ORDER OF DRUIDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2525, 11 June 1909, Page 6

ORDER OF DRUIDS.

LODGE TURANGANUI

LVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

(BANQUET IN HIS MAJESTY’S

THEATRE

; Tho twenty-fifth anniversary of the j'auguration of the Lodge Turanganui, To. 7, United Ancient Order of Druids, ras celebrated last ovening by a banned held in His Majesty’s Theatre. lis Worship the Mayor (Bro. W. D. jysnar) presided, and there^ were about 00 brethren, visiting brethren, rejireentatives of other Orders and local Todies present. After full justice had icon done to the viands, which had teen provided by Mr. J. Erskine, the oast list was gone through. THE TOASTS. : In prouosing the toast of tho '"Grand bodge,” Bro. West,. A.D., said that he regretted that there was not a Grand Lodge representative present, but lie would ask all present to honor the toast. j Bro. S. J. Spiers briefly replied to the toast, and expressed regret .that there were no members of the Grand Lodge present. I Bro. H. J. Lockett proposed the toast of “Charter Members,” and said he felt the toast had not been left to Inn able speaker. The charter members were tho members who started the Lodge, and he was pleased to say many .were still active members. Bro.. A. Sawyer, in responding, said it might be well for those present to hear of the start of the Lodge. He ;was one of those who joined when the l Lodge first started, and he had never had £1 out of the Lodge since then, | having been fortunate as to have never \ been laid up. The. start of the Druids’ Lodge had been made by Bro. Cassin, who, when, ho came to Gisborne, found a few young fellows, and got them togeI ther, and so started the Juodge. When ; first formed the Lodge had 12 members, {•and these all took office in turn. It I meant those who attended tho first [' meetings had often to put their hands ' in their pockets to subscribe to the appeals that came in, and had to bear the brunt of the financial start. His Worship the Mayor proposed the toast of “Lodge Turanganui,” and m I congratulating tho members of the Lodge on their "silver jubilee, said that he thought the position of the Lodge was one to be proud of, and the gatlicr- \ fug of the’ evening was most approi priate and one to be encouraged, for it was necessary that the public should ; know the good deeds of, the (adi, vantages of, such a Lodge. Lro. Sawyer had said the Lodge had staitcd I with 12 members, but How the memf hershio was over 400, and-the Lodge j had securities valued at £SOOO. The j Lodge’s sick pav for the last two years j had averaged £2OO a year, independent | of medicine and doctors’ fees; but the f interest on the securities had paid all l that account, leaving the funds of 'the f Lodge, free to he of help to members in many ways, for the Lodge had often helped members to get a start iu life, I, and such money applied had never been 1 a. trust misplaced. He did not thin’ic a member of a Lodge should use tne l benefits to his advantage without need. [; It was the duty of a married man to be a member of a Lodge, and it va.s al- ! ways prudent for a single man to be a S ■ member. In case of sickness a member j got £1 a week, and if he was a hospital f patient his fees, were paid by the Lodge. The deafli 'allowance for members was £2O, and for a. member’s wire I; £lO, and all for subscriptions that • '.amounted to only £3 I.os a year, lhe T Lodo-e had often helped members m ! difficulties, and had sent one member I to London to get medical treatment that could not be obtained ill ; the Do- \ . minion. ’i He (the speaker) was proud to be an honorary member of tlio Lodge | and to be able to extend sympathy aud perhaps aid tci any member who might | need it. He hoped the Lodge would continue on to do its good work in the district for many’times 25 years. (Ap- | 1)1 The "toast was enthusiastically drunk with all the honors. , Bro. G. E. Barton, secretary to the Lodo-e. who replied to the toast, said I h 0 had to thank those present for the ( wav they had honored tlio toast. It ! was pleasing to him and to the officers ! of the .Lodge to he able to say that Lodge Turanganui had weathered the storm for 25 years, and was now in a more flourishing condition than it hacl even been. He did not wish to worry those present with figures, but he ' would say, in spite of the enor- ; mous benefits that members received, ' tho Lodge -was in .a, most flourishing condition. Some years ago the ofßj cers expressed the- hope that the Image (•'" would be able to meet all sick pay out \ of interest, and he was proud to say that such was now being done. The l amount of interest, received by the Lodge last year was £238 7s, while the ' sick’pay for the same period only am- ' I ©anted to £lB7 Is. A glance at the | balance-sheet would show that' in 1884 the Lodge started without any funds, | and in 1904 had accumulated funds to the value of £25(58, and during ’ the. past five years had doubled that am- ■ mint, so that the funds now amounted f to over £SOOO. The success was most gratifying to the members who had launched the. ship of Lodge Turanganui. They were proud the Lodge was j. successful, for it was an object lesson of what could he done by combination, and ho was sure that if the people knew the. noble work of. the. Lodge • there would be few outside its ranks. If he had his way he would have the Ledge meet in the open, and the public and press admitted to tho meetings. He •.was.aware that secrecy and regalia had a great attraction for some people, but to his mind it was unnecessary. Friendly Societies, robbed of their "mummery, wero business concerns, and were conducted on business lines. They had great benefits to confer on tho community, and tho community should in every possible way bo made aware of these benefits, and be allowed to participate in them.- The vast amount of suffering and distress relieved by Friendly Societies was only an index of the untold sufferings that might have been relieved hud tho scope o! these societies been ’widened. The health'of “Past Officers’” was proposed by Bro. It. T. Seymour, who said the Lodge had been fortunate in always having officers that looked to the interests of the members. » Bros. P. Maher and Pi. Johnston suitably replied. 8r0...-Maher stated that he had received da telegram from Bro. Neenan, whose name was coupled -with-the toast, stating that he regret- • ted he wa-s unable to be present. “The. Friendly Societies’ Conference” was proposed by Bro. H. E. Bright, who said that, while the Tu- - xanganui Lodge had-done-good. work. L the members must not be unmindful of tlie work done by other Lodges. ■The Friendly Societies’ Conference; bv a combination of Lodges, had given dge members a free hospital, and ■nv other advantages. Ibe work of r Conference, liaddbccn most success-:' ass BUS l > * ■

fu], and he asked t-hoso present to honor the toast.

■ In response, Bro. C. F. Lewis (Foresters) said ho was proud to he. president of tho Confer,enco, and was doubly proud because he had been erected twice to tho position. Every Lodge had done its best towards relieving and mi.lting humanity. (Applause.) One aim of the Conference was to give free admission to the hospital. They also discussed various things they considered of benefit to Lodges. There were , lots -of objects wihch might arise in lodge work which were discussed, and enlightenment came in a good many cases. The secretary had said there was too much business, and he agreed with him. They were hoarding up money. There was ono black blot in the Society—the want of a superannuation scheme; but he was sure a superannuation scheme was coming, it having been discussed at both the conferences. He had joined -a' lodge because he thought it was a good thing, and he was as keen to-day as then. They, nover knew when adversity might overtake them, and should always make provision for it. He had heard numbers of people- say they would not join a friendly society because the doctors slighted lodge patients, but he was sure this was not a fact, as he had been a member for 24 years, and had never hoard of any case of tho kind. Ho hoped that tho time would come when the Friendly Societies would be cemented in ono great body. Bro. IT. Mi Ter proposed the toast of “Public Bodies,” and pointed out the scarcity of young men who took an interest m the affairs of local "politics. The interests of local affairs •should not bo left to older men, who wore liable t-o become conservative in their opinions. Tho men who sat on public bodies should take a lesson from tlio good feeling that existed between the various lodges, the willingness to help each other, and to unite in undertakings for., the benefit of tho whole of the district. Ho hoped that in future tho members of the various local bodies would work with broader minds for the progress of Poverty Bay. •' In replying to the toast, the Mayor said he would admit that the duties of public bodies were great, but the electors had the greatest power,, in being able to cast their votes to return tho members to office. A false step by a public body might reflect back on the community for years; and it was tho duty of the ratepayers to return men who would spend their money wisely. He would ask Bro. Miller to accept the assurance that there- was no bickering on the present Borough Council, and he had had the assurance of members •of the Council that there would be no such thing. The members of the- Council were doing solid work, and had even sat until 3 o’clock in the morning to transact solid business for the ratepayers —(laughter)—and not one Councillor had advanced arguments merely to waste time. The borough was now able to get an abundant supply of gravel for the bye-streets, and he hoped it would not be long before there would be. an abundant supply of metal from the Gentle Annie quarry. They were living in. a progressive age, and progress must be made. The ratepayers must loose their purses, and stand to the Council on the road loan aud the ‘drainage loan. To reject the drainage loan would be a reflection on the town and unon,tho ratepayers. In reference to tho inner harbor, lie believed that dredging would never remove the difficulties, and that the only solution of the difficulty was an outer.harbor. The Board was buying a dredge that would require a- depth of lift 9in of water, while the river only had a depth of 7ft. As long as the Harbor Board was constituted as at present money would be frittered away on the river, but he hoped the time was not far. distant when Gisborne would have an outer harbor that tlie people would be proud of. The; toast of “Kindred Societies” was proposed by Bro. W. J- TVhinray, and responded to by Bros. Sim, Pool, and Gray, representing the Manchester Unity 1.0.0. F„ Foresters, and the American Constitution 1.0.0. F. respectively. .In proposing the toast of-“ Commercial Interests,” Bro. TV. Lissant Clayton said he felt that he was lacking in information as to facts and figures of the commerce of Poverty Bay, and his remarks would) consequently be brief. The commercial interests of the district were 'bound lip with the commercialism of the Dominion, of Australia, and of the Empire as a whole; and ho hoped that the day was not far off when the people would aspire to freetrade within the Empire for the arts of commercialism were the paramount interests in the desti.nies of the Empire. The English people were a free pcm pie with liberty to think, freedom of conscience and patriotism such as no other nation knew. That patriotism had been/ shown by the offer of a Dreadnought to the Motherland, and •had -raised those little islands of Great Britain to be paramount above all nations. These benefits ha‘d not only been attained by the arts of war, but, by the interests of commercialism. In the matter of wealth there was no Empire that could approach England. 'What had England to fear? England had the wealth and the hearts of men to keep England the most powerful nation in the preservation of the roacq of tho world. The annual! income of the people of Britain alone was £1,800,000,000, while Australia was third on tho list of wealthy countries in proportion’ to population. Britons were a nation of patriots, not an emotional people, -but with an indissoluble bond of unity that had been mainly responsible for: the commercial instincts of the rcae. He hoped the Empire would .remain the leader of thought, tlie leader of peace, and the leader of all nations in all that was good for mankind. (Applause.) ■ , V- - Mr. TV. J. Hcnnessy briefly responded to the -toast.

Dr. Collins, in a brilliant and patriotic' speech, proposed “Defence,” and the toast av-as honored with cheers, -and the singing of “Rule Britannia.” Captains Beere, C. He’.lier Evans, and A. Zachariah responded.

- Other toasts honored were: —“The 'Medical Profession,” proposed by Bro. E. G. Matthews, and responded to by Dr. Scott ; “The Ladies,” proposed by 'Tiro. TV. Ogden, and responded to' by Bro. E. D. Smith; and “The Press,” proposed by Air. J. It. Kirk, and responded to by the representatives present. . .

During tlie evening songs were sung by Captain Zachariah, Messrs A. Sten-•ncr;-AlcClymont, Brownlee, and E. D. Smith ; -a. recitation, was given by Dr. Scott, and a flute solo by Air. Vita-; while Mr. J. H. Dittos acted as accompanist. -v * The singing of tlie National Anthem brought the banquet to a close.