The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-25

L ht ltpuIl OL the STdnQ reCOTueT
Jessie c. Gum. showed that Zephyl
lodge No. 25 had surrendered its char
ter; that the beneficiary membership
numbered 776 on July 81, 1898 and s.
new members had been added since
together with IA reinstated, making g
total of 1893. from which is deducted
suspensions, IL; withdrawn by card. 20
and deaths, 4; maxim ga net gain of .:
for the year.
1898, numbered 1885, and on Aug. l.
1899, 1854, showing a loss of 2O2. All
but two of the lodges have beneficiary
members. Edna lodge No. % was con-
solidated with Alpha lodge No. A. and
Hunter lodge No. q surrendered its
charter July IS. Sunshine lodge was
organized at Winston June o. 1899.
The report continues as follows:
The efforts of the grand lodge Off
GERS and deputies have been this year
to try and retain the membership. We
find it hard work with so many COM
peting orders and the Indifference of
many of the officers of the lodges to
keep some of our lodges together at
all.
We have had four deaths since our
grand lodge last met. and each of these
claims being $1,000. there has had to be
six beneficiary assessments levied to
pay Them and Aug. / the reserve fund
assessment was levied, and is now be-
ing collected; this last assessment, of
course. will not show in the tables, as
the books are closed July so. l would
like to state here that the female men,
bers who were 40 years or over on Jan.
! and had received their C. BIS be-
fore Aug. l, 1894, are the only ones
who were exempt from the reserve as
sessment.
TT has been hard to get all these
things thoroughly Strengthened out and
made plain so that all the recorders I'M
derstand them, and then of course there
are some who received their B. C's, say
Aug. or 5, or a few days after the
1st of August, 1894. that think it isn't
fair but some date has to be taken and
1t should be the date the assessment is
levied. No matter what month was taken
1t would shut some member out by a
few days.
The proof of death of Brother Sam
uel Trathen came to this office last
month, but as there are some differ
ences in dates from our books, it was
sent back for correction and didn't re-
turn in time to be acted on, so the
grand lodge finance committee and
grand recorder thought it best to bring
it before this grand lodge in order that
the facts of the case might be made
plain to you all. The brother was a
few days over so years old when he re-
ceived the B. c., but was not so years
at the time of examination and appro-
val We find that while all members
and officers had understood the age
limit to be so years, and even the grand
medical examiner who was appointed
for while that year had so stated it
in his report, that the minutes say the
age limit was IS years, and it stood
that way until after the meeting in
in > Il. =, 4 .-G
of honor had decided in her answers
to questions during the year before
that meeting that the age limit was so
years, and her answers were approved
by the grand lodge at Missoula.
We also find in looking up this case
of Brother Trathen's that quite a num-
Der of the dates of some of our first
beneficiary members are somewhat
mixed on the register and beneficiary
journal; we also find one other benef-
ciary certificate issued to a brother
whose age was put on the application
as 40 years at date of examination, but
who was over so years before he received
the B. c. This B. c. was also issued
before 1t was required of grand record
ers to enter the date of birth, and some
time before the classified assessment
went into effect. This latter brother is
alive, and I hope this grand lodge will
take some action that may correct or
legalize those certificates that have
been issued in good faith heretofore,
and make the dates when B. C.s go
into effect so plain that there will here
after be no trouble.
Our first few years as a beneficiary
order were somewhat of an experiment,
and there were so many dates to keep
track of and the work was so entirely
new to all, tina. l think we have been
very fortunate that thus far we have
had no trouble, and I believe it to be
for the best interest of the members
and the order in general that some ac-
ton be taken to make all beneficiary
certificates issued up to this meeting of
the grand lodge. and whose holders
have been paying their regular assess
ments in good faith, binding and in
force, even if it may be found that
there are slight differences in some of
the dates.
Our expenses last year were several
hundred dollars more than our income,
and l believe that in order to help re-
duce expenses it would be advisable to
have our grand lodge meetings only
once in two years, and to be careful in
what is ordered paid out, as our neces-
Sary expenses seem to mount UP quite
fast anyway, and our membership has
been decreasing for the last two years
We cannot go on meeting year after
year and spending more than our in
come for very long, and it is better to
meet this thing right now than to wait
until we find ourselves completely with
out funds.
My relations with grand and subor-
dinate lodge officers and members have
been very pleasant this year and /
thank all who have kindly entertained
or helped me with my work, and hope
] will be able to show them my appre-
citation and good will a all times in the
future as l have tried to in the past"
In its report the committee on laws
recommended the adoption of the con-
stitution framed for the government of
all subordinate lodges by the superior
lodge at its last annual meeting The
report was adopted and the new consti-
tuition goes into effect at once. The
business of the meeting will be con-
Guided to-day.
In Trouble Over House.