ANGLICAN DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 298, 23 December 1897, Page 5

ANGLICAN DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Tho opening services of the Anglican Diocesan Synod took place at half-past ten | a.m. on November 30th at St. Matthew's] Anglican church. Tho Rev. E. J. I McFarland preached a sermon, and | the service was a hearty one. | At 2.30 in the afternoon members of the j Synod assembled at Bishop's Court, Parncil, when the President delivered the usual address. SCHOOL FOR NATIVE GIRLS. The report of the Committee on tbe proposed Queen Victoria school for native girls recommended :—" (1 ) That this Synod cordially approves the proposal to establish a school for native girls in commemoration of Her Majesty's Jubilee: (2. that the Most Reverend the Primate be requested to call a meeting to further the object as soon as possible ; (3) that amount already raised lie paid over to ; the Trust Board as the nucleus of a fund j for the proposed school." j Ultimately resolutions were adopted, cordially approving of the proposal brought I forward by the Committee also re-1 questing the Primate to call a meeting to j arrange for giving ellect to the resolution, j and that the amount in hand be handed ; over to the Native Trust Board to form a nucleus of such fund. MAORI MISSIONS. -The \ ren. Archdeacon Clarke presented the report of the Maori Church and Maori; Mission for the Auckland Diocese. The report included a reference to the meeting of tbe Church Board of the Southern part of the Diocese at Pourcwa, Whatiwhatihoo (Waikato), this year. The attempted legislation was interesting but quite impracticable. The Revs. T. Hapimana and N. Tantau are still doing good work in the King Country, said the "report. They have pretty well their own way in the conduct of services at the various ; meetings of the natives. There is a good : openingfor a minister near Huntly, where the " King " usually resides. A very dis- : couraging feature is the shifting habits of ! the Maoris. The Rev. T. Hapimana paid | two visits to the followers of ie Whiti at | Parihakaand found the people very friendly j and hospitable. He held services all through the district and was asked to repeat his visit. Te Whiti kept aloof from the services though he did not forbid them. Hapimana spent whole nights in discussion with To Whiti, whom he describes as "a man from whose throat the Scriptures bubble." "The future of the Maori race (continued the report) is a grave problem which ought to engage the attention of all who do not wish to sec its extinction. If something is not done to control the reckless sale of their lands, in less than a generation they will become paupers and a burden to the colonists." It was eventually resolved : "That the Standing Committee be directed to inquire in what way financial assistance can be rendered to the Native Pastorate Fund, and that the General Synod be requested to take into consideration the condition and needs of the Maori Church and people, as set forth in the report of the v^rchdeaeon of Waimate."

STANDING COxMMITTEE'S REPORT.

The report adopted stated inter alia :— ! Selwyn Memorial Fund : The capita! of j this fund stands at £1,800. The Commit- j tee was able to make up the amount paid ; to the vicar of St, .Sepulchre's as chaplain of the Hospital and Gaol to £90 for 1595-6, and also for 1890-97. Home Mission Endowment Fund : The capital of tho fund is now £322 16s od. Country Clergy Endowment Fund : The capital of this fund is now £81 7s 9d. Home Mission : The engagement with the Rev. Canon Haselden as organising secretary to this Mission terminated on March 31st, 1897, and subsequently the post of Diocesan Missionary was temporarily accepted by the Rev. E. M. Cowie,- M.A., at a stipend of £260 per annum. Country Clergy Fund : The income of this fuud for the year 1596-7 (including balance from 1895-6 of £17 19s sd) has been £357 IGs 3d. Balance to credit Ist July, 1897, £10 0s 4d. Seventeen districts have received grants in aid during the yeai. Allocations "totalling £331 have been.made for the year ending September 30th, 1395. ■ Country Districts : The Committee have recommended that wherever practicable, small local committees should be formed in subdistricts, which should receive all contributions and pay the quota of the clergyman's stipend and local church expenses at stated periods, furnishing an annual statement to the vicar of the parochial district. The Home Mission Fund showed receipts £491 IGs 3d, the expenditure leaving a cash balance of i'3l os 2d. The Parochial Endowment Fund showed receipts £348 6s 2d, the expenditure leaving a, cash balance of £115 18s 2d. Diocesan Endowment and Loan Fund: Receipts £237 9s 7d, the expenditure leaving cash balance of £53 3s Id. THE " CHURCH GAZETTE." ! Archdeacon Dudley, Chairman of the Committee appointed to manage the " Church Gazette," submitted a statement fit accounts for the twelve months endingSeptember 30th, 1897, showing the cash on hand on September 30th, 1597, o he £12 lis. The circulation monthly ...id increased from 3,300 in 1893 to3,Booas at present.

SUNDAY-SCHOOL BOARD. . Theßoardreporteda yearof steady work, in which some progress had been made in helping the Sunday-schools of the diocese to become organised on one recognised plan. Every efiort was being made to meet the requirements of the country as well as the town schools, and the very different circumstances under which the clergy had to organise their Sundayschools constituted the greatest difficulty with which the Board had to contend. The 1 balance-sheet showed cash in hand and in bank, £19 os. GENERAL TRUST BOARD. The report of the Diocesan Trust Board, gave details regarding the work done during the year, the most im- ! portant being as follows :—Pukekohe ; Church Sites : The Vestry has purchased a j new site of a quarter of an acre, to which ; the church has been moved. Onehunga : i The Board has received from the ! Vestry the sum of £137 8s 2d, |to be at the disposal of the Vestry of | St, Peter's Church, to assist in building the j whole or part of a new church for St. ! Peter's Parish. St. Stephen's Native I School : There are now 58 boys 'in this institution. School for j Maori girls: The Board agreed, at the ! request of the Bishop's Commissary, to set I aside a site adjoining the Orphan Home j for a school for Maori girls. St. j Stephen's estate : The Board leased i live allotments for a term of 60 years at a total annual rent of £40. The Board considered all its securities ami 'reports then satisfactory. The balancej shcetof the General Trust Board showed the ; total receipts to bo £4,556 lis 7d, including j cash balances from previousycars£B37 5s 2(1. | The expenditure for the same period was i £4,031 13s 2d, and the cash balances ! amounted to £854 ISs !k\. Tho capital

account showed the amounts at credit to j the various trust accounts to be £28,2313 10s ] JOd. The Auckland Trust Account showed ; a cash balance of £864 0s lid; the < Diocesan Trust, a balance of £129 0s lid ; |< Native School Trust, £91 lis; Onehunga j i Trust, £16 13s Od. The Cathedral Trust j _ Account showed a debit balance of £221 ( 14s 2d, and the Native Pastorate Fund a ; debit of £24 13s Bd. S ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE TRUST. The report of tlie trustees stated that the burials in the Purewa Cemetery for the i past year have been 180. The receipts for the same period were £535, and the ex- _ penditure £400 4s 4d. The deficiency on July Ist, 189G, was £2(3 5s 3d. On June 30th, 1597, there was a credit balance of ; I £99 10s sd, showing a surplus of receipts [for the year of £125 15s Bd. The St. John's I College Trust and Grammar School accounts : i showed receipts totalling £4,(325 14s 7d, the ! expenclitureleavingabalance of £372 18s Id. St. John's College General Endowment and Scholarship accounts: Receipts, £2,001 ISs 9d, the expenditure leaving a cash balance of £524 14s Sd. Grammar School accounts : Receipts, £247 19s od, expendi- \ turc leaving cash balance of £170 10s 7d. Scholarship accounts: Old Boys, £50 on ' mortgage, £655s lid in bank, total £115 5s 1 Id : John King, £150 on mortgage, £250 on security, £60 4s Sd in bank, total £460 5s Bd. MELANESIAN MISSION. The Melanesian Mission Trust Revenue accounts showed the receipts to have been £1.793 5s lid,and the expenditure up to June last for the year to have been that j amount less £45 lis 6d income to Southern Cross Insurance fund, and £12 6s Sd income 'to building fund. The principal items of ! expenditure set down on the list were : — | The Bishop, £500; the treasurer, £800; | secretary, rent, etc., £114 10s; land tax; £123 16s sd. The capital account showed ; £24,144 10s 7d invested in properties and £11,123 6s 2d on mortgage. PENSION BOARD. The report of the Pension Board stated j that the statement of accounts showed an i increase to the capital of the Fund of £922 [ ISs (including a sum of £211 17s received | for a policy on the life of a subscriber, deI ceased). ' The total capital was £16,348 j 19s Id. J CHURCH AND STATE. The Rev. George Mac Murray moved the motion standing in his name : " That in the opinion of this Synod the condition of the colony demands 'increased efforts on j the part of the Church to secure political and social purity." i Mr S. T. Seddon seconded the motion. i The Rev. &lr Beatty said he would like \to deal with one part of Canon Mac- ; Murray's speech in a more practical way. 1 He moved the following as an addition to i the motion :—" (1) That this Synod is of i opinion that in tbe interest of good governjment the liquor question should be disI sociated from the general politics of the ! country ; (2) that to this end it is desirable I that the local option poll be taken septenially and on a different day from that appointed for the general election ; (3) ! that the Licensing Act be amended in the j direction (a) of facilitating the prevention j of sale during prohibited hours, (b) of cxl tending the travellers' qualification from j three to five miles, (c) of removing penalties ! and disabilities which bear harshly on j owners and occupiers of licensed houses." I Canon Nelson seconded. j Canon Mac Murray's motion on being put was carried unanimously, and the ' first clause of Mr Beatty's motion was ! passed without discussion. The second and I third clauses were not put to the vote, and the matter dropped. OTHER MOTIONS. It was resolved : — "That the i President be requested to memorialise the General Synod to provide for Maori I lay representation in the General Synod." ! The Rev. W. E. Lush moved: ' That i the Synod consider and report upon the j Bill of the General Synod for the regula- | tion of matters connected with the office of deaconesses, ' That the Synod approves generally of the object of the Bill for the appointment of deaconesses." Archdeacon Willis moved: 'That it is the duty of the Church to oppose the efforts being made in Parliament from year to year to facilitate divorce ; and that a commission be appointed to watch legislation and initiate action whenever required ; such commission to consist of Yen. Archdeacon Dudley, Rev. G. Mac Murray and the mover." The motion was carried. Canon Gould moved, "(1) That it is the duty of the Church to urge forward by every means in its power the movement in favour of Bible-reading in the public schools. (2) That the clergy be asked to preach on the subject, and otherwise educate their parishioners on the importance and urgency of the matter." The motion was carried unanimously. The session of the Synod was brought to a, conclusion by a Choral Festival Service on December 3rd in St. Paul's Anglican Church, Syinonds-street. There was a large gatherings the Most Rev. tbe Primate, Dr. Cowie, being present, and a numbei of the members of the Synod, as well as a large number of worshippers.

The large assemblage at the Choral Hall on Nov. 29 was ample evidence of the kindly feeling entertained by the citizens of Auckland for the Most Rev. Primate of New Zealand, Dr. Cowie, who had just returned from a trip to England,where he has been attending the Lambeth Conference. In the early part of the evening the advent of the' Primate and his wife was the signal for continued applause. The Venerable Archdeacon Dudley on behalf of the clergy and all people of the Diocese tendered a hearty welcome home to the Primate and his wife. The Maori clergy present then ascended the platform, accompanied by the Yen. Archdeacon Clark. The Rev. Matin Kapa read an address of welcome in his own language, which was then delivered

in English by the Rev. Taimona Hapimana. All the native clergy then joined iii a Maori song of welcome. The Primate, in replying, thanked all present for the cordial welcome tendered to Mrs Cowie and himself. He would give a few impressions of Ins visit to England that might interest them. The first was the great increase in the population of London since his last visit, nine years ago. It seemed as if the South of England was to become one great city. Speaking of the Conference the Primate said that man;/ people were in error thinking that it was legislative, whereas it aimed solely at the unity of Christian people throughout the world, and not merely of the Church of England. Even in Sydneyone of the papers fell into the error of stating that tlie Lambeth Conference had made him Primate of New , Zealand. The Primate spoke also of the wonderful vigour and ability of the Archbishop of Canterbury despite the fact that he is 77 years of age. Details were given of the visit made to the Queen at Windsor, and His Lordship spoke in very eulogistic terms about the statesman-like ability of the Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, whom he designated as the most interesting man he had seen while in England.