Grand Lodge.

and the hours of attendance which the regulations of the office require , that it is neither necessary nor desirable , under present circumstances , that any increase should be made in any of the existing salaries . " The Board also report , that a memorial has been received from Bro . W . B . Packwood , who was suspended from Masonry in December , 1853 , praying the Board to recommend him to Grand Lodge for restoration to his masonic privileges . Having considered this memorial , the fact that Bro . W . B . Packwood has now suffered a

suspension from all masonic privileges for the space of five years , and that the justice of the case has been thereby sufficiently vindicated , the Board recommend him to Grand Lodge for restoration to his masonic privileges . "The Board have finally to report , that the last edition of the Book of Constitutions being exhausted , they submit to Grand Lodge that the Board should be directed to prepare and print a revised edition with as little delay as possible . " Bro . ROXBURGH , G . Reg ., in moving that the report of the Board

of General Purposes be received and entered on the minutes , said that under ordinary circumstances he should have contented himself with moving a formal motion ; but as notice had been served on the part of more than one Brother of their intention to bring a matter alluded to in the report specifically before Grand Lodge , he wished to offer some observations upon one of the paragraphs—namely , that having reference to the opinions of the Board , and the grounds of those opinions as regarded the duties and services of the officers in the Grand Secretary ' s officea subject which had been for some

, months under their consideration , indeed long before the subject referred to in the notices of motion had been thought of . The paragraph to which he wished to draw attention was nothing more than an expression of an opinion of what ought to be done in the interests of the Craft , according to the 21 st article , page 104 , of the Book of Constitutions : ~ " The Board may recommend to the Grand Lodge whatever it shall deem necessary or advantageous to the Craft , and

may originate plans for the better regulation of the Grand Lodge and the arrangement of its general transactions . " He alluded to these principles for this reason , that it might not be supposed that the Board had in the matter travelled out of their way . Long before any notice of motion had appeared in reference to the increase of salaries , their attention had been drawn to the inadequate remuneration of one of the clerks , and it had been his pleasing duty , on a former occasion , to : move that an'addition should be made to the salary of a most efficient officer , Bro . Moss ; but when it had been

suggested to the Board , although they thought it necessary that some increase ought to be made to the salary of that Brother , they also felt it to be their duty to take into ' consideration the general state of the Grand Secretary's office , and the nature and character of the duty performed by each officer in it . ' The paragraph in the report contained their opinion upon the matter , and that opinion he should , if called upon , be ready to support in detail ; and he was greatly mistaken in the sound sense and business habits of Grand Lodge if they would not approve of the reasons which he would in

that case have to bring forward . As he had before observed , the paragraph expressed no more than the opinion of the Board , who undertook a very arduous and important duty for the good of the Craft , and it was for Grand Lodge to say whether they would receive it or not , and here he wished to observe that their reception of it would bind them to nothing . Should they determine to act in opposition to it , they would be only in the position of a gentleman who consulted his lawyer and received his advice , but declined to act upon it . With this explanation , he begged leave to move that

the report be received and entered On the minutes . Bro . TOMKINS , P . G . D ., seconded the motion . Bro . the Earl of CARNARVON inquired if the title-deeds of the newly purchased property were perfectly valid . Bvo : ROXBURGH replied that the solicitor to Grand Lodge had laid them before counsel , who had approved of them ; Bro . BEADON , in moving the amendment on the paper in his

name— ., "That the name of Bro . William Farnfield be specially omitted from amongst those employed in the Grand Secretary ' s Office , to whom the Board has recommended that no increase of salary be given ; and , further , that it is expedient that the salary of Bro . William Farnfield be increased by a vote of an additional gratuity of £ 100 per annum , in consequence of the very long and faithful services which he has rendered to the Craft for upwards of thirtytwo years , and that such gratuity shall commence from the 3 rd day of March , 1858 : "—wished to observe that it did not appear on the paper in the form in which he had sent it in . He had expressly worded it as an amendment to the report , whereas as it now stood it read as an original motion .

The M . W . G . M . observed that the name of Bro . Farnfield did not occur in the report . Bro . BEADON was aware of that , and intended that his amendment should remove Bro . Farnfield from the general category of clerks in the Grand Secretary's office . Bro . SAVAGE rose to order . It was not , he thought , competent for Bro . Beadon to move an amendment unless the report stated some positive circumstance ; but here there was only an expression of opinion .

The M . W . G . BI . decided that Bro . Beadon could not put his amendment upon the motion for the reception of the report . On motion for the adoption of the paragraph , he might do so . Bro . BEADON wished to know how ( should Grand Lodge receive the report and commit themselves to the strong opinion it contained ) he could , in the face of that fact , move his amendment . The M . W . G . M .: The reception of the Report will not militate against your motion . Bro . WHITJIORE wished to know if the paragraph in question had

been adopted unanimously . The M . W G . M . replied that the Board acted as a body , and therefore the question could not be answered . Bro . HAVERS observed , that the individual members took a solemn obligation not to disclose what occurred in their deliberations . Bro . WHITMORE next inquired if the proceedings of the Board were recorded in a minute-book . Bro . HAVERS : There is no book which can be produced .

Bro . WHIT 3 IORE said , that the Report came before them with a strong expression of opinions which were in opposition to fact , and he thought that one individual ought to be excepted from the category . The subject then dropped , and the Report was received and ordered to be entered on tlie minutes . . Bro . ROXBURGH then moved the adoption of the paragraphs relating to the Charity Jewel , the restoration of Bro . Packwood , and the reprinting of the Book of Constitutions ; which were

unanimously agreed to . The Report of the Colonial Board was about to be read , when Bro . BEADON again rose and proceeded to move his amendment , but was interrupted by Bro . ROXBURGH , who stated that it was not competent for him to do so , as there was no motion before the ehair on which it could be an amendment . Grand Lodge had merely received the paragraph , but had not proposed to take any steps upon it , and until it was so

proposed the amendment was out of place . Bro , BEADON replied , that his lordship had stated that the reception of the Report would not militate against his right to move his amendment against the adoption of the clause in question . Bro . ROXBURGH said it was not competent to move any other amendment than that the report be not received . That had not been done , and it was not his intention to move the adoption of the paragraph , the only motion to which Bro . Beadon ' s amendment could apply . If Bro . Beadon could bring forward his motion as an amendment now , it would give the go-by to the rule requiring

notice of motion . The M . W , G . M . had thought that Bro . Beadon ' s motion might be taken between the reports of the two Boards , but the practice of Grand Lodge had been otherwise , and he did not wish to dictate to them . Bro . WHITMORE thought the Grand Master had the power of directing the order in which motions should be taken . The M . W . G . M . did not think he had that power , and even if he had he certainly should not exercise it .

Bro . Lord PANMURE said it was perfectly clear that the motion could not be brought forward as an amendment to the report , inasmuch as the report did not ask Grand Lodge to take any step . In fact it contained no recommendation . Bro . GREEN inquired if it were competent for any member of Grand Lodge , other than the Chairman of the Board of General Purposes , to move the adoption of any portion of the report . The M . W . G . M . replied that it was . Bro . GREEN said that being the case he should now move the

adoption of the paragraph in dispute . , Bro , the Rev . G . 11 . Portal seconded the motion . Bro . ROXBURGH rose to order . He maintained that Bro . Green , not having given the required notice of motion , could not now proceed . Bro . the Rev . G . R . PORTAL ;—But the Grand Master has just said that he can . Bro . BEADON also hold that , according to the decision of the Grand Master , it was competent for Bro . Green to persevere with his motion .