WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 51, 1 March 1901, Page 4

WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

ADDRESS BY THE RETIRING j PRESIDENT. i 1

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)1 * M

WELLINGTON, Thursday. ■

The annual conference of the Wesleyafl Church was opened this evening. SBgj» retiring president, the Rev. J. S. Smelley,;";. in his address, flatly denied statement* which had been publicly made' thkt ;'"* Methodist Union in New Zealand hftd I been a failure. Twenty two minister*:;/ and probationers joined them from the ■ ■ minor bodies. One, a supernumerary,'hadiij since died, two probationers had resign* _;■; cd, ojie ordained minister had resignel! " and went into business, and was still, ft .; local preacher in the United Church, and one other ordained minister had left v them and started a new sect., The Mj'V maining 17 were happy and contented,.' and doing good work in the United . Church. Their effort as a Church to raise. vk £60,000 as an offerinp to be laid at the;,/-. feet of their Divine Redeemer, at the Owi ginning of the new century, had not been[. ■ entirely successful. Over £17,000 hadbeea.:; promised, and nearly £11,000 paid. HfeaigM not regard the fact that scarcely t>P&m third of the amount aimed at had been.! secured as any ground for discouraged rnent or humiliation. He thought they.;, had overestimated the resources of tneHf , people in hoping for £60.000. The con* ; nexional funds had been well maintained, , but in some districts there had been a de* i orease of preaching places and Sunday schools. Some of their oldest Sunday' schools reported a decrease of scholars. : One of the reasons seemed to be tns-.o dearth of devoted and efficient teachers-?,; for their older scholars. It was earnestly to be hoped that the admirable education I; system of the colony might be perfectett by the inclusion of Bible lessons as part of the school curriculum He . defended.-.;; the sending of young women as mission*^ aries to China, nnd said there was n"**\" sity for a great revival of spiritual life ia the Methodist churches. More labourers • were wanted, not only ministers, but also v male and female lay agents. A large pa« of the Maori population was sunK .MV. ignorance and debauchery, and their mtte' ous condition was a standing reproach,™; ; ; Christian people. sSI The Rev. C. H. Garland was elected prr sident, and the Rev. D. J. Murray ■ffOS;, re-elected secretary. '-\. The following is the result of the dratcflfej stations:—Auckland, Pitt-street, the Her. . C. IT. (larland. the Rev. W. Ready. «® Rev. T. G. Carr. and the Rev. W. B«^ ett; Three Kings College, the Rev. J."* Simmonds: Helping Hand Mtssion, ,tw,: • Rev. C. C. Harrison: North Shore, tno. Rev. J. G. Chapman and the Kcv-,£•<•&'v Chappell; Graf ton Road, the Rev. w.^Bffl Parsons and the Rev. J. Pl"f»ld' J^f Mission, the Rev. W. Gittos; Mahuran^ the Rev. G. Frost; Thames, the Rev.^> v J Murray; Upper Thames, the Rev., j» • .>•■ Kell. the Rev. D. Wentherall. and w Rev W. Greenslade; Manukau. the «»>^ : . C. Griffin; Franklin, the Rev. T. G. *WJ shall; Cambridge, the Rev. alG™»", Hamilton, the Rev. 11. I* Blam res: PWj; ; ■ roa, the Rev. F. T. Read: Northern■ Wgv ■■; roa the Rev. A. C. Lawrv; WhaneaJ* the Rev. J. W. Griffin; Tauranga, m ■ Rev. J. W. Worboys; CoromandeU -Mm Rev. A. Mitchell; Walkato (Maori). tMJ;^, Rev Warena Perm and the Rev. Hamioiw « Ktngi; Kalpara (Maori), the Rer ; HftM | rakl Prul; Hokianga, tho »»v. WrtPj » :/ ; t kraa and tho Rev. Te •Puhlhepet»nM,-v, Wliangaroa (Maori), the Rev. Hftpew,,, Renato