CHURCH OF ENGLAND MEETING.

The annual meeting of the parishioners of Trinity Church was held in the Native Court House on Saturday evening. 'J'he meeting was largely attended, but there was not that dignified tone about the proceedings which might have been expected on such an occasion. The Bey Mr Jordan, clergyman of the parish, presided, and opened the meeting with prayer, after which the business was com 1 . menced by the reports being read, of which, the following is a synopsis, Mr George Gardiner obligingly acting as secretary to the meeting : — BEPOBT OF THE OHUECH VESTBY FOE THE YEAB ENDING JULY, 1876. The report of the retiring vestry contained a very comprehensive statement of church matters during their term of office, relating principally to the debts incurred for building the church and the mode of repaying them, and to the refusal of the Church Missionary Society to continue the grant of £50 per annum towards the minister's stipend. With reference to the salary of £300 voted for the Bey O. Jordan there was a deficit of £40 at the end of the first haltiyear. The vestry return thanks in their report to Mrs Archi deacon Brown for the presentation of a hand • gome communion service for the use of Trinity Church; to the Rev JUr Spencer for a large bible and prayer book ; to Mrs Hulme for her kind services in playing the harmonium, and to the members of the choir for their valuable assistance ; to the Sunday school teachers, and to those ladies at present engaged in carrying out the arrangements necessary for holding a bazaar, the proceeds of which are to be_applicd after paying off the . arrears of patfSonage rent, to paying for church furniture, and towards laying out the ground forming the church site. BUILDING PUND ACCOUNT, Receipts. £• s. d. From balance, building fund, and annual subscriptions, seat rents, and special offertory 221 8 1 Loan— Henry Clarke, Esq. „. 50 0 0 „ Bey H. Burrows ... 500 0 0 Donation— Society for the Propo T gation of Christian Knowledge 45 0 0 £816 8 1 Expenditure, £ s, d. Paid overdraft 80 11 9 „ Lundon and Con way, com tractors ... ... ... 635 18 6 „ Eev Mr Burrows, first im stalment ... 25 0 0 „ Other expenses „. ... 819 8 Balance credit Bank of New Zealand 65 18 2 £816 8 1 CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS (CASH AND CHUECH ACCOUNT 2) k Receipts. £ s. d. To balance credit & from offertory account 30 18 8 „ Proceeds of Entertainment, November, 1875 12 10 1 „ Proceeds of Lecture, Mr Reos 2 6 0 „ Bank overdraft 36 19 9 £82 14 6 Expenditure. £ s. d. By Church furniture 32 8 6 „ All sundry expenses ... 45 16 7 „ Refund to offertory account... 4 "6 7 „, CiaMnhand .... ... 0. 210 £82 34 6

OFFERTOIiY ACCOUNT. Receipts. £ s. d. To cnsli in hand 4 16 0 „ (. ffertoiy from July 18; 1875, to July 9, 1876 180 11 5 „ Voluntary subscriptions ... 20 0 0 „ Guarantee money ... ' .„ 615 4 „ Refund fronx contingent account ... ... ... 4 6 7 £216 9 4 Expenditure. , £ s. d. By paid to the Bey Mr Jordan from June 24, 1875, to date 196 16 6 >, Paid contingent accounts ... 19 12 10 £216 9 4 Building fund subscriptions un* paid to date £19 3 0 Annual list subscriptions unpaid to date £13 18 6 Seat rents unpaid to 14th Nov., 1875 £24 5 0 ME HAMIOBA TU'S EIGHT TO VOTE. Considerable delay was caused by a discussion as to whether Mr Hamiora Tv should be allowed to vote (Mr Tv having signed the parishioners' book) to which the Bey Mr Jordan objected, as Mr Tv was not a resident in the parish, and as a Maori was not entitled to the functions of a parishioner. Mr Edgcumbe, Mr Firth Wrigley, and Mr J. C. Young pointed out that as a member of the Church of England, Mr Tv was fully entitled to vote. These gentlemen strongly advocated the claim of Mr Tv to take part in the proceedings. Captain Tovey considered that the only grounds upon which Mr Tv could be objected to wero that he did not reside in the parish. Mr Edgcumbe remarked that the boundaries of the parish were not defined, ergo, Captain Tovey's remark went for nothing. It was finally resolved that Mr Tv should exercise a vote, and in order to test the right of aboriginal natives to vote at Church meetings, if as in the case of Mr Tv they were ratepayers in the parish or district, Mr Edgcumbe gave notice of his intention to refer the question to the Standing Committee. ADOPTION OP BEPOBTS. It was carried on the proposition of Captain Tu'nks seconded by Mr Goldsmith, " That the Report and accounts as read be passed." ELECTION OF CHUBCHwABDESS AND VESTBY' MEN. The Eev Mr Jordan had great pleasure in nominating Captain Tunks as his Church warden for the ensuing year. Mr J, C. Young proposed and Mr Firth Wrigley seconded Mr William Kelly as parishioners' Oharchwarden. Mr Edgcumbe had no objection to Mr Kelly as Churchwarden, but thought that consider' ing the number of years Mr Sheath had filled the office, and the admirable manner in which he had performed the duties, there was no reason why any gentleman should be elected in his place. He had therefore great plenßure in proposing Mr Sheath as parish ioners' Churchwarden, Mr Hulme seconded the proposition. The votes having been taken for Mr Sheath and Mr William Kelly, Mr Sheath obtained the majority, and was declared by the chairman to be elected. (Applause). It was decided by the meeting, on the proposition of Mr Pheath, that the Vestry should consist of five members, exclusive of the Churchwardens. Messrs McKollar, AUerly, William Kelly, Captain Tovey,and Messrs Hulme, Armstrong, and W. H. Bennet, were proposed. The question was asked as to what constituted the necessary qualification of a vestryman. The Chairman said it was necessary. that a vestryman should be a communioawt, but it did not signify whether in the parish or else« where. A show of hands was taken for the gentlemen proposed as vestrymen, with the following result : — Mr William Kelly, 36 ; Mr MoKellar, 33 ; Mr Armstrong, 33 ; Mr Hulme, 28; Mr Allerly, 26; Captain Tovey, 22; Mr W. H. Bennet, 22. The first five gentle' men were accordingly declared elected. AUDITOBS. The retiring Auditors, Messrs Bradley and Gardiner, were re-elected. PABOCHIAL TRUSTEES. Mr J, C. Yoang moved, and it was seconded, " That the appointment of Trustees should be postponed pending the decision of the meeting on a motion that he wished to make relative to the parish being transferred to the Auckland diocese." Mr Sheath moved " That the election should proceed," and his proposition that Mr Herbert, W. Brabant and Mr William Kelly should be appointed Trustees, was carried and those gentlemen declared elected. ANNEXATION OP THB PABISH TO THE AUCKLAND DIOCESE. Mr J. C .Young moved,"That this meeting is of opinion that it is desirable to have this parish transferred from the diocese of Waiapu and annexed to that of Auckland, and that the vestry be requested to carry out this resoltf 1 tion." Mr Young pointed out the advantages which the change would effect. Mr Firth Wrigley seconded the resolution, wbioh was carried unanimously. GEEEETON PAEISHIONEES. Relative to the deficit in the clergyman's stipend, mentioned in the report, Captain Tovey said ho thought that as the Greerton parishioners took an important part in the proceedings of the meetings, and as they derived the benefit of the clergyman's mims> tration, they should contribute according to their means towards his stipend, He would therefore propose, " That the offertory col> lecled at the Sunday afternoon services at Greerton should be handed over to the Churchwardens and reckoned in the account." The Rev Mr Jordan eaid he objected to any interference in this matter on the part of the Churchwardens, as the afternoon services at Greerton were purely voluntary on his part. Mr S Earl hoped that if Mr Jordan had to account for the small sum the Greerton residents were able to give him, he would cease his Sunday afternoon services at Greertdn. THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE CHUBCH. hi' ln reply to Mr Firth Wrigloy, Captain Tovey stated that the amount of the debt on the Church was £600 ; the amount of interest, £40 per annum, and that a sum of £50 had to be paid annually off the amount of £500 borrowed from the Rev R. Burrowß. The revenue from pew rents was about £120, and any balance over at the end of the year went to the sinking fund to pay off the debt on the church. THE INDUCTION OP THE BET MB JOEDAN AS INCUMBENT. Mr. Maxwell asked what steps had been

taken by (lie Trstry towards Hie induction of the Key Mr Jordan 1 as Incumbent of the parish, in accordance with a resolution passed in 1875. . The Rev Mr Jordan road a letter from the Bishop of Waiapu on tho subject, but the information given in reply to Mr Maxwell was verj indefinite, the fact remaining that the matter was no further advanced than it was before the resolution alluded to was passed. Mr J. C. Young, following up Mr Max' well's remarks, asked the reverend gentleman if he considered himself incumbent of the parish. The Rev Mr Jordan replied that Mr Young asked him a " regular puzzler," but he be> lieved he was so constituted that he could not be removed without his own sanction. In a letter he received from the Bishop of Waiapu, the Bishop advised him to be more courteous to two " autocratic parishioners," and all would go well. He would, however, really like to know his position. If anyone in the room had anything to say against him, let him come forward and do so face to face. An ominous pause in the proceedings here ensued, and as no one appeared desirous of speaking, Mr J. C. "Soung asked the Rev Mr Jordan if there were no questions he would like to ask the parishioners. The Eev Mr Jordan said there were many questions he would like to bring forward, but as he was personally interested in them he felt a certain amount of diffidence. Be thought, however, there were many matters in connection with parochial affairs that the vestry might have taken notice of in their Report, among which he would refer to the Sunday afternoon services, held by the Eev Mr Burrows at the Mission Ohapel, during his visit to Tauranga, which he considered that gentleman had no right to conduct, especially as he had offered him (through the vestry) the pulpit in Trinity Church. THE EEYEBEND ME JOBDAN'S STATUS. Mr Edgcumbe remaked en passant that he spoke advisedly when he said that the Rev R. Burrows hod a perfect right to bold Divine service in the Mission Ohapel, but it was not to argue this point that he rose to address the meeting. He considered the result of the meeting most unsatisfactory with regard to one of its principal objects — the decision as to the status of the minister, and if no definite conclusion was arrived at at once, the meeting would diesolve as three previous annual meetings had done, with -matters remaining in the unsatisfactory state which produced the feeling of disunion now existing among the parishioners. It was much better to take the bull by the horns and fairly face the question— whether it was the wish of the parishioners to retain the Rev Mr Jordan as olergyman of the parish or not j as, if it was decided that Mr Jordan should be retained as minister, it was only right that the nominators should have him at once' inducted incumbent of the parish, If the nominators failed to do their duty, other gentlemen should be appointed. He would therefore suggest that in order to put an end to the present unpleasant position, the vote of the parish' ioners on the question should be taken by ballot on some future day to be named by this meeting. Mr Edgeuiube a-sured the Rev Mr Jordan that in making this suggestion he only acted for the reverend gentleman's good, and to put an end to the uncomfortable position at present occupied by him, as otherwise the siime unsettled state of affairs might go on for ever, year after year, (Hear, hear), a state of things alike inconvenient to the clergyman and discreditable to the Church. Mr Jordan only existed in Tauranga on sufferance ; he might at any time be called upon by a vote of the parishioners to, ceaee his ministration, and any other clergyman had as much right to preach in Trinity Church as he, if asked to do so. It was this state of uncertainty that be (Mr Edgcumbe) wished to see cleared away, and if his suggestion that a ballot of • parishioners be taken to decide whether Mr Jordan should go away, or be inducted as incumbent of the parish be adopted, the nominators must most distinctly understand that the parishioners will expect them to nominate Mr Jordan, and if they then still refrained from so doing, they should be hunted from the parish, and ho would make one to assist in hunting them. (Applause.) The Eev Mr Jordan said he would have no objection to the ballot, as he was sure that those who had supported him before would support him again. Ho thanked Mr Ed^ cumbe for what he had paid. He might remark, however, that he was not in Trinity Church " on sufferance," but was the licensed clergyman of tho European population of Tau.. ranga. Mr Edgcumbe regretted that the expression "on Bufferance " appeared offensive to Mr Jordan, nevertheless he must, with all due respect, repeat the ugly truth, that Mr Jordan was here merely on sufferance. A long discussion on Mr Edgcumbe'a sugestion ensued, and at tho conclusion the Rev Mr Jordan agreed to stand or fall by the ballot, with the understanding that if it decided in his favor, those of the parishioners who were now opposed to him would unite to support him. (Hear, hoar.) The reverend gentleman informed tho meeting that he had in his pocket an appointment to a parish, with a salary of £300 a«year and parsonage, but he would not leave Tauranga until he was sent away by the parishidners. Mr Bradley considered the way in which certain people had treated Mr Jordan was simply disgraceful ; he was glad the ballot was decided upon. He assured the reverend gentleman of the favor he was held in by a large section of tho parishioners, and said that he was perfectly certain the result of tho poll wonld be in Mr Jordan's favor. Mr Jordan was a graduato of a university, and should hava received better treatment. j Mr Jordan rose and Baid, " Yes, and he might say more — he might say that ha was the only graduate in the diocese of Waiapu, and there were only two in the diocese of Auckland." (Hear, hear.) Mr William Kelly moved, " That a meeting be called in a months' time, at 7 o'clock in the evening, to decide by ballot whether tho Rev Mr Jordan is to be inducted incumbent of the parish or not, and that due notice be given of the meeting." The resolution was carried almost nnann mously 5 and relative to the notice to be given, Mr Edgourobe offered to advertise the meeting in the Bay of Plenty Times free of cost. Mr Goldsmith said he had voted against the motion as a large number of parishioners came to the church meetings and carried everything before thorn, who really took no interest in churoh matters; this class could carry everything before them ; they had voted £300 for the minister's salary ? bat ho spoLe

advisedly when ho said that the persons who had carried the resolution had done nothing towards making up the amonnt, Mr Goldsmith also remarked thut tho ladies, who were largely int erected in the question at issue, were unable to affeot tho result by taking part in the proceedings. A few general remarks having been made by Mr William Kelly aud the Rev Mr Jor dan, the meeting was closed with a prayer.