The Queensland Question.

the Grand Lodge of Queensland , was on the 29 th August , 1905 , when there was brought under my notice the Report of the Grand Committee of Scotland of the 20 th July , 1905 , and I received a few days later a circular direct from Scotland ( post marked Edinburgh , 3 rd August , ) covering the report on his case , dated 2 nd March , 1905 . I thereupon wrote the

Grand Master of Queensland , asking him if he knew anything as to the truth of the charge of which I had just learned , lie replied that until receipt of a printed copy of the Expulsion Proceedings , sent him anonymously in April , 1905 , he had no knowledge that there was any difference between the charges made against the expelled Brother , and those

against other Brethren who had been suspended for taking part , either directly or indirectly , in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Queensland . He went on to quote the Brother ' s defence , if he had had a fair hearing , which left the impression that in this case the crime had been made to fit the punishment . My statement that this Brother is not ,

and never was , an officer of the Grand Lodge of Queensland , was simply a repetition of its Grand Master ' s statement to me , but it appears to me to be strictly- correct , as I understand both he and another Brother , since suspended by the Grand Lodge of Scotland , purposely refrained from

candidature for oflice to avoid cause of offence . He claimed Past Rank , but that was b y virtue of his former Scottish Commission , as indicated by the letters ( S . C . ) after his name , which Bro . Strachan has apparently failed to notice .

7 . This paragraph needs no comment . Our Grand Lodge ' s action has been misinterpreted , but we cannot help that ; we did right according to our lights . 8 . This paragraph traverses all our ideas of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Western Australia , about which it was believed the Grand Lodge of New South Wates knew

more than any other Grand Lodge ; we recognised it on 1 st February , 1900 ; England not till live weeks later . It is useless arguing further , but I may however point out that the Grand Lodge of New South Wales did not recognise the Grand Lodge of Queensland as having ' sole

jurisdiction ' any more than the Grand Lodge of England did the Grand Lodge of Western Australia . In conclusion , while thoroughly agreeing with Grand Registrar Strachan as to there being no difficulty about having a Grand Lodge embracing all the Lodges of Queensland ,

which is probably what he means by a ' Regular Sovereign Grand Lodge , ' I differ altogether with his proposed methods , and here at least he will surely allow Australian experience to carry some weight . In the light of past experience in this part of the world , I am confident that the only practicable course is for the existing Grand Lodge to meet the District Grand Lodges on an equality by each appointing representatives to consult and agree upon a Basis of Union .

'What happened in New South Wales was that the swelling tide of a brotherly desire for Unity proved too strong for even life-long prejudice , and our old District Grand Master early in 1 SS 8 expressed to Lord Carnavon . then Pro-Grand Master of England , who was at that time in Sydney , his willingness to resign his position , which he subsequently did , hoping to

be succeeded as District Grand Master by His Excellency Lord Carrington , even though he knew that distinguished Freemason had also been nominated as Grand Master of the old Grand Lodge of New South Wales with the expressed intention of bringing about a Union of the Craft , which was consummated a few months later with even greater success

and with completer unanimity than its most sanguine advocates had ventured to anticipate . Exactly the same circumstances are hardly likely to occur here '

This is what I said at Brisbane twenty months ago . But they have occurred . Lord Chelmsford , Governor of the State , has been elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Queensland , and is zealous for union . Unless I greatl y mistake the feeling of the Brethren , that sentiment will be

as generally acclaimed as it was in New South Wales eighteen years ago . A heavy responsibility will lie at the door of any who set up artificial barriers to prevent the spreading over the land of a brotherly desire for Unity . ( Signed ) J . C . REMINGTON , Past Grand Master . "

Candidates For Office Of Grand Treasurer.

Candidates for Office of Grand Treasurer .

11 HO . THOMAS FHASKK . MHO . A UGi ; . STl * . S AU- 'I'I-: /* FHIGOUT . Proposed at the last meeting of Grand Lodge . ( For qualifications see Grand Lodge Report , page 4 / 8 ) .