ANGLICAN SYNOD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 3

ANGLICAN SYNOD.

A VVANGANUI QUESTION. BISHOP EXERCISES HIS VETO. AMENDMENT TO .PENSION FUND ACT. An outstanding incident of tho Synod yesterday was tho exercise by.tho Bishop (Dr. AVallis) of . what is virtually a power of veto of tho decision'of the remainder of the assembly. It is a canon of the Church that every act of a. Diocesan Synod" shall be assented to by tho Bishop of the, diocese and by majorities of both , the lay and clerical members. If the Bishop,, therefore, > votes contrary to the decision of tho lay and clerical orders, their decision is ineffective. By another provision of the Church, every membor of the Synod is required to record his vote. The Bishop has exercised his virtual right of veto only four times in the fourteen years that be has beon _ a Bishop, and the'fourth time-was last night. The occasion was a motibn to alter the utilisation of a trust property in Wanganui, and the effect of tho' Bishop's > action ; was weakened; by two considerations which ho pointed out—■ that the resolution,' if: passed, would have been ;'ultra vires, and that an. appeal; could be made to the General Synod. ,

A NEGLECTED GRAVEYARD. . An> old-standing qnestion was brooght up by Mr. W. A. Izard (Wangariui),: who moved :. "That in the opinion of this Synod the tune has now come when the question of providing fresh church accommodation' in the Parish -of • Christ Church; "VVanganui, should be considered, and, with a view thereto, 1 that this Synod ' directthe. Diocesan Trustees to utilise tho whole or part of the church aero, situate in Victona iAvenue, for revenue-producing. purposes." ' '..■ :v j Mr. Izard stated that'the land was; ated in tho centre 'of' tho -business portion of the -towiij and'.was; worth ahont £100 : a foot. At a rental of "5 per' cent. the land should produce a; revenue, if the whole were let, of £1300 a year. To'what use" Was this land! put? He said'it'.with all respecti that except for the. portion on which ithe church and Sunday School:stood, it .was naught but the playground'ot all-'the -stray .dogs in the town. There was 'no',sig'n, or,but, little r sign; to-be' scon of the/.graves ■ of' those' buried there loDg years afeo. and the first'question i that- tho stranger asked'was why this valuable . land,! with ' hardly a. gravestone on it, was allowed to-stand idle. * In-'the old'days,: .before any chiirch; was' consecrated/.this 'acre was the oonseqtiently. porsqDß of all craeda 'wcre.buried there.No true .-record? could -be - found-of such; burials,' but i'a ffew.;were th'pwn -,as.' .belonging to. well-lciiowii; famUies; .who bad given permission, for', 'the removal of,, the' bodies '.-of their relatives. n In : 1855 'an' ordinance was_• passed b^i'.^the,Provincial'Gbv-! ernment forbidding.' l any; further v burials? in the ground.- careful'search had been made., no record -could be'-found that the .latidj,was ever, consecrated,as.a-burial-ground, though burials "had- taken place, there." ': Tbe : result was that : not 'oiLly was ithe original trust for. .a burial-ground.-;illegal, but the sacredness that might.' be attach'ed't6 ; conse-1 crated - ground 1 coufl:not be: attached to this area;.i The church-itself,'-which-was of; wood.' was built and consecrated .43 years-ago, and should now- be; rebuilt.- : As/stowing toe>oondition of-the-old graveyard,', Mr!. Izard-said that a.man who 'erected;;a. dividing-fence .toldjhim, that ;when he was putting the s posta into ground he .oame. acroßß tiie 'bonea, who.Kad-been' buried'ti^re.:.. , Tuo, Eev. A. 0. >. Williams • (Wangantti) seoondod the niotion, 'and. -statisd that ..there, .had. always: 'been-, \a•' • strong; feeling v. iin -Wanganui on .the.matter. .• .After, further 'disc'ussion,'the Bishop "spoke in opposition to.; the motion. ; Ho' said ho would be sorry if ho had to vote: against the.,proposal,ibut less sorry since it was suggested, .that the -matter oould be taken to tho General Synod. Tho fact that> no evidence'of .consecration "could be ifound' -was no -.proof that the , ground 'had not' been consecrated with the.church,No proof could, ibo found of .the. consccrationVof many graveyards which, yere ;consecrated',in: the old days. In any case tho ground was oonsecrated by -repeated burials which took place" prior'';to 1855, mcluding.;',the burial v 'of' the' ;Gilfillah family,: who were all massacred in a Maori rising, aid" of' soldiers: who had 'fought for their' country. . The terms of the original trust should net ;bo departed from. > ■' Tho Ven. Archdeacon Towgood (Marton) supported the motioii. The bodies'should bo reverently taken up, and after a' solemn service'remterred in ground; whioh would be taken care of. That •,would be more proper treatment, than to leave them'in their present neglect..

.Mr* E.B. -.Brown (Wellington) expressed' himself, in favfaur of the motion, though,, as a member of the present Boards of Trustees, he. would not roto. THe'Ven. Archdeacon Panconrt spoko against'the motion. • ' ; .■■■■■ debate was .continued in the evecing, -the/.mover agreed to:» delete 1 the woirds, /'the;:whole or," *from tie motion, restnetmg the .proposal ■to part of the aero. .The:mover,i in relying, ' asked the- Bishop not to vote at, all. if • ho oonld. not > vote - fo;r the,: motion. , (LanghteT.) The. Waneanui parishioners would fool it very severely if the motion were not passed. f ;It was pointed out every member of the Synod',- /was required, by. rulo. to ezorciso ha vote. 'The motion, was carried on the votes of both the clergy and laity. j: The Bishop said •• that he was very , sorry that he must vote against the motion. The motion was therefore loslj. / ; ■In the course of further discussion, ' the Bishop-said Jt- gave him very great pain ,to vote as he had done, but there remained the right,of; appeal • to' the General Synod. : Moreover, the: trustees 'could r not .dovwh&t-.was; suggested -by the motion without the authority. of the General Synod. v •' MAORI MISSION. : The; debate * was resumed on the • motion brought down'on Wednesday,by'the'Re^'.A;' M. Johnson (St, Mark's), that the ( Synod agree' to contribute for the present year the sum of : £105 to the Maori Mission Board. -Thfi Rey. ,T. H. Sprott,' whov seconded the motion, spoko i briefly v m support: ' / ! After a brief discussion, tuo motion' was unanimously.adopted. , " PENSION FUND AMENDMENT. Consideration was given to the.Rov. - A., W. H. Compton'6 Bill to: bring headmasters, ■principals,- and wardens, when. tihoy ' are clergymen, undor the provisions of 'the Pension .Fund Act. ■ • -• The Rev. Joshua Jones (Hutt) moved an amendment thattho Act should , only take in principals and headmasters their positions were such that they could only be held by a.person in Holy Orders. . The. amendment waslost, and - the Bill as originally proposed was adopted. The Synod adjourned at 10 p.m. until i p.m..on Monday. . ' ' v NOTICES OF MOTION. Notices of motion, wero given as follow:— By-tho Rev./A; M. Johnson (St. Mark's): f'That the Revv' T. 'Hvi'Sprott be- elected' »• governor of the Hadfield Collesp and Hostel."• By Mr..o. Shirtcliffe (Wellington): : "That the) resolution dealing "with the'self-govern-ment of the' Church in New. Zealand, <passed on July/8, be communicated to the several Diocesan Synods of.'the Dominion,' with- a re-' commendationfrom-. this* .Synbd'/.tjiat: ;it r be" considered',: .so ,that : memWrs !.of';the; General; Synod may have the advantage of an 'oxpres-' sion of opinion'from-each Diocesan Synod." • .. Mrl_ R. Wilborfoß3 (Wellihgton)': "That a eommittw^td!'consist .'of i the-Bishops Archdeacons' Fancourt-and Towgood,'the Rev. T. v H.' Sprott,' and Messrs; rT.'Ti!. Martin,' E. B.: Brown, G. Shirtcliffe,. W; J. Birch, J: Martin, andj G.'E. Tolhurst be, appointed—p.) ttr inquire into and' consider the .advisability of retaining the. whole of the lands situated in Mulgrave Street' foF.'tbe purposes of a site for- a. cathedral,, chapter house, and 'other' diocesan offices;' (2) to consult with the trustees of: the Cathedral Fund with the' ,\voW of disposing, of or otherwise dealing with the Taranaki Street property, and to ascertain'from, them what sum they'would be prepared. to hand over' to the Diocesan Trustees towards obtaining:; a""new residence for, the:; Bishop of Wellington in ; exchange* for; the.'.:present, site; ami (3) to repoiit 'to the. Standifig Committee in order,that any mat; iters'; requiring, the' sanction, ;of . the General; Synod- may bo-brought' before it 'at :itg: en-'-suing,meeting."