' y ' M •md 49 ; Gloucestershire for No . 31 , who brings forward 21 votes , v . ° * 37 ; Fast Lancashire for No . 34 , who has 40 votes in hand , and 'A Lincolnshire for No . 14 , who has 13 votes from thrce previous

The Approaching Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ballots , and No . 32 , who obtained 161 votes in May , 1891 ; Norfolk for No . 38 , who starts well with S 19 votes , and No . 41 ; Suffolk , for Nos . 44 and 5 8 ; Sussex for 59 and 64 ; and Warwickshire for No . 26 , who obtained 22 votes at the last election , and No . 69 . The remaining eight country candidates hail from as many Provinces , No . 7 , with 60 votes to the good , being from

Berkshire ; No . 19 , vvith 2 S 9 votes , from Cambridgeshire ; No . 43 from Essex ; No . 6 3 from Monmouthshire ; No . 3 , who brings forward 23 S from eight previous ballots , from Northumberland ; No . 62 , from Oxfordshire ; No . 50 from the Western Division of South Wales ; and No . 61 , from Staffordshire . Of the 70 candidates on the list for the

WIDOWS' FUND London furnishes 24 , and the Provinces and abroad the remaining 46 . The former include No . 1—a widow who started endeavouring to obtain an annuity in 1 SS 1 , but as yet has only succeeded in scoring 147 votes . No . 2 , who ought to win a place this time as she began her endeavours in 1883 , and now has 2527 votes in hand ; Nos . 8 and 9 , who began in 1885 and have 1721 and 796 votes to their respective credits ; No . 18 , who has 135 votes

to the good from four previous attempts ; No . 22 , with 1749 votes ; No . 23 , with 343 votes ; No . 26 , vvith 469 votes ; No . 27 , with 860 votes ; No . 30 , with S votes ; and No . 35 , vvith 708 votes , all applicants for the fourth time . ; No . 40 , with 1607 votes ; No . 41 , with 673 votes ; No . 44 , vvith 72 votes ; No . 45 , with 1082 votes ; and No . 50 , with 604 votes , who vvere candidates for the first time in 1890 ; No . 51 , who scored 1661 votes last year ; Nos . 57

and 58 , who have 1103 votes and 2905 votes to their respective credits ; and Nos . 59 , 63 , 64 , 65 , and 70 , who are new candidates . The 46 country candidates arc distributed amongst 19 Provinces , and there are two who hail from foreign parts , the Provinces of Devonshire and Kent furnishing , as for the Male Fund , the most numerous contingents . The following arc from the former of the two , namely : No . 10 , who is seeking admission for the seventh

time , but has only 152 votes in hand ; No . 12 , who has had the same number of chances , but is only slightly better off with 1 S 1 votes ; No . 14 , with 74 votes from five previous ballots ; No . 20 , who vvill present herself to thc electors for the fifth time , with 115 votes to her credit ; Nos . 21 and 37 , who are applicants for the fourth time , but with only a few votes to the good ; No . 48 , who was a candidate for thc suffrages of the

electors last year , when she polled 117 votes ; and No . 60 , a new candidate . The Kentish ei g ht are—No . 6 , who brings forward thc excellent total of 2399 votes from her seven previous trials , aud No . 7 , who has been on the list as long , but has only 702 votes to her account ; No . 16—fifth application—vvith 39 votes ; Nos . 28 , 31 , 32 , and 33—all applicants for the fourth time—who bring forward 2714 , 149 , 113 , and 399 votes

respectively ; and No . 43 , who has 126 votes standing to her account from the last election . The Province of East Lancashire sends up four candi- ' dates—No . 4 , who starts on this occasion with 185 votes from eight previous attempts ; No . 54 , who scored a solitary vote in 1 S 91 ; and Nos . 66 and 68 . Cornwall is responsible for three candidates : No . 13—sixth application —with 31 votes ; No . 39 , who has a small credit from the last two elections ;

and No . 53 , who scored 2804 off the reel in 1891 , and therefore stands an excellent chance of winning an annuity . There are likewise three Essex candidates—No . 3 6 , whose total of 349 votes vvas obtained at the three last ballots ; No . 49 , who polled 1797 votes last year ; and No . 62 . A ninth application , ranking as No . 3 on the list and bringing * forward 25 voles , and No . 67 hail from Cumberland and Westmorland ; No . -5 , whose name

appears for the eighth time , and vvith 1466 votes to her credit ; and No . 19 , " with 210 votes from four ballots , from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ; and Nos . 5 6 and 6 g , from West Yorkshire . Ten Provinces supply each a single candidate , namely , Bristol , No . 15 , who has no votes , but has been a candidate since the 1888 election inclusive ; Cheshire , No . 29 , who stands well with 2166 votes from three previous ballots ; Lincolnshire , No . 34 who has

, stood thc same number of elections , but has only a trifle in hand ; Northumberland , No . 42 , who started as an applicant in 1890 , but vvith very poor results so far ; Norfolk , No . 46 , who has 2220 voles to her credit from the same elections ; Oxfordshire , No . 47 , who has had the same trials ancl stands almost as well , with 2119 votes in hand ; Somersetshire , No . 55 , who

has a small credit from last year ; Staffordshire , No . 25 , who is similarly circumstanced , but from three elections ; Suffolk , No . 61 ; and Sussex , No , 52 , who scored 364 votes in 1891 . The candidates from abroad , Nos . 24 and 38 , who have been on the list since 1889 , have 16 and 610 votes to their respective credits .

A glance at thc foregoing details vvill show that there are quite 20 candidates , taking the two Funds together , who enjoy the immense advantage of being able to start vvith votes in hand varying from 1000 to close on 3000 , and who , if their friends and supporters will only exhibit a little judgment and a

fair amount of influence , are , in the majority of cases , almost bound to secure vacancies . Unfortunately , judgment is not always exercised , and the requisite votes are not always forthcoming at the critical moment , and candidaies whose chances appear less formidable find themselves b y sheer good luck among the elect ,