STIPENDS OF CLERGY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 57, 8 March 1932, Page 3

STIPENDS OF CLERGY

PARISHES IN ARREARS

A long list of Parishes in arrears with their assessments was laid before Standing Committee and was carefully considered, each case on its merits^ states. "The Church Chronicle," the official organ of the Wellington Diocese. It speaks volumes for the devotion of Church people-in these times of stress, that there was not a difference of less than one hundred pounds in the totals between the sum due on Bth February (the date of the meeting of Standing Committee) and the sum due on the same date in 1931. In eight cases there appeared a district decrease in the sum due forassessments.

The difficulty which is developing in the Christchurch' Diocese in regard to the payment of local contributions to the stipends of the clergy is also the subject of an article in the March number of the " Church -News. " " Standing Committee had before it last month a, report revealing that a grave position" is developing in the Diocese in regard to the payment of local contributions to the clergy's stipends," states the article. "It was to be expected/that a number of the country cures would have some difficulty in keeping abreast of their responsibilities and the committee has met this by advancing up to three months' stipend and travelling allowance. But it was shown that up to 31sfc January the office had advanced about £1550 on this accommodation and there was in addition about £281 arrears not advanced because more than three months' was owing. By 9th February, with the advances made for the month, the total arrears; had grown to about £220Q, of which about £1950 had been advanced, and £270 was not advanced because of the three months' limit.

"It will be obvious that the finances of the Standing Committee cannot stand so great a burden indefinitely, increasing month by month. The position now is that 41 cures are in arrears with the local contributions (for three months or mor,e),.or if one reckons separately, the sub-districts which remit direct to the office, instead of through the central wardens, the number in arrears reaches 58. Of these cures there are 11 in which the clergy have not been paid any local contributions to stipend for one, two, or three months by advance or otherwise. It is hoped that the usual clearing up of accounts which takes place in March will result in most of these cures being able to pay in most if not all of the arrears."