THE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 55, 7 March 1905, Page 6

THE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

TO DAY'S PKOCKISIHNCS. Tin 1 thirty mm oik! annual eonforoiK c ol (lie MethodiM Clmrcli ol A n.s( i.ifasia in .New Zciiluud was resumed ,ii 10 n't liv k this morning. 'J'lio lir.st business wns consideration of ;i recommendation from the Auckland Synod, " That it ih undesirable to at tt-nipt nny c lian^o in t ho present sop.uato cxisti'iuo of the two missions," It wns stated that the resolution of the Synod hud tho approval of ouch mis mou uincornrd. What tho Synod really meant was I lint union was undesirable ill preient ; the word wns inispiticocl in tln> recommendation. Tho f.'niiforerieo adopt oil the reeomiiicntliition. CIRCUIT ALTKIUTIONM. The Confcrenrc \vj>s recommended l.y its irniunittee (on v lon to nino vote) to attach Miirahliuul.s mul IKilfnst (Noiili Canterbury) to tho Durham-street Ci» ruit, nnd that that circuit be. required to fulfil its obligation to lake a uiiimod minister — .625 to bo granted from tho Ifoino Mission Knurl ns> n compassionate allowaiKo, and I lie f urn i litre in tho JSclfiTit parsonage bo- Nested in the Duihiiin street Cirt nit. Consideration of this recommendation was postponed until tho insider of set I ling married ministers could lie disposed 01. MAMUKI) MINISTIiIIS. Hoconnnondntions made to the Conference by a special committee involved I lie ijottloinenl on Wellington (Tarauakibtreet) of 11 thiicl mariird miuibter. 'I'hisi vim part of a scheme to relieve Kaiapoi nnd other indigent centres of present nooessit ies. Tho Uov. Mr. Fnirclotigh addressed the L'onforeiH'o. 110 had, ho said, s|>cnl two terms at Kninpoi, and therefore he. knew what ho was speaking of. Tho stnto of Kuinpoi wns liacl , but he could iissuro tho Conferonco that if it insisted on placing a third married iiinn on Weilinpjton it. would probably bo. instituting n worso troublo than that oxisting at Kaiapoi. Tho convenor of tho conunitteo (Rev. Mr. Murray) intimated that tho recommendation hnd been arrived at by 13 votes to 0. Personally ho wns of opinion thai the decision might havo been otherwise for Ibis year, seeing that tho Wellington Circuit had been attivo lately in instituting church work nl Tory-street nnd that Johnsonvillo wns likely to be made the. bend of a new circuit very shortly. Mr. Tiller, of Wellington, thought 100 much wns being asked of Wellington. Thoro was every indication at present that Ihe pooplo who provided tho Taru-naki-streot revenue woro moving away, nnd tho speaker did not think tho Tar'u-nnki-strcot Church would ever see tho future time whon its incomo would be what it usqcl to be. The people wero ii.-i'ving nwuy-from tho muddy city and settling in contiguous suburbs. There v ero ondenvonn ueing made to copi 1 with these altered conditions by extruding church work to tho new quarters, and if tlif^ Conference insisted on the commit tee's rpcoiumtmdation ihnl n. third married minister bo tnken by Wellington the result would be deplorable. He, moved that the Wellington Synod's recommendation, " that Wellington bo relieved for ono year of its obligation to tnke a third married minister," be agreed to. The Uev. Mr. Fair; lough seconded the motion, and pointed out (lint Johnson viilo and Kniwurrn, wheio it was proposed to locn'o the third innrricd ministor, had fivcrngod iti enntribiitions lesser sums than the localities of Marshlands and itrifait, n bou l which no much sympathy hnd boon given to Christchurch— also a grant of &>o in aid of support ing a married num. The Tiirnnnki-sticnt Church w::h doing its very best. It bud •ih-culy a niii.sion in Tory-'streit that w.is costing £100 n year, oflorli wen; uppri.irhing finality for thy .setting up of n second mission at n likn cost, nnd n .sum ol .CjO pur nnnnin uns being «m>nt on uork amougst r.nil( rs. There uas not ri'other coi^logntuin that did more for the enuso th.i.i Wellington did, nnd he warned the (:<nioiei)co not to ojipr. . that congrcKntiwii, lest, it. grow \\e;.iy (■! well doing. Tho Key. R. Lawvy thought there had boon sumo ii'iiount of spetiul 'ple.idiiiL;. Wellington hnd been doing \Vry well of lute, but it wns cupablo of doing more, and Iliero wii-j, he thought, no fear of Wellington shirking ita obligations. If Wellington was relieved of this obli';u lion tho burden might lime to be pl.u'.d on Uioulders loss able to bear it. An niiieinhnont wait moved by tlm Rev. Mt. Muiuiy (on behalf of a commit!") lo tlin^efVci-t Mint Welling on bo i«(|ui t ( •! to tak? fuitlinith a lliucl nmrrird minMi«r. and tlmt n grant of j325 in aid bo luttdo to the circuit. • It «ns linnliy rckol'ved that every ;.;iplicnlinn by tiicuiU for relief be i'i'm. cussed befoio any deci.siori bo arrived ;>t in icspccl at nny application, no vc'.i « be taken until nil c.ises hnd been 0i..cu^weil. (Left flitting.)