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Election of Officers
The Board has considered the provisions of
Rules 105(a) and 112(a) which deal
respectively with the election each year of a
Master and a Treasurer. Almost invariably
there is only one nomination for each office
and time has to be spent in conducting an
uncontested ballot. The changes proposed
by the Board will make for more efficiency
in the conduct of the business of the Lodge.
The Board stresses that the changes are
permissive only and that Lodges are free to
continue the current practice if they so
wish. However, the Master must take care
to ascertain that there is only one nomination
and the procedure must not be utilised if
there is an objection from any member.
Notice of Motion for the next Quarterly
Communication of the Grand Lodge: The
President of the Board of General Purposes
to move:
Amendments to the Book of Constitutions
(i) That the following sentence be added at
the end of Rule 105(a):
If there be only one nomination and if
no other member duly qualified shall have
indicated to the Secretary that he wishes to
be considered and if no member present
calls for a ballot then it shall be permissable
for the Master to declare the election in
favour of the nominated member.
(ii) That Rule 112(a) be amended to read:
(a) The Treasurer shall be elected by the
members on the regular day of election of
the Master and in the same manner.
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The MW The Grand Master with the new Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro Peter Lowndes
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Amalgamations
The Board has received reports that the
following Lodges have resolved to surrender
their Warrants: Princes Lodge No. 2316 in
order to amalgamate with Ancient Union
Lodge No. 203 (West Lancashire);
Commercial Travellers Lodge No. 3493
and Forest of Fulwood Lodge No. 6388
in order to amalgamate with Preston Guild
Lodge No. 4408 (West Lancashire);
Crompton Lodge No. 5227 in order to
amalgamate with Boltonian Lodge No. 3716
(East Lancashire); Fistral Lodge No. 6258 in
order to amalgamate with St. Michael Lodge
No. 2747 (Cornwall); Temple Manor Lodge
No. 8397 in order to amalgamate with Lee-
Kent Lodge No. 4110 (West Kent).
The Resolution that the Lodges be removed
from the register in order to effect the respective
amalgamations was approved.
Erasure of Lodges
The Board has received a report that ten
Lodges have closed and surrendered their
Warrants. The Lodges are: Stockwell Lodge
No. 1339 (London), St. George Lodge
No. 2544 (Natal), Liberty Lodge No. 3888
(West Lancashire), Anfield Priory Lodge
No. 4039 (West Lancashire), Carleton
Lodge No. 4582 (London), Culminatum
Lodge No. 5709 (London), Diaconus Lodge
No. 6410 (Surrey), White Stone Lodge
No. 7098 (London), Centenary Lodge
No. 7215 (Zimbabwe), St. Wilfrids Lodge
No. 7836 (West Lancashire).
Over recent years, the Lodges have been
unable to attract a sufficient flow of new
members and have suffered very low
attendances. The Board is satisfied that
further efforts to save them would be to
no avail and therefore has no alternative
but to recommend that they be erased.
A Resolution to this effect was approved.
In the year to 31 December, 2003, there
were no resignations from the Craft, under
Rule 277A, Book of Constitutions.
Expulsions
As required by Rule 277(a) (i) (B) and (D),
Book of Constitutions, the following list
shows Brethren expelled from the Craft on
25 December 2003 with the Lodges and
(Chapters) of which once a member:
Lawrence Patrick Martin Collins (L3468),
Nigel Paul Boxall (L7211), Kevin James
McGuigan (L551, L1538 (C551)), Anthony
Colin White (L9165), Peter Creary (L2961),
Noel Sidney Williams Jnr (L7740), Keith
Brian White (L1805, L7509, (C7069)), Allan
Arthur Green (L4644, L7645), Jeffrey Batt
(L7243), Anthony JohnGilbert (L8736, (C8736)).
Motion Pursuant to Notice
Amendments to the Book of Constitutions
The President of the Board of General
Purposes moved:
(1) That a new Rule 191(C) be inserted
as follows:
191(C) Whenever any return or form is
required by or in consequence of any Rule
of the Book of Constitutions to be submitted
to the Grand Secretary it shall be permissible
if (but only if), and to the extent that, the
Board of General Purposes from time to
time so directs for that return or form to be
submitted in such electronic format as the
Board may approve.
(2) That with effect from 1 January 2005
Rule 61(a) be amended to read:
61(a)(i) A Metropolitan Grand Master
may once a year confer Metropolitan Grand
Rank, designated by reference to the name
of his Metropolitan Area (e.g. London
Grand Rank), on Past Masters in Lodges of
his Metropolitan Area, who have rendered
long and meritorious service to the Craft in
the Metropolitan Area and are members of
the Grand Lodge in accordance with Rule 9,
to a number not exceeding one for every
complete 50 Freemasons in his Metropolitan
Area registered in the books of the Grand
Lodge on 1 September of the preceding year.
(ii) On such occasions as shall seem to him
proper either for Masonic celebration or
otherwise, the Grand Master may authorise
a Metropolitan Grand Master to confer
Metropolitan Grand Rank on an additional
number of qualified Brethren.
(iii) A Metropolitan Grand Master, to
the extent that the numbers permitted to
be appointed to Metropolitan Grand Rank
under this Rule have not been exceeded,
may confer the rank designated Metropolitan
Rank on Master Masons in Lodges of the
Metropolitan Area who have rendered long
and meritorious service to the Craft in the
Metropolitan Area, the holders of such ranks
to take precedence immediately after the
Holders of Metropolitan Grand Rank; and
any holder of Metropolitan Rank shall, in
the event that he becomes a Past Master and
thereby a member of the Grand Lodge in
accordance with Rule 9, thereupon become
a Holder of Metropolitan Grand Rank
without the need for further appointment.
(iv) A Metropolitan Grand Master may also
at his discretion and without regard to the
above limitation confer Metropolitan Grand
Rank on Past Masters in Lodges of his
Metropolitan Area who have rendered long
and meritorious service to the Craft in his
Metropolitan Area and who are Officers
(present or past) of Provincial or District
Grand Lodges or holders of Metropolitan
Grand Rank (in another Metropolitan Area)
or Overseas Grand Rank.
(v) A Metropolitan Grand Master may
annually at his discretion appoint Brethren
who already hold Metropolitan Grand Rank
or any Overseas Grand Rank, or Past
Provincial or District Grand Officers, to be
holders of Senior Metropolitan Grand Rank.
(vi) The holders of such respective ranks
shall be entitled to wear at all Masonic
meetings the distinctive regalia prescribed
under Rules 246, 249, 260, 265 and 268, but
can claim precedence as such only within
their Metropolitan Area.
The Motion was approved.
continue...
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