OLD CITY MISSION BUILDINGS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 250, 20 July 1939, Page 13

OLD CITY MISSION BUILDINGS

Discredit To Church, Says Synodsman TO BE PULLED DOWN IN COMING MONTHS The need to replace the old Wellington .City Mission buildings in Taranaki Street, which it is proposed to pull down and replace with a Fieldon Taylor Memorial Boys’ Hostel, was emphasized by Mr. H. E. Evans, addressing the Church of England Diocesan Synod in Wellington yesterday. The buildings, which he said were disgraceful, were the outward and visible signs of the grace of charity with the Church. They were a discredit to the Church, and should not remain there a day longer than was necessary. He was afraid that soon there might be a further need for the men’s shelter —•not, he hoped, as great a need as in recent years, but none the less a serious need.

He hoped the parishes of the diocese would do all they could to help it. While he appreciated fully the claims of the centennial appeal, in this case the money required for these urgent purposes was small compared with thatrequired for the centennial, and he believed both could be provided.

If these buildings continued to be used after the great new cathedral had gone up, a comparison would be drawn between them ou the one hand and the cathedral ou the other —and the comparison would reflect unfavourably upon the Church. Mr. 11. A. Huggins said that within a few months the old City Mission buildings would be coming down. Amended plans for the new building gave an estimated cost of £ll,OOO to £12,000. Of this, £5300 was assured; £4OOO was already In hand, and £l3OO promised. A committee of Wellington women had undertaken to raise £4OOO further; and money was still coming in, They were very near the total amount required to put up the new building.