Show ODD FELLOWS GRAND LODGE members attend in a drenching rain in detroit membership of the order ha increased during the past year financial condition of the lodges made public detroit sept IS sovereign grand officers grand lodge and grand encampment camp ment officials sad various other functionaries function aries of the independent order of odd felloes Fel lovs walked to the opening session of the seventy fifth meeting of the order today through a drenching rain they were escorted from headquarters tho hotel cadillac to the detroit opera house where public reception exercises held by the military cantonments canton ments of the order present in the city arriving in front of the theatre the patriarchs militant stood in line with swords at present while umbrella bearing sovereigns and state officers and delegates to the sovereign grand lodge and tha michigan grand lodge filed past in pairs and entered the proceedings opened with orchestral music on the stage were sovereign grand sire and grand officer and those who were to voice the welcomes governor pingree was unable to appear on account of illness and mayor murphy welcomed the visitors on be halt of the city and state of odd fellowship the mayor said it was one 0 the first it not the first society to make men brothers and to make my neighbor the man who needs me and Is deserving of my help john alfred pinkerton grand sire responded to the welcome after which the sovereign grand lodge representatives proceeded to harmony hall where the first business session was held grand sire pinkerton made his annual report to the sovereign grand lodge mr pinkerton said december 31 last our subordinate lodge membership was and the number of sisters enrolled in the re lodges numbered referring to the action of the lodge mr pinkerton said the great source of our financial life is in the income derived from the sale of supplies it has never been our object to accumulate money nor lias intentional extra been indulged in still as a rule our expenditures exceed our revenues and a continuance of such a condition can have but one result I 1 believe that biennial sessions of the sovereign grand lodge or a fixed place of meeting will solve the question the seeming remedy Is A reduction in the sum paid tor mileage appended to the report were reports on the condition of the order in europe japan hawaii south america alaska and northwest canada grand secretary grants was a very voluminous report the secretary reported encouraging increases in both the sovereign lodge and the rebekah A small decrease was reported in the encampment branch smaller however than in any other of several years past another evidence of progress during the year said the secretary Is found in the unusually large list of supplies list in japan new found land abo netherlands and alaska eight charters have been asked for the number of foreign grand lodge reports la increased to the secretary gave the following summary of the condition of the order dec 31 1898 sovereign grand lodges one independent grand lodges five australia denmark sweden germany and switzerland subordinate grand lodges 65 subordinate grand encampments encamp ments 55 subordinate lodges subordinate encampments encamp ments lodge members encampment members rebekah lodges members of rebekah lodges tho whole increases in all branches of the lodges for the year was the report showed tho expenditures by lodges to be relief by encamp menta and by rebekah lodges making total of the total expenses of subordinate lodgaa figures tho revenue of subordinate lodgaa amounted to total 8 the total amount of funds |