A BIBLE MISSIONED

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 178, 22 April 1924, Page 12

A BIBLE MISSIONED

REV. DR. RITSON ARRIVES.

Tho world secretary of the British ami Foreign Bible Society, the Rev. Dr. J H. It it son, arrived from Sydney yesterday bY tho Maheno, and Will pay brief visits to tho principal centres of the Dominion during a short tour ot tho country. Tho mam interest, in Dr. Ritson’s visit lies in. the placing of the society’s New Zealand agency on a sound constitutional basis, involving the principles of extended local control. It is expected that his presence at the conference of the society at which this change is to be discussed will do much to stimulate Bible Society work in the Dominion. The whole of the expenses of the missioner’s tour from England, which embraces South Africa and Australia as well as New Zealand, are being paid for by a generous of tho society in. England. After the New Zealand visit has been completed Dr. Ritson will resume his tour of the Australian agencies, visiting in turn New South Wales and Queensland. His Australasian tour will be brought to an end with a conference of Australasian delegates in Brisbane, commencing on Juno 5. On his way back to England, via America, Dr. Ritson hopes to pay a visit to some of the Pacific Islands, where he will inspect the society’s work on tho actual mission fields.

The arrangements for tho local visit include a civic reception to be held at tho Council Chamber at 3 p.m. to-day, followed at 530 p.m. by a tea, which will be attended by ministers of various denominations from tho city and suburbs. To-morrow Dr. Ritson ivill be entertained at a business men’s luncheon to which some hundreds of prominent men have been invited, and in tho evening he will address a public meeting at tho Town Hall, taking as his subject tho work of tho society throughout tho world. Tho Dominion Conference of the Society, at which tho question of constitution will be discussed, will open on Thursday morning. On May 2 ho will attend tho annual meeting of tho society’s local auxiliary, to be held at the Concert Chamber. Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland will be visited in due course. His Grace the Archbishop has offered Dr. Ritson tho cathedral pulpit while ho is in Christchurch, and the Bishop of Auckland has offered tho pulpit of tho procathedral during his visit to that town.