WELLINGTON PRESBYTERY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 109, 9 May 1923, Page 11

WELLINGTON PRESBYTERY

MONTHLY MEETING

The monthly meeting of the Wellington Presbytery was held last evening, the Moderator, the Eev. J. Baird, in the chair.

On the motion of the Rev. J. H. MacKenzie, a resolution of condolence was passed with the relatives of the late Sir William Robertson Nicoll; also of appreciation of the services which in his earlier years he rendered as a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, and of the great work which later he accomplished for the Kingdom of God throughout the word as a religious ' author, editor, and journalist—"in the latter capacity surpassed by none in any age." The Rev. J. H. MacKenzie, on behalf of himself and Rev. R. Inglis, presented answers of reasons of dissent and complaint to the General Assembly of Mr. Macfarlane and the Rev. S. Robertson Orr in regard to statements made at a church meeting relating to certain recent legal proceedings. In reply to' the statement that "no possible good could result from the intermeddling with civil matters and private quarrels," the answer was "that the case long ago ceased to be a private quarrel. It has been given to the public by the Press, including the Church's organ, 'The' Outlook,' and has now been brought to the Presbytery,by Mrs. Evans, and she has a right to honourable treatment." , After brief discussion, it wag agreed to consider the matter in private. The answers were approved of. WELCOMING NOMINATED IMMIGRANTS. A letter was received from the Rev. W. J. Comrie, Moderator of the General Assembly, in which he said that the question of overseas immigrants was an important one for the Church, and pointing out that the Presbyterian Church at present had not any committee or I organisation for dealing with it. in its broader aspects. After discussing the question with Mr. Cyril Bavin, general secretary of the National Council of Y.M.C.A.'s (London), and conferring with some members of the local Presbytery's Committee, he forwarded a memorandum which he had received from Mr. Bavin. It was suggested that the Presbytery go carefully into this matter, and then take steps to bring it under the notice of the congregations. Briefly, the suggestion was that congregations should nominate,, and that the selections should, if' necessary, be made by the churches in the Homeland, working in conjunction with the V.M.C.A. The main advantages of the scheme were that immigrants would be selected by representatives of the Church in the Homeland. On their arrival in New Zealand such immigrants would be passed on to the parties who had nominated them.

After some discussion it was agreed, on the motion of the Rev. R. Inglis, that the Presbytery express its general agreement with the scheme, and appoint a committee to co-operate with {he V.M.C.A. in giving effect to it.