PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 12, 14 January 1905, Page 6

PRIMITIVE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

-'RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS^ (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) CH" i -TCIICRCH. Friday. In his address to the annual Primitive ; '.-t.iodist Conference on Thursday, the .. rin" president (the Key. E. Drake) re.erred to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church in England derive.! r_v--nue from the. Education Act, and to the ~:anifestce? of the S.A. Catholic Bishops ~n the Bible in schools question. He considered that, the manifestoes issued .-iv the Catholic Bishops were wanting , in good taste in •* iew of the fact that . .-->_ same Bishops had left no stone :-ned to procure grants to Roman .:■■ -..lie denominational education. In ■ •sv manifestoes, however, they protes.- ,. .s_r,si:ist such denominational eduea-ii-..i,.' ii. pointed out that verily the .. ..-.,.!,\hi]ii v i--f these Bishops was won-Ici-.'.ii, and passed the genius of man to . ~-eive. To understand the influence that Church ou education it as necessary to read the vorks of Mr. McCarthy, himself a i-.onian Catholic. That writer showed that the effect of priesthood on education in Ireland was deleterious lo a tirgrcc- and drew a picture anything but pleasant to a Potestant. It remained for the people of the Protestant Churches, of the colony to say whether the education system of New Zealand should b? controlled in the interests of these Bishops, and a handful of secularists, or whether it should be controlled in the interests of the people as a whole. The education of the children of the colony in the sound moral prim iplf s on which tiie Bible insists was of more importance thai the maintenance of any particular church or sect, and ihe sooner Ihe people of the colony awoke to that fact the better. The negotiations for the union of certain churches in the colony appeared vo have (won premature, but tbey were ihe foreglcams of the dawn. When the members of the Church of Christ wire imbued with Hi- 4 spirit their outlook would be broadened, and their perception quickened to perceive essentials, ond the various parts of the Church would harmonise as "perfect music s~r to noble words.;' A decision of the Hou-e of Lords that would interest all temperance reformers was that of the Newtown licensing case. It seemed strange that the highest Court in the Empire should sacrifice justice 10 legal technicalities, and that the will of the- people should be set aside in favour of vested interests. The decision v.a-. howevi r. another nail iv the coffin of the liquor traffic. Another subject of interest lo temperance workers Mas the Licensing Act Amendment Bill, which was passed last session- and which has now become the law of the land. The Act was a compromise, pointing on the whole in Ihe right directioi.. Some of the minor clauses of the Act might citu.se much litigation, but they ! were glad that an attempt had been made to remove some of the anomalies of previous Acts Tlie supposed abolition of the bona fide traveller was likely lo prove abortive, but t' lo clauses dealing with clubs were urgently required, and helped to remove a growing scandal. The Church had passed the sixtietli anniversary of its establishment in the colony. On Sunday, September 1, 1844, the Rev. Robert Ward commenced his work in New Plymouth by a house to house visitation, and in the afternoon preached in the centre of the town. .Mr. Ward was a pioneer of whom the Church was justly proud. (By Telegraph. — Press Association.) CHRISTCH URCH. Friday. The following funds were reported on at the Primitive Methodist Conference: Loan and church extension fund: Amount owing to the fund. £ 1-272 12/ li: value of fund, £1302 I'll; receipts. £272 .5/0: payments. £2.31 5/0: balance in hand, £24. Orphanage fund, £13 12/. Publishing fund: Income. SJ37G: expenditure, £291; net profit magazine account, £69 10/; profit almanac £_» 15/9. Children's equalisation fund: Income, £301 13/6; investment account, £280. The following is the first draft, of stations at the Primitive Methodist Conference: New Plymouth, the Rev. John Nixon, and one to be supplied; Wellington IL, the Rev. John Dawson: W'ollastonj, (Siiididate; Wellington IJI,. "the Rev. Jas Cocker; Auckland I.- the Revs. William S. Potter and C-eorge Warbuiton : Auckland 11.. the Rev. George Clement; Auckland 111., the Rev. C W. Smaiies; Invercargill 1., the Rev. Robert Raine: Invercargill H., the Rev. Thoinu_s A. Pybus; Thames, the Rev. Samuel Henderson; Greeadalc, the Rev. Thomas H Lyon; Ch.ri._tchurch. the Rev. G. IL Mann, and one to be supplied; Ashburton, the Rev. Jas. Guy: Dutjedin, the Revs. Win. Laycock. S. Bailey, and one to be supplied; Waikouaiti, the Rev. Thos. Coatsworth. Mi-sions: Wellington I.i the Revs.'.'Percy Cossum and K. J. Liddell: Timaru, the' Rev. R. E.Ward; Feilding, tiie Revs. John Olphert. G. R. Sims, P. W. Jones; Geraldine, the Rev. Richard Hall; Foxton, the Rev. J. Featherstonc; Halcombe. the Rev. G. P. Hunt: Stratford and Eltham. the Revs. J. Clover and P. J. Mairs; Waimate an.i Oauiaru. the Rev. Joseph Sharp; W T est Coast, Mission, the Rev. J. Harris; I„----ijlewood (branch of New Plymouth), to be supplied; Bluff, the Rev. Ben. Dudley; Waihi. the Rev. John Southern; Wanganui, the Roy. Ed. Drake; East Eg mont Mission, the Rev. T. R. B. Woolloxal; Temuka (branch of Geraldine), the Rev. D. Campbell; Edendale (branch of Inverca-gill), to be supplied. The Rev. R. A. Robinson without pastoral change.