Provincial.

ELECTION OE TREASURER . Bro . DEACON addressed the Gr . md Lodge for the purpose of proposing that the same officer should be re-appointed . It would afford him much pleasure to see Bro . Heather re-elected , Jifi being a zealous officer , who had served the province some years with so much satisfaction to the brethren . Bro . HOLHNGSWORTH seconded the motion , and Bro . Heather's re-appointment was carried unanimously

BENEVOLENCE . Bro . STEBBING , on behalf of the G . Treasurer , said he had two or three petitions to present , praying for grants of aid from the lodge funds . One application came from the widow of a deceased member of the Royal Sussex Lodge , No . 42 S , Portsea , who had died from the effects of an accident ; a second was from the widow of a late brother of the New Forest Lodge , No . 401 , Lymington , who was in destitute circumstances ; and a third was made by a-brother who had been in good circumstances , but now required occasional assistance .

These applications were discussed in a liberal spirit , and ultimately , on the motion of Bro . Stebbing , seconded by Bro . Haish , P . M . No . 90 , a grant of £ 10 was made to the first-mentioned applicant ; on the motion of Bro . Deacon , seconded by Bro . Powell , No . 995 , and warmly supported by Bros . Hayward , Perkins , Emanuel , and Smith , a grant of £ 20 was made to the second-named applicant ; and on the motion of Bro . Stebbing , seconded by Bro . Perkins , a grant of £ 2 was made to the third applicant .

Bro . STEBBING said tne brethren generally seemed very freely inclined to vote away grants for these cases of relief , and he hoped they would be early prepared for a special application on hehalf of the Benevolent Fund . ( Hear . ) COMMUNICATIONS EROM THE GRAND MASTER . The R . W . PROV . G . MASTER said he had one or two observations he wished to make to the assembled brethren . There were

one or two lodges which allowed Royal Arch and other special degrees' clothing and jewels to be worn inside the lodges . They must ps , y attention to the rule laid down in accordance with the Const ! , tutions , for all jewels , & c , belonging to degrees not there recognised , must not be allowed to be worn in Craft Lodge . There was another thing he would mention : for several years hack the fees chargeable for dispensations had not been included in the nsual returns to the Provincial Grand Lodge . If the sums so

left due were not paid in immediately , he should be obliged to interfere and enforce it . They were always voting away money , and these unpaid sums , if sent in , would be a great assistance to the Prov . Grand Lodge funds . He should direct the Prov . G . Sec . to write to all lodges who were so indebted , and request the dues to be paid up . He felt a pleasure in congratulating the Stewards on the general increase to the funds of benevolence .

THE PROVINCE AITD THE CHARITIES . A notice had been inserted in the agenda paper for considering the propriety of allowing the twenty guineas ( given by the province to the several Charities , and now entered on the subscription list of the brother or brethren serving as Steward , or Stewards for lodges in the province ) to constitute the lodges , or some officers thereof , ex-officio Life Governors , instead of the Prov . Grand Lodge ; and , if so resolved , to consider the propriety of voting an additional ten guineas to one or other of the Charities , as an annual payment .

Bro . STEBBING said it had been suggested whether they should not carry the present plan a little further , and create an additional inducement for brethren to serve on the Stewardships . He argued the advantages to be obtained , and then formally moved that twenty guineas be given from the province in the name of the lodges of brethren who acted as Stewards , and £ 10 In the name of the Prov . Grand Lodge . The motion was seconded h y Bro . FROST , and carried

unanimously . Bro . STEBBING said it was wished , on behalf of the Lym ' mgson and other lodges , that the resolution should be retrospective , but he did not think that would be found expedient . GRANL LODGE PROPERTY . This seriously important subject was the next that came on for consideration , a notice having been entered for bringing ihefore the meeting the proposed alterations of Grand Lodge

Provincial.

property , and the propriety of limiting the expenditure ft }' £ 1 S , 000 , or such other sum as the Prov . G . Lodge may consider judicious . Bro . STEBBING first addressed the meeting upon the matter . He said a proposition had been made in the Grand Lodge of England that the building property there should be much extended and improved . He saw that a large block plan of the

property was suspended on the wall of the room , and certain brethren furnished with smaller copies . From these it would be seen that the property was subdivided into four divisions of equal dimensions . There was Bacon ' s Hotel on the East , one fourth part of the property ; then came the Grand Lodge offices , the Grand Secretary ' s office , the Grand Master ' s room and clerk ' s offices ; the third portion consisted of the tavern ; and the fourth included a court with two houses in front

unoccupied for any Masonic purposes . It had been proposed to alter and improve this property , and to devote Freemason's Hall exclusively to Masonry . Now he concluded that the financial position of the Order would be the key to their minds on this proposition . There were £ 22 , 000 balance of the Fund of Benevolence ; and £ 18 , 000 balance of the Fund of General Purposes , which could be dealt with , without affecting the charities , in any way Grand Lodge might think proper . They

possessed also an annual income of £ 2000 or £ 3000 , so that their available money property consisted of £ 40 , 000 and the surplus income of £ 2000 or £ 3000 a year , together with anything Grand Lodge liked to advance . There were several propositions already before Grand Lodge , and the lowest estimated plan would render necessary an outlay of £ 23 , 000 , and if this was carried out , reckoning all the adjuncts , the finally calculated outlay would probably amount to considerably more .

There was another proposition requiring £ 33 , 000 , and oMier plans for going to expenses very much in excess of that sum , even as far as £ 50 , 000 or £ 60 , 000 . Many of the brethren present ' were men of experience , and knew that wdien they came to meddle with bricks and mortar they invariably went to more expense than they at first intended , and often double as much in order to carry out all the little additions and improvements that were suggested and pointed out

as desirable . He wished to enforce upon the brethren the important fact that it was incumbent upon them to take care not to spend move than what they could have from the Fund of General Purposes . He did not think it was seriously contemplated to spend the Charity Funds , but it might be contemplated to occur an outlay beyond the money at present in hand , or to borrow funds . He objected to their running into debt at

all , and he was opposed to any speculative undertaking in the way of building . Freemasonry , he v-as ready to admit , was very flourishing in the present day , but they must remember that the more it extended , and the greater the increase of their numbers were now , the greater would be the applications and the demands upon the general funds hereafter . At the present time they had not more than enough for their purposes . Thirty the time of another generationquickly passed away ;

years , , thirty years ago there were not half nor third of the present claims , and what would it he thirty years hence , it they went on as they were going on now ? There was fluctuation in all things and at all times . Literature and religion , as history told them , had flourished at times , but all things had their ebb and flow . Masonry might double in her districts , but a future time miht show onlhalf the present number of the brethren

g y to subscribe to the funds . He put the subject before the brethren thus : They had £ 1 S , 000 available for improvement purposes . Let them resolve to do their best with that £ 18 , 000 , and not borrow , nor run any risk in speculation . Let them wisely save all they conlil for a time of calamity , which nobody could foresee . Again , alluding to the xwans and giving full explanations of the propertv , he' argued that having an available space of "

ground , 200 ft . by 46 ft . in extent ( the west-end ) and £ 18 , 000 to lay out there , they had all they wanted . They would not , of course , venture on spending their money in pulling about the old buildings . He wished to suggest that Grand Lodge be sought not to sanction any great outlay for alterations , or any expenditure of funds not strictly available for the purpose , and with that view he would venture to move as a resolution ,

" That in the opinion of this Provincial Grand Lodge no larger portion of Grand Lodge Funds than £ 1 S , 000 ought to he expended in improving or increasing Grand Lodge Property . " Bro . R . HARHELD , Prov . S . G . W ., said he had much pleasure in seconding the motion before the meeting .