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Provincial.
' ie Prov . R . W . GRAND MASTER observed that Bro . Stebbing ha alluded to the lowest estimate for improvement sent in as being £ 23 , 000 , with now a great number of addenda . He had hen I'd something of an offer made to Bro . Bacon to resign his lease of f'ic hotel ; but there were six years to run , and he would not g-iv up without an adequate remuneration , which would cocao to some ! iiing considerable . The six years' purchase would have to he added to the £ 23 , 000 , and that alone would render the
outlay , without percentages , between £ 30 , 000 and £ 40 , 000 . iiro . STEBBING said the rent at present received for the Tavern and the Hall was £ 1000 a-year— £ 800 and £ 200 . Some brethren had advanced the argument that if suggested alterations were carried out the receipts would be more ; but he wonkl say , it was better to make sure of the £ 1000 . " " The R . W . PROV . G . M . alluded to some of the plans sent into the Grand Lodge . He understood that one proposition had
been made under which it was suggested that the vacant ground should be given up to anyone who liked to take it and build thereon a large tavern , and pay a ground rent . He did not think that would be a very good speculation for any party to enter into . People did sometimes undertake to pay ground rents when they built magnificent houses , or other desirable premises , but a tavern was a precarious thing , and no man without the land was his own , would venture upon such a speculation . Bro . STEBBING said he was a member of the Board of General
Purposes , but it was aboard of secresy , and he was inclined to ask the R . W . Prov . G . Master to testify that he had divulged to him no matters that had been brought before them . ( Laughter . ) The R . W . GRAND MASTER would willingly affirm Bro . Stebbing ' s prudence and integrity ; still he had heard the report he alluded to , and made a memorandum of it . ( Laughter . ) Bro . A . SMITH , W . M . No . 90 , begged to submit the following as an amendment to the resolution of Bro . Stebbing . He would
move : — " That this Provincial Grand Lodge , recognising the desirability of great alteration and improvement in the Grand Lodge Property in Great Queen-street , London , is of opinion that it is unwise to restrict the Board of General Purposes , or any committee which may be appointed by Grand Lodge to consider the question , to any specific sum . " Bro . Stebbing had urged an economical course , but was it true economy ? he did not show
any recklessness in the plans he condemned ; simply resuscitating his argument for limiting any outlay to the sum of £ 18 , 000 . He , on his part , however , had held before , and was still free to assert that it was utterly objectionable to confine Grand Lodge to any such paltry sum , for it was undoubtedly impossible , with that sum , to make the alterations called for , and really required . Bro . Stebbing had laid stress upon the undesirability of pulling
about old premises , but Bro . Stebbing , in his description of those premises , was all the while condemning them . ( Hear . ) If the Masonic body were to make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the London property , and what their real requirements were , they must at once admit that in its present state it was a
positive disgrace to a body so eminent , so numerous , so rich , and so enli ghtened j and when it was found that a fund in hand available for the purpose , and in amount some £ 20 , 000 , was insufficient to put all right , it became the duty of the Freemasons of England to put their hands into their pockets and supply the deficiency , whatever it might be . They knew what their income was , and that there was an annual excess over expenditure . He did not see whthey should not do as Masons what they would do
y ' 2 ? men > namely , use available means for increasing their income . Every other public body did it , and let the Masons . Bro . Stebbing seemed somehow to be in that cloud which generally enveloped official authorities . What reason was there that they should not fairl y calculate on additional income to be received ? What was there to prevent the Masonic body adopting the ordinary rules of discretion of mankind ? It was the natural consequence of
unnecessary reservation that the minds of the brethren became contracted , and a general opinion was arrived at , that any speculative outlay was extravagant and useless , and uncalled t ° r . He had no doubt in his own mind that after about seven years , the Masons would have a building which Bro . Stebbing would as much approve of as himself . " He was Master of a well-known lod and he had put himself with others to
ge , some / "convenience in order to disseminate information among the brethren on this Grand Lodge property question . There bad alread y been deposited with Grand Lodge a number of plans , « nanatmg from eminent and reliable brethren , who devoted much more time and attention to the subject than any of that iiovmcial Lodge were enabled to do . Grand Lodge was pro-
Provincial.
pared to discuss the matter in full , and the M . W . the Grand Master of England was quite prepared to ask Grand Lodge to go into it . For anyone to come forward and attempt to restrict the expenditure for desirable improvements to £ 18 , 000 , was in his idea most improper , and it was in acting upon this feeling that he had ventured to bring forward the amendment which he had read to the meeting . Brothe RevDrBHADSHAW said it appeared to him that the
. . . Provincial Grand Lodge was taking time by the forelock , in entering a notice of a discussion upon this subject . He could not for a moment say he approved of the apparent attempt to throw a halter round the neck of the Board of General Purposes , or the Graud Lodge itself , in respect to the proposed improvement and outlay . Some observations had been made as to the claims of Masons yet to come in the futureand the
ne-, cessity of the present generation practising strict economy . Of course a certain economy was as much a duty as it was a discretion , but when the claims of the future were so strongly pressed upon the present , be was almost tempted to repeat the exclamation quoted the other day as attributed to an individual of public importance : " What has posterity done for us ? " Bro . Stebbing had dealt upon forebodings , he could not see reasons
for originating , and he did not exactly like the proposition put forward by that eminent brother of this province . He did not also entirely approve of the amendment . He did not know whether Bro . Stebbing would be inclined to alter the resolution , but in case no modification was made , he should rather vote for the amendment . Bro . SHERRYP . M . 90 in seconding the amendmentsaid if
, , , , Bro . Stebbing's motion had limited the outlay for the proposed alterations in Great Queen-street to £ 36 , 000 , he would gladly have supported it , believing that if that sum were expended , a greater portion of it would be found to realise something like seven per cent , on the outlay , and would , in his opinion , enable the executive to carry out all that was really required , as shewn by Bro . Stephen Barton Wilsonwhose plans and suggestions
, were the best out . But he could not support a motion for limiting the outlay to so low a sum as £ 18 , 000 , he therefore must give his vote for the amendment before the meeting . 3 | Bro . DEACON , G . D ., said be certainly was afraid that some of
that film alluded to by the Worshipful Master of No . 90 had come across him since ho had been an officer of the province . But he could not concur with either Bro . Stebbing or Bro . Smith . As to the probability of less prosperity in their order in the future , he could not go with Bro . Stebbing . The fact was , rather , that Freemasonry was the only thing that had not changed , and it was likely to continue to flourish till the end of time ; and whilst Masoury did flourish , funds must flow in . He could
admit the propriety of the argument that a proper Temple should be raised for the rites of their fraternity ( hear ); undoubtedly something should be done . He concurred with Bro . Stebbing so far , that the funds set apart for charitable purposes should not be touched for this suggested building improvement ; and it would be a disgrace for them to go and borrow money . But how was this desirable improvement to he carried out ? Must it be done by means of a special voluntary contribution ?
He really believed that the brethren all over the kingdom would gladly subscribe liberal sums for such a purpose . He could not , however , join with Bro . Stebbing that the Board of General Purposes should he limited to £ 1 S , 000 , and no more . But there would be plenty of time for inquiry , and they need not hastily resolve upon a large expenditure . The Craft had a good overlooker in the R . W . M . of that province , and Bro . Stebbing
was an able champion against the evil of extravagance . They might spoil the whole scheme by limiting the expenditure to £ 18 , 000 before inquiry . He could not vote for Bro . Smith ' s amendment , as it could be strained to a wider extent than prudence would dictate ; and to take anything from the charities , he could not approve of . He should be more content with a simple reservation , that no part of their funds collected for charitable purposes should he devoted to the discharge of expenses
incurred in any building scheme . Bro . BINCKES , P . M ., Sec . to the Boys' Institution , remarked that it had been truly said that the subject under discussion was a very serious one , and he would ask for the O 2 iportunity of advancing a few facts in order to assist them in coming to a right conclusion on the matter ; and for such a purpose he should be sorry not to do what in him laid . He held it to be of first importance , and to the last degree desirable , that that province at their present important meeting should give expression to their feelings upon such a subject of general in-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
' ie Prov . R . W . GRAND MASTER observed that Bro . Stebbing ha alluded to the lowest estimate for improvement sent in as being £ 23 , 000 , with now a great number of addenda . He had hen I'd something of an offer made to Bro . Bacon to resign his lease of f'ic hotel ; but there were six years to run , and he would not g-iv up without an adequate remuneration , which would cocao to some ! iiing considerable . The six years' purchase would have to he added to the £ 23 , 000 , and that alone would render the
outlay , without percentages , between £ 30 , 000 and £ 40 , 000 . iiro . STEBBING said the rent at present received for the Tavern and the Hall was £ 1000 a-year— £ 800 and £ 200 . Some brethren had advanced the argument that if suggested alterations were carried out the receipts would be more ; but he wonkl say , it was better to make sure of the £ 1000 . " " The R . W . PROV . G . M . alluded to some of the plans sent into the Grand Lodge . He understood that one proposition had
been made under which it was suggested that the vacant ground should be given up to anyone who liked to take it and build thereon a large tavern , and pay a ground rent . He did not think that would be a very good speculation for any party to enter into . People did sometimes undertake to pay ground rents when they built magnificent houses , or other desirable premises , but a tavern was a precarious thing , and no man without the land was his own , would venture upon such a speculation . Bro . STEBBING said he was a member of the Board of General
Purposes , but it was aboard of secresy , and he was inclined to ask the R . W . Prov . G . Master to testify that he had divulged to him no matters that had been brought before them . ( Laughter . ) The R . W . GRAND MASTER would willingly affirm Bro . Stebbing ' s prudence and integrity ; still he had heard the report he alluded to , and made a memorandum of it . ( Laughter . ) Bro . A . SMITH , W . M . No . 90 , begged to submit the following as an amendment to the resolution of Bro . Stebbing . He would
move : — " That this Provincial Grand Lodge , recognising the desirability of great alteration and improvement in the Grand Lodge Property in Great Queen-street , London , is of opinion that it is unwise to restrict the Board of General Purposes , or any committee which may be appointed by Grand Lodge to consider the question , to any specific sum . " Bro . Stebbing had urged an economical course , but was it true economy ? he did not show
any recklessness in the plans he condemned ; simply resuscitating his argument for limiting any outlay to the sum of £ 18 , 000 . He , on his part , however , had held before , and was still free to assert that it was utterly objectionable to confine Grand Lodge to any such paltry sum , for it was undoubtedly impossible , with that sum , to make the alterations called for , and really required . Bro . Stebbing had laid stress upon the undesirability of pulling
about old premises , but Bro . Stebbing , in his description of those premises , was all the while condemning them . ( Hear . ) If the Masonic body were to make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the London property , and what their real requirements were , they must at once admit that in its present state it was a
positive disgrace to a body so eminent , so numerous , so rich , and so enli ghtened j and when it was found that a fund in hand available for the purpose , and in amount some £ 20 , 000 , was insufficient to put all right , it became the duty of the Freemasons of England to put their hands into their pockets and supply the deficiency , whatever it might be . They knew what their income was , and that there was an annual excess over expenditure . He did not see whthey should not do as Masons what they would do
y ' 2 ? men > namely , use available means for increasing their income . Every other public body did it , and let the Masons . Bro . Stebbing seemed somehow to be in that cloud which generally enveloped official authorities . What reason was there that they should not fairl y calculate on additional income to be received ? What was there to prevent the Masonic body adopting the ordinary rules of discretion of mankind ? It was the natural consequence of
unnecessary reservation that the minds of the brethren became contracted , and a general opinion was arrived at , that any speculative outlay was extravagant and useless , and uncalled t ° r . He had no doubt in his own mind that after about seven years , the Masons would have a building which Bro . Stebbing would as much approve of as himself . " He was Master of a well-known lod and he had put himself with others to
ge , some / "convenience in order to disseminate information among the brethren on this Grand Lodge property question . There bad alread y been deposited with Grand Lodge a number of plans , « nanatmg from eminent and reliable brethren , who devoted much more time and attention to the subject than any of that iiovmcial Lodge were enabled to do . Grand Lodge was pro-
Provincial.
pared to discuss the matter in full , and the M . W . the Grand Master of England was quite prepared to ask Grand Lodge to go into it . For anyone to come forward and attempt to restrict the expenditure for desirable improvements to £ 18 , 000 , was in his idea most improper , and it was in acting upon this feeling that he had ventured to bring forward the amendment which he had read to the meeting . Brothe RevDrBHADSHAW said it appeared to him that the
. . . Provincial Grand Lodge was taking time by the forelock , in entering a notice of a discussion upon this subject . He could not for a moment say he approved of the apparent attempt to throw a halter round the neck of the Board of General Purposes , or the Graud Lodge itself , in respect to the proposed improvement and outlay . Some observations had been made as to the claims of Masons yet to come in the futureand the
ne-, cessity of the present generation practising strict economy . Of course a certain economy was as much a duty as it was a discretion , but when the claims of the future were so strongly pressed upon the present , be was almost tempted to repeat the exclamation quoted the other day as attributed to an individual of public importance : " What has posterity done for us ? " Bro . Stebbing had dealt upon forebodings , he could not see reasons
for originating , and he did not exactly like the proposition put forward by that eminent brother of this province . He did not also entirely approve of the amendment . He did not know whether Bro . Stebbing would be inclined to alter the resolution , but in case no modification was made , he should rather vote for the amendment . Bro . SHERRYP . M . 90 in seconding the amendmentsaid if
, , , , Bro . Stebbing's motion had limited the outlay for the proposed alterations in Great Queen-street to £ 36 , 000 , he would gladly have supported it , believing that if that sum were expended , a greater portion of it would be found to realise something like seven per cent , on the outlay , and would , in his opinion , enable the executive to carry out all that was really required , as shewn by Bro . Stephen Barton Wilsonwhose plans and suggestions
, were the best out . But he could not support a motion for limiting the outlay to so low a sum as £ 18 , 000 , he therefore must give his vote for the amendment before the meeting . 3 | Bro . DEACON , G . D ., said be certainly was afraid that some of
that film alluded to by the Worshipful Master of No . 90 had come across him since ho had been an officer of the province . But he could not concur with either Bro . Stebbing or Bro . Smith . As to the probability of less prosperity in their order in the future , he could not go with Bro . Stebbing . The fact was , rather , that Freemasonry was the only thing that had not changed , and it was likely to continue to flourish till the end of time ; and whilst Masoury did flourish , funds must flow in . He could
admit the propriety of the argument that a proper Temple should be raised for the rites of their fraternity ( hear ); undoubtedly something should be done . He concurred with Bro . Stebbing so far , that the funds set apart for charitable purposes should not be touched for this suggested building improvement ; and it would be a disgrace for them to go and borrow money . But how was this desirable improvement to he carried out ? Must it be done by means of a special voluntary contribution ?
He really believed that the brethren all over the kingdom would gladly subscribe liberal sums for such a purpose . He could not , however , join with Bro . Stebbing that the Board of General Purposes should he limited to £ 1 S , 000 , and no more . But there would be plenty of time for inquiry , and they need not hastily resolve upon a large expenditure . The Craft had a good overlooker in the R . W . M . of that province , and Bro . Stebbing
was an able champion against the evil of extravagance . They might spoil the whole scheme by limiting the expenditure to £ 18 , 000 before inquiry . He could not vote for Bro . Smith ' s amendment , as it could be strained to a wider extent than prudence would dictate ; and to take anything from the charities , he could not approve of . He should be more content with a simple reservation , that no part of their funds collected for charitable purposes should he devoted to the discharge of expenses
incurred in any building scheme . Bro . BINCKES , P . M ., Sec . to the Boys' Institution , remarked that it had been truly said that the subject under discussion was a very serious one , and he would ask for the O 2 iportunity of advancing a few facts in order to assist them in coming to a right conclusion on the matter ; and for such a purpose he should be sorry not to do what in him laid . He held it to be of first importance , and to the last degree desirable , that that province at their present important meeting should give expression to their feelings upon such a subject of general in-