EVENING SESSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 253, 25 October 1893, Page 2

EVENING SESSION.

The Synod resumed ab 7 o'clock,

CENTRAL DIOCESAN FUND.

Mr Kensington, in opening the discussion on the report of the Commission appointed to consider the Central Diocesan Fund, pointed out that the Synod was not asked to commit itself to anything rash. He contended thab tho scheme submitted, while perhaps requiring amendment in detail, still commended itself as being utterly unselfish. The question to be considered was whether or nob they were satisfied with the presenb system, and if nob whether they would adopt the scheme recommended by the Commission. He moved, " Thab the reporb of the Commission be now considered by the Synod." This was seconded by the Rev. Mr Lueh and agreed to. Tho report, which haß already been published, was then read. Mr Kensington then moved clause 1 : "That in the opinion of this Commissfon the financial arrangements relative to clergy stipends of this Diocese are unsatisfactory, and should be improved." Mr Snolling seconded the motion, and spoke in favour of the whole question being fully discussed in the Synod. The Yen. Archdeacon Willis spoke in support of the motion. The presenb system was, he considered,, unsatisfactory, and something oughb bo be done in the direction of raising a Capital Fund to supplement the stipends of the clergy where required. In the past there was a Central Diocesan Fund, to which Bishop Selwyn gave £400. Thab Fund, however, gradually vanished. There would be difficulby in formulating a general scheme. Still, he thought a fund might be raised to supplement) the stipends of country clergymen. Diocesan endowmenb was more healthy than parochial. He would cordially support the effort towards putting things in a better way. The subjecb deserved considerable attention.

Mr Doonin said their had been an Archdeaconry Fund in the days of Archdeacons Abraham and Kissling. Clergymen then had a certain stipend beginning at £100, and the parish districb had to pay a proper quota into the Archdeaconry Fund. That scheme, unfortunately, broke down of itself. If they wenb into anything Dew they should define a regulation of stipends. Mr Rice said the Synod should have no hesitation in passing the motion. He referred to the low stipends paid to some country clergymen. Canon Mac Murray said that if the country clergy were satisfied, then they mueb be getting angels' bread, and also the spirit of angels to make content. He, as a ciby clergyman, was nob satisfied, and, God helping him, he would do what he could to bring aboub a change. Bishop Selwyn in 1859 had advocabed a Central Diocesan Fund. The idea ab the root of this scheme was the brotherhood of the diocese as a whole. That was the basis ot the presenb scheme. Ib waa a very great advance upon anything yet pub before bhe Synod. It was proposed thab each parish should fix the assessment for ibs minister subject to the ratification of the Synod. Unless the clergy were comparatively free from monetary difficulties, they could not properly devote themselves to the work of the Church. Ab the same time the parish had to contribute a tithe towards the fund in proporbion to the assessment. Should a pariah be unable to pay its assessment an inquiry was to be made. The General Fund musb be £5,000 before a start could be made. Instead of a clergyman gebbing bis cheque from bhe Churchwardens, ib would come direcb from thia fund. Ib was con bended that every parish or district thab required help should geb ib. Ib would remove the bickerings and heartburnings thab were said to exist bebween bwo funds that now existed. He hoped the County Clergy Fund and the Home Mission Fund would be incorporated in the Central Diocesian Fund. Tho principle of brotherhood was laid down in clause 10, " Thab if from failure in bhe paymenb of bhe assessment from causes other than the faulb of the individual ministers, the full income of the ministers cannot be paid, there shall be a reduction pro rata on all stipends." They wanted independent young men to come and work in the Church, and ib would be an incentive for them to know bhab all would stand or fall together. It was also absolutely necessary that clause 9 should be adopted. Thab provided for the visitation of such parishes as failed bo pay assessments. Still that clause wanted careful consideration and revision, but ib would, if passed, improve the discipline of the Church. Canon MacMurray was loudly applauded upon resuming his seat. The Rev. Mr Marshall said thab they had heard thab their Church was far richer than any other religious body in the colony. He quoted statistics from a similar fund in Ireland to show thab a united diocese to which he had belonged raised £13,000 per annum by assessment. It appeared that giving as Churchmen was only to; be learned by practice. The total amounb raised in thab diocese in poor Ireland for thab year was £8,585 6s Id. Thab showed how a scheme of bhe kind suggested by the Commission conld and had been carried oub. (Applause.) The Yen. Archdeacon Dudley said they all felt grateful to those who had addressed them, still they had travelled somewhat from the original motion. Enough had been said to show thab bhe arrangements for some parishes were unsatisfactory. was only fair, however, to state that there were other parishes in a more satisfactory condition. The scheme assumed that those parishes where the clergy were comfortable were prepared to bo self-sacrificing for the benefit of others less happily sibuabed. Under the scheme suggested there would mevibably be additional expenses of management. Mr MacMuarray bad, however, ahowcJftaft ib was worth while to do this for the benefit of the Church as a whole. He musb, however, challenge the statement that the Anglican Church was such a rich body. He would Bupport tba proposal., Mr J. H. Ujpfion said he did not see how,

under a voluntary arrangement, they cduld geb penalties. He considered clause 9 both impossible and 'unnecessary. He objected to clause 9, because ib apparently curbed the power of the Bishop. It ordered the Bishop or his commissary to go and meet the vestry in a parish that had failed to pay ita assessment. Even then it was provided thab the Bishop must report to tho Standing Committee. He looked upon ib as a vote of censure upon the Bishop. Canon Mac Murray : Certainly not. Mr Upbon said that any three men might make a minister's life miserable by asking for constant inquisitions. There were statutory difficulties also thab could not bo got over. He contended that the town portion of the diocese required a different arrangemenb to the country part of the diocese. He considered thab all that was required was more generous donations to tho present) Home Mission Fund. He thoughb the scheme should be referred to the parishes to see whether the people would agree to ib. Rev. P. Walsh said he was totally opposed to the suggested scheme. For the last) ben or fifteen years resolutions had been passed thab the country clergya' stipends should be increased. If the Home Mission scheme would nob work, how could the greater one be expected to. One weakness was that in many country districts the payment of the assessments would vary according to the fluctuations of, perhaps, the timber industry or the gum trade. He Bhould vote strongly against the scheme.

The President said he quite agreed to all that bad been said regarding the smallnoas of the stipends of the country clergy. Weak reasons were sometimes given for withholding the salaries. He considered there was no overcoming the difficulties raised by Mr Upton. Another matter waa thab he could not imagine any bishop would undertake to visit) vestries to geb them to pay the salaries of their clergymen. (Applause.) Neither did he think it would be becoming for a bishop to be going about as a sort of commissary of the Standing Commibtee and reporb to it. (Applause.) He did nob think any bishop would come to Auckland to do euch work. Tho other difficulty, however, could nob be gob over, as a clergyman could not be transferred from one parish tcv another. The clergyman musb be nominated. Therefore while he cordially approved the principle of those that had brought forward the scheme, he might Bay ab once ib would nob work.

Canon Mac Murray said all he wanted was thab the principle of clause 9 Bhould be adopted. Rev. C. M. Nelson said he had pointed out to bhe Commission to the weakness in clause 9. • Rev. Mr Hawke said he bad heard of a clergyman in one country disbricb who might be seen gumdigging. The President : Belonging to our Church? * Mr Hawke : Yes, My Lord. The President :' Holding my license? Mr Hawke : I cannot say. The President: Of course, a retired clergyman, doctor or lawyer might dig gum. There is no harm in digging gum. 1 would not mind having leisure to do ib myself. Mr Hawke: He did nob dig for exercise, My Lord. Rev. Mr Calder said he considered ib most unfair to have sucb an instance cited, when they did nob know whether the clergyman was licensed. Mr Hawke said thab while population was increasing in the diocese, tho income was nob larger in proportion. Other Churches, with better organization, were able to carry on work in places that the Anglican body had been forced to abandon for want of such organisation. The Rev. Mr Bates said that, although he had never been a country clergyman, he had never, passed, through experiences similar to those related by Mr tiawke. The proposed scheme, he considered, was a benevolent) fiction. At present some of the leading parishes had not complied with an order of the Synod to contribute towards the Home Mission Fund, and yet were drawing sums from an endowmenb fund. If bhe brotherly feeling existed it could be acted upon quite well by the presenb system. Mr Andrews said the clergy did nob fully instruct the laity upon the necessity of giving. The Salvation Army by a week of self-denial could readily raise money. Mr Wells also spoke, after which the motion was adopted. MrKensington moved, " That the scheme be referred to the Standing Committee." This was seconded by Canon Mac Murray. The latter said he thought that clause 9 could be so remodelled as bo do away with bhe difficulties pointed oub by His Lordship and also by Mr Upton. Rev. Mr Calder said he had two boys, and would thab they were ton in order that he might train them to be country clergymen. He would say, "My lads, if you Can't make a living with God's grace and the legs your father gave you, you had better dig gum." It was wrong, however, to leb ib go forth, as if one of their army licensed by the Bishop was allowed to dig gum for a Jiving. Perhaps the man had to dig gum because he had no gumption to do anything else. (Laughter.) Mr Templer said one laymen had to.'d him that be would contribute £25 per annum for five years if the scheme were adopted with bhe disciplinary clause. Rev. Mr Beabty said if the Church of England were bo flourish, ib musb be in tho country districts. JtJe considered thab bhe existence of the Church itself was imperilled. They were drifting, drifting. A country clergyman's stipend was only guaranteed for one year. If miserable stipends were paid they could nob expecb bo have independent clergyman. The President said thab no clergyman was senb to a country districb contrary to his will. He considered thab men should nob be invited bo come bo bhe diocese for money. Their clergy were in a bebter position bhan those ab Home. He, when a deacon, received no Balary. They did nob wanb bo tempb bhe men who would come for money. One of bbc great drawbacks to the Church ab Home was thab men had been tempted to take Holy Orders simply to obtain family livings. Bishop Selwyn and many others had come here for nothing. With regard to guarantees, ib was impossible for the Commibtee in a country parish to absolutely assure paymenb for more than bhe year they were in office. The scheme was then referred to the Standing Committee, after which the Synod adjourned. NOTICES OF MOTION. The following notices of motion were given by Mr T. Wells : Thab steps be taken to give effect to the resolution of last session :— * That the financial year of the dioceße shall terminate on the 30th June, and tbat all parochial and diocesan returns be made up to thab date ;' by Mr Watts to obtain permission to read a paper on temperance ; by Rev. P. Walsh, thanking the Yen. Archdeacon Dudley for his admirable sermon ab bhe opening service ; by Ten. Archdeacon Willis that future sessions of the Synod commence on Tuesday instead of Monday.