METHODIST CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 450, 8 March 1909, Page 7

METHODIST CONFERENCE.

, ; -——^ —— ' " SATURDAY'S BUSINESS. The yMethodiSt.. Cohi'trenfco of - Now ' Zea-i land* resumed its sittings at the Tarafi'akiStre6t •' Church on Satiirday morning, thfe Rey.. l Thos...Fee:.pi'esiding, / . .Coiisidera'ble time was, devoted.'to' thfe consideration, of iessons -aiid routine- matters relying;, to Sunday schools,.; particularly theivj .connection, with. missions. 'It was proposed to introduce! into the schools this practice of reciting: portions' of Scripture, the-; Ten Commandments, and the • Apostles' Creed. ' Young, People's Day was 6x6(1 for October 3. '■ t Sv HOME MISSIOJj: EJtPENDITtjRE. /The''schedules:of;expenditure.of the Home Mission: Fund and estimates, of income fOr 1909: were presented by.the secretary, of the committee, the Sev: G. AV. J. Spence. In the following list' are .'shown the estimates, with thevcontributions. for 1908. given 'in parentheses :—Auckland. £860 10s.' ' (£BBO ■ 175.),; Wangantii, £343 10s. (£342 lSs.''7d.); ' Wei* lington;, £347 10s. (£336/ Ids.,'.2d;);. Nelson, £166<(£191 ! 25. 7d.); Canterbury, £535 10s. (£535-:l2sA; -' pl&gfc'.''. £303 ■ (£3lo' 175.); iirthday Lfeague,;£so• (£55 -lSs. 2d.); nexional properties, £550 • (£613 • 15s.- 2d.) ;' interest:' 'on investments, £284 • 10s. (£293:• 16s. ll.d.); Maori books; sold,, £20 (£l3:ls. Bd:)j'.conferencer promisos,- £650 (£639;95. Bd.). Total, £4110 10s. 15s. Id.);-'-- In .-the 'teheduloi of iilcOmfe/atid' cxr 1 pendituro the .following., grants, were., shown as. asked for for 1 1909, the amount/adjusted being,. 'given: in parentheses:—Maori mis* sions, i £2337 125. : (£2025 125.); home missions, ,£583 15s: (|^391j.105.); .aided- circuits with' .home- missionary, £415-' (£205);; aided , circuits, £1050'(£705)." .' ■ . In.Vbringing forward the sohbdiilee,-, th'o. secretary said 1 that after-.tho ( organising , secretary I had been ■ appointed, the. .'first thitig. was ;to seoiirfe: the iiioney'for fiiiancing, the. .schema.:.-, i The amount which 'it. was: esti» matlil'.they would require: was £525, ,niade . np':as: follows £275;:-connexional charges, 1 ' £50;: hbuse-ront, \£6s; ..proportion of furniture,.' £50.;. building.,expeflseS, £60.; incidental .expenSfes,, £25.'.He. suggested that members of.the.ionforenfie Should;raise the ■ amount i a&6ngst ; themselyek, eithfer. doftatingvVorcollecting" whatever., amounts they, could-K -Members/responded, well, to the in-. vitation,. and :the sum, of. £227 was,, promised that -mornihi:.- , . -- i'A PPt6T£ST AfrAlNSt OPItJM. ~ Thoßevl G. H. Garland, brought forward . tho'followiftg motion this.oonforcnc« deeply deplores the shame land, humiliation.-at-., ta'oning. to our nation through our long-con- , tinued sin of acting part of a seducer to* the'great Chinese'tiatioii'through our opium ' traffic, more especially -'as:..W6 v can no longer make the excuse' of! "ignoranfcfe,- since tho House, of Commons, by'resolution on May 3, 1906;< : uii'animou6ly reaffirmed its conviction' ' that'the Indo-Chitifise: opium trade is morally indefensible.' .This: conference would i earnestly direct.,the attention of the ministers , aiid :| laymen c Of- the : whole Methodist community, to th'e .resolution Ifloted by the.Eight Jlev.' 1 Bishop/ Weldon. at the great meeting' in'the Queen's Hall'in London on June 26; ■1908:":"-../ V '/'v:-.- '- /

The' motion Was t6; that the. leaders -of sections of ;tWiC.hureh'.be.;iyb proached with.. a;' View- of all Ghfifetiirf bodies iji. a combined ifFort,fe secure the. abolition of.- the; opium; traffic. ■ It.'-was. alsb proposed thiat-a.-copy- <>f :thfe- resolxttioi*! -be ; to'the British .Primer Ministers .The Rev. S. Lawry (secretary to the- co,nfdrence) ••characterised, the motion "as,a piece of' v impertintac'e on ouf piirt;" It was, he said,'' like a .little' cock>sparr6«t jbeating ; its wings ; 'a£;ainst aVeaglfe.' They, might kit; Veil save; their energy;. Mr.- Garland :: You' are Wasting: Jour,energy opposing the motion. .Mr. Lawfy: I move thfe "previous question.". This attempt tO-shelve,the matter Wai not backed up.by. a s6cK:der,;and the motibn ,was. duly carried'On the voices. „I ; PICTURES OF BOXING. A-' deputation, consisting- of' the' president (Rev! Tnos. Fee), Revs; S. J. Serpell, andW'. J. Williams; and' Mesarsi,.. Redstone: and Tillef/ was'appointed,to wait-upon:the Prime ■Minister'in regard t'o' prize-fighting, and-billiard saloons.';. " The.' motion referring to prize-fighting was proposed by-the-ReVi J. T. Pinfold as fol 7 Jows:—"This conference having learned that exhibitions of the brutal and degrading prize fights .recently in Australia are /being shown by means of kinematograph afid penny, in-the-slot machines in our Dominion pr<K tests. most- strenuously against such exhibit tiotis,'..and tAists'that the Government will take: immediate steps to prevent,.their repetition;. That copies of this reSdlutiipn. be forWarded to the Prime Minister, IVfinister f6r •'' Justice, and Minister, for. Internal Affairs."..