DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY.

Evening Star, Issue 12874, 25 July 1906, Page 7

DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY.

THE “FORWARD” MOVEMENT. A NEW AND EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENT. A pro re nata meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery was held in the First Church Hall yesterday morning under the presidency of the Moderator (the Rev. J. Kilpatrick), when Dr Nisbet presented a report outlining the field of future social work, embracing visitation of and giving assistance to Presbyterian patients in the hospital, similar service at the Benevolent Institution; police court visitation ; providing employment for children; taking charge of young people who may be orphans or beyond parental control, aiding them with a settled mode of life, and leading eventually to the establishment of a Presbyterian orphanage; and co-operation with the sisters. The organisation is to be known as the Presbyterian Social Service Association, and Mr Axelsen was appointed agent. For the information of our readers we have to state that no intimation of yesterday’s meeting of the Presbytery was given to the Press, but a member of our staff, observing several ministers wending their way to the First Church Hall in the forenoon, scented a possible meeting, and inquired of Dr Nisbet if such were the case. The minister of First Church replied affirmatively, adding courteously that it was a private meeting, but he would see that a report of the business was supplied to us. Later in the daybefore noon, as a matter of fact—we were waited on by the clerk of Presbytery (the Rev. Mr Finlayson), who informed us that the Presbytery had decided to close their meetings against the Press, ostensibly on the ground that so much business was taken in private, necessitating the enforced absence of the reporters, and that in future reports would be supplied to the Press. The Rev. A. Cameron was deputed to act as Press reporter, and' that duty was performed yesterday by the official report being furnished last night to our morning contemporary, with a request to pass it on to the ‘ Star.’ It will be observed that tho communique covers nothing more than the carefully-considered and probably-written report of the Committee on tho “ forward ” movement, which apparently was adopted without discussion. Of course, the Presbytery are masters of their own action, and if it is iu consonance with up-to-date ideals to dispense with Press reporting of their meetings, which has been the vogue almost since the foundation of the Otago settlement, that is their own business; but we wish the rev. gentlemen to understand very clearly that tho ‘ Evening Star ’ will not accept either second-hand or belated “reports.”