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] NEWENT POLICE COURT.

MUCH MARCLE.

NEWENT.

I COlWALL ODDFELLOWS' DINNER.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

I COlWALL ODDFELLOWS' DINNER. On Thursday nights the Loyal Persever- ance Lodge of Oddfellows held their 38th anniversary dinner at the Oddfellows' Hall, under the chairmanship of the Right Hon. J W Wilson, M. P. for North Worcester- shire, who resides at Perrycroft, Co1wall. Mr WTilson was supported by Captain A V Holman (vice-chairman), Hon. Bro A 0 Bridgman, Messrs F H Rudgard, T W Wall, G H T Foster, D A G Birchley, A T Waters, Prov G.M. C Davis, Prov D.G.M. T W Staples, and Prov C.S. Thos Norris. Amongst the large company present were P.P.G.M. G W Mason (Lygon Lodge), P.P.G.M.'s S Pugh and H W Allen, P.G.'s T Tyler, G Hitchings, J King, H A Hitchings, C Thomas, A Pedlingham, A Wharton, T Berry, G Williams, N.G., G Farley, Bros S Jones, F Farley, F Freeman, W Wood, A Jones, F Vale; Messrs W James, T A Pedlingham, J Armstrong, Thos. Arm- strong, W Summers, T Hill, A Holbrook, G Carter, J Swaithe, H E Hanson, T Potter, A Rogers, W H Grun ly, E Rogers, E Bailey, A G Allen, A Brierley, etc. P.P.G.M. M J Powell and Mrs Powell served an excellent dinner, at the conclusion of which The Chairman gave the loyal toast, which was duly honoured. Apologies for non-attendance were an- nounced from Dr. Hamilton-Williams, Hon. Bro 0 N Holt-Needham, P.G. W Bowen, Bro B Marshall, and Captain Percy Clive, M.P., who bad a previous engagement. P.G. A T Waters submitted the toast of the Manchester Unity and District Officers." and said that the whole attention of the Board of Directors had been taken up during the last year by the National Insur- ance Act, and he thought it was one of the finest assets of the nation that they had such a body of men as the Board of Directors of the Manchester Unity, who were paying almost hourly attention to the working of the Insurance Act, trying to find its defects and trying to find the remedies. It was through such bodies as the Board of Directors of the Unity that reforms which were necessary in the Insurance Act would come, and make the Act as acceptable to the nation as they wished it to be. (Hear, hear). Successive bodies of directors during the last 100 years had built up a friendly society such as the world bad never seen either in the extent of its membership or its accumulated funds- (hear, bear)—and it must be satisfactory to them that during the last year it had enrolled more members on the State side and on the voluntary side than any of their friendly rivals. One other thing which must give them intense satisfaction was that at the ninth valuation, which had just been completed, and was most thorough, it was found that the liabilities of the M. U. amounted to £ 27,669,350 and the net deficiency of that huge sum, which they could not possibly realise, was £ 32,852, so that for all practical purposes they were in the positiop of complete solvency, and the small deficit was virtually wiped out by the realised reserve. That was a balance-sheet tbev could submit with confidence to the Right Hon. gentleman, who had honoured them by being their chairman that night, and whom as fellow-parishioners they revered and respected as much as his fellow- members of the House of Commous, over whose committee work he so ably presided. (Loud applause). He coupled with the toast. the name of Prov G.M. C Davis. (Applause). Prov G.M. Davis, in responding, said the friendly society movement was passing through a very critical period in its history and despite all that could be said in con- nection with the Insurance Act, the Man- chester Unity was still holding its own. (Applause) He gave, facts and figures re- lating to the membership and payments for sick benefit bearing out this statement, men- tioning that they increased the membership of the Malvern district to the extent of 320. Under the State section during the year 1913 they paid £ 1,443 10s 5d in sick pay and £ 180 in maternity benefits. The Insurance Act had not done anything detrimental to the interests of the Unity, but it would take all the energy that it was posible for any of them to give to work might and main for the interest of the M.U. in the future and more especially with regard to the voluntary section. (Applause.) The Chairman ga\e the toast of Success to the Loyal Perseverance Lodge," and said he had always taken a great interest in friendly Society work, but never more than in the last year or two, when it had been brought to assist in spreading the benefits of friendly society work to a very much larller men of membership than was ever contemplated years ago. Proceeding he entered into some of the past history of Odd- fellows, which he said dated back to 1745, when they were the great pioneers of insur- ance for unemployment, and the lodges furnished permits as their members tramped the country in search of work. They went on until the year 1810, when the Manchester Unity was started, and from that time for- ward the movement had grown until now they bad the pride of looking at the move- ment in its strength, not only in this country, but in the United States and Canada and almost all the great colonies of this vast Empire, as well as many of the great continental countries of Europe. The spirit of mutual help on which the whole friendly society movement was based had gone on widening and widening until in the last few years they had seen it widen- ing more than it ever did before. It was not only that they went into the movement for what they could get out of it, but in the the true human spirit for what they conld give to others in more difficult circumstances. (Applause.) In that they had the basis of the great friendly society movement, the voluntary aid and comradeship of it. It was that voluntary work that produced so many earnest workers who .gave their time and labour and life-blood almost for their fellows. He for one was very jealous that the exten- sion of it in the Insurance Act, which bad been alluded to. should no wise eclipse, diminish or discourage the voluntary side of these great friendlv societies. (Applause.) In the past they had been pioneers of that work, which as it progressed in the countries of the world they found taken up and widened by the greater powers and financial aid of the State. He hoped that it would never be in danger and that they would always realise if they gave money to spend themselves with it. That was the human spirit which drew them all together on those occasions, and when their lodgea met to see how most effectively they could help distressed brethren over difficulties which burrounded them. The friendly societies in the work they did were doing a great national work which bad been recognised by the State and was showing to them that work extended. The figures they had had given them showed how the friendly society movement was increasing and extending in a much wider circle and they hoped it was tending towards greater solvency and greater good throughout the length and breadth of the land, and making the usefulness of these societies greater and more effective. It would be, an ill day for this country when the State bad to do entirely what the friendly societies were doing voluntarily. The spirit of self-help vanished entirely when the State came in. They wanted that individual loyalty to a particular lodge or society to continue and it was on that account that hon. members were only too glad to render what small help they could in encouragement of this great movement. As their local poet, Mr Masefield, had said, "Let us laugh and battle and work." They wanted to laugh heartily with one another, enjoy good sound refreshment and recreation, and in their lodge meetings to make them better and work for their livelihood, and battle against the evil around them, and it was that spirit which one wished to bid God-speed to. (Applause.) In conclusion he expressed the hope that they might all increasingly know the value of comradeship in their lives, while realising the value of care and independence and self-help. (Applajse.) He coupled with the toast the name of P.P.G.M. H W Allen, per. sec. of the lodge. (Applause) Per. Sec. Allen said for the 12th year in succession he responded to the toast. The Loyal Perseverance" Lodge continued most successfully to carry out the work for which it was started and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to have P.P.G.M. Geo Mason, who was instrumental in starting the lodge, on his left. The year 1913 had been most arduous and exacting in many ways, and the lodge had loyally stuck to its work as a fr; idly society. On the voluntary side they lit paid £316 in sickness benefits, an averag of 11 10s per member of the lodge. To those people who were opposed to the principle of accumulative society wot king he would point out that that sum was some- thing like .£80 over the contributions from members. Were it not for the fact that men like r P.G.M. Mason invested their funds at a reas aable benefit some of their members would now be whistling for the benefits they were entitled to. Under the Insurance Act they paid out Y,120 8s 5d in sick benefits and X12 in maternity benefits, so that made a total of E464 paid out by the lodge during the year. That showed they were not unsuccessful in carrying out the work for which the lodge was formed. They had a membership of rather more than 200 in the voluntary side and C215 on the State section. They had increased more on the State section than the voluntary section, as every member automatically became an insured person at the age of 1G years, but these youths who had joined the State section would ultimately become members of the voluntary section. He impressed upon the brethren the necessity of doing their level best to increase their membership. (Applause.) Hon Brethren and Visitors" was proposed by Bro G Williams, and ably responded to by Mr Bridgeman (Malvern) and Mr G H T Foster. The healths of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman (Mr Holman) were given by P.P.G.M. S Pugh, who spoke in high terms of Mr Wilson's work as chairman of the committee who had charge of the Insurance Amendment Act last summer, and also of the local labours of Mr Holman. The Chair- man, who was received with musical honours, asked the company not to look upon him as a politician or M.P., but just simply as a friend and neighbour. Mr Holman thanked the company for the cordiality with which they had received his name. Host and Hostess," was given by Vice-Grand Farley, and acknowledged by Host P.P.G.M. M J Powell, and God Save the King brought to a fiuish one of the most successful meetings in the history of the lodge. During the evening songs or recitations were contributed by Messrs Rudgard, Brier- ley, Jones, Penfold, Staples, and Davies.

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