DIFFICULTIES OF COUNTRY MINISTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 168, 15 July 1908, Page 9

DIFFICULTIES OF COUNTRY MINISTERS.

VISITING PRESBYTERY. , The difficulties, financial and otherwise, under which Presbyterian ministers desirous of attending Presbytery meetinge labour were exemplified by several members of that body last, evening, while the Rev. Mr Miller went a step further by submitting the following resolution: — "That a committee, consisting of the Revs. A. Doull, R. Sommerville, Mr J. C. Entrican, and the mover, be appointed to consider the matter of travelling expenses for members of the Presbytery, and also the provision of hospitality for the country members." Mt Simpson quoted Southland as a district that had already shown the way in the direction indicated, and seconded the suggestion: and Mr Walker instanced how in Scotland bis old Presbytery had assessed the various congregations for tho same purpose. Moreover, were country visitors assisted to visit the Presbytery, their attendance would be assured, he argued, as a free trip to Auckland would . bring them, even, supposing a lack of interest in the Presbytery meetit.gs were suspected. Mr Thompson, of Waipu, hereupon put in a. word for the country minister. It was all very well for the city cleric, who had tramcars and well-paved footways at his door, but the country clergyman had other trifles on his mind. He had in. remembrance two or three occasions when he had not attended Presbytery.- On two of them he was setting out for Auckland when -word arrived from a distant part of the parish that one of his congregation was dying; and -on another occasion a sudden mist came on and he was 12 hour 3in a small boat trying to find the opposite bank of the river, and then the Whangarei steamer tqok 48 hours to reach Auckland through that same" protracted fog, so he did not attend the Presbytery. These were only two or three incidents from legion that befel the country parson. As a matter of fact, attending Presbytery was no small addition to the stress of his everyday life. At one time Presbytery met six times a- year, and then the attendance was much greater from the country, although, without desiring to curtail Presbytery meetings, he thought that perhaps twice a year would su%oe just j as well. They were too much incime'l j jto develop into a debating society by I meeting every month, he thought, speaking from a country clergyman's point of view. Mr Entrican, treasurer to the Presbytery, desired earnestly to know where the funds were ot arrive from for tho I proposed innovation. The present aver--1 age income of the Presbytery was about I £45, which left little after the clerk's salary and incidental administration had been "disposed of. He sympathised personally with the country minister, and considered his visits to town, and those I also of the country elder, should he assisted if possible;--but trouble enough they had: to collect the present assessment, how ! would they collect enough for the purpose indicated? Mr Gray Dixon remarked that in "Victoria the" Railway Department allowed concessions to ministers attending Presbytery, but it seemed to be the unanimous opinion present that the Xew Zealand Department would fail to reach a similar level of generosity.