INVERCARGILL DISTRICT ODDFELLOWS. Th« half-yearly meeting of the In ver cargill District took place on Wednesday, at Gore, there being present — Mr Alex ander Dean, Prov. (i,M. ; Mr W. B. Scandrett, Deputy Prov. G.M. ; and tho following delegates— Messrs W. P. Porter, M. Mair, H. S. Hunter, D Anderson, T. S. Goldie, and F. G. Stone as representing the Invercargill Lodge ; Mr llimcox, Win ton Lodge ; and Mr Turnbull, representing Gore Lodge. Mr Dean, in opening the proceedings, stated that it was usual for tho presiding officer to give them a digest as it were of the progress of the Order in general. Al though old records named very early dates for the foundation of the Order, it was not till 1812 that anything definite had been done to place the Order on a Friendly Society footing, as we now understood that appellation. Their numbers on 31st December last were 543,485, the aggregate funds amounting to something over five millions, a sum that seemed enormous. In referring to the state of the District, he found, and had to complain of Lodges not sending in their returns and balance-sheets within the required date, and he had in flicted a fine of 10s on three out of the four Lodges in the District. The total number of members, however, was 400 who were good on the books, and a few above that who could qualify again by payment of arrears. The Lodgo balance-sheets w«re ex amined and approved, after which the levies on each fund were fixed at Is per member. The nomination of officers to be elected at the annual meeting, to take place in March, 1882, was then proceeded with, Mr W. B. Scandrett being named for the office of Prov. G.M., and Me33rs Goldie, Crisp, Eldred, Garmson, Storie, McKillop, D. Smith, and C. W. Peck for Deputy Prov. G.M. It was announced that Mr John Taylor, the Prov. C.S., wished to retire from that office at the close of the year, and Mr W. P. Porter was nominated. Two notices uf motion from Lodges relative to the hour of meeting were con sidered, with the result that the District law was amended, enabling each District meeting to fix the hour for opening the next 'half-yearly meetiug. 