PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

Evening Star, Issue 18121, 10 November 1922, Page 3

PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. The monthly meeting of the Foreign Missions Committee of ribs I'resbytem Church of New Zealand was held on Tuesday, Professor Hewifeon (convener) p, '' ,idi " E ' oenerau A letter vrai received from the Rev. H. 11. Barton, written aboard the a.s. bl. Albans in the Celebes Sea, on Ins way H China. He gave an outline of his visit to the East, expecting to reach Hongkong on October 7, after eix China, going to India,, probably knd mg at Calcutta, and after six weeks m India, returning to New Zealand. ~ A letter was received from the council of the Y.W.B.C. Union asking consideration of the request that their present representation on the committee by an associate member might be advanced o o - of full membership.—lt was agreed 10 grant the request, subject to the :ippro\al of the General Assembly. A letter was received, signed by lie Rev. Tulloch Yuillc, Mr H. Ishp. and Mr S M. Park, stating that at the meeting of the Deacons’ Court of Ivnos Church, Dunedin, held on October 9, it was unanimously decided to join with tho session in asking the Foreign Missions ( onir.ittec to allot Mr Adam Harrio -o He c"ii-gregat-lon as their “own Urcign mis-, sionsrv.-It was resolved that very heariy thanks be expressed for tho decision, and much pleasure in agreeing to the request. The dork of the North-eari i a Jon Church Session forwarded ft resolution which had been carried unanimously at a congregational meeting ou October 11, namely-” That this meeting agrees to asK (he Foreign Missions Committee to allot to this congregation its ‘own missions-, >. and it guarantees to pay the sum of not less than £l4O per annum for at least five rears toward the support of the same.'”—lt was agreed to thank the con gre.gation very heartily for their generous resolve, and to allocate a missionary later

OI Tli6 report; upon volunteers tor foreign mission service was presented _ by the convener and secretary. The principal items were:—(l) The Rev. John M. 31‘K.enzm, 8.A., LI/.-R., at jpresnnb in the homo mission'station of Kaikohe, North Auckland, had, with ids wife, volunteered to go to China, that their papers and doctors reports wore all satisfactory, and that tiie Rev G. Budd, home mission superintendent, had asked Mr MTvenzic to remain at Kaikohe for another year. (2) Miss Elsie E. Goodson, a folly-trained nurse, had offered to go to either India or China, that all her papers were satisfactory, ami that she had been selected by the Otago Hospital Board to undertake a course in maternity nursing;. (3) _ Miss Grace Seymour Is engaged in the Kaikohe homo mission station, and is going to the .Assembly in Auckland to be ordained as a deaconess. (4) Miss Marion Neilsou, of Kelson, has decided to come to the Missionary Training Institute,- Dunedin, in March, 1924. (5) Two other applications • had been received—one for India, the other for India or China-.—lt was resolved to accept the Rev. J. M. M'Kenzie as a missionary to China, and arrange him lo go out next year; to accept Nurse Goodson as a candidate in training, _ and arrange a course for her at the Training Institute after her maternity course, with a view to her going out in 1924 ; to decide next year, if possible, to what Held Miss A. M. Aslbury will ho sent when she has finished her training. The Secretary reported upon missionaries on furlough that Miss A. 31. M'Ewan is going to Central Otago for six months; that Miss M. Salmond has been declared by the medical referees fit to take a postgraduate course in JS T aw York; that Dr John Kirk's departure from London for Canton had been postponed until November 23 owing to the illness of his daughter Dorothv; that the Rev, T. E. Riddle had been doing deputation work in Westland and Nelson ; and that the Y.M.E.O. Union had drafted a further Itinerary for Rev, H, Davies from November 11 to December 24 in the North Island.—lt was resolved to make arrangements for Mias Salmond leaving for Now York nest month; to express sympathy with Dr and Mrs Kirk, and gratitude for the improvement in their health; and to adopt the itinerary arranged for Mr Davies,’ CHINA. ■ A statement of finance was received from Mr A. G. Wit son, for the Canton, Mission Council, showing the position, with regard to the buildings under way and others urgently required. Since dune 50 the council had received the sum of £2,500 for buildings, which had all been allocated: estimates were given for the bull dings required by the end of 1923, totalling 60,hOOdcd (at Bdol per £, over £7.500).-—-.(to the recoih&'endation of the Finance Sub-committee, presented by 31 r A. Bum, it was resolved—“ That, owing to the most recent estimates of the cost of buildings at Canton being much iu excess of tho amount anticipated and lormeflv estimated, the Assembly he asked to allow an appeal for £6,000, Instead of £6,000 as resolved at last meeting, as a gift by the Church to the Canton Mission upon the attainment of Ha twenty-first year.” The Rev. W, Mawson, Canton, forwarded a ctatemAnt in connection with tlie present position of affairs in the Can ton Hospital and the Canton 3£edioal Allssionary Society, The offer from the committee in New York to finance the hospital if the property were placed in the hands of the Canton Christian CdUogei trustees caused a delay of six months. In December, 1921, tho Gan ton Society agreed that if the Canton Hospital Committee iu New York would raise 150.000d0l (gold) for immediate expenditure in rebuilding the Canton Hospital, the property would bo handed over absolutely to tho call-age trustees. This offer k open until December 51, 1922. Mr Mawson writes i “ Probably the biggest factor that would affect the situation would he the return of Dr John Kirk. ... It will fake a strong hand to make any one plan of development go forward.” INDIA, Several"-letters were received from Dr W. J. Pfxrieouß, Jagad-hri, giving his opinion concerning tho time wham new missionaries should .arrive'ln India and on the post-graduate training'of nurses and doctors. Dr Porteous wrote that the Rev. J. L. Gray, while studying at tho language school in Danclaur, had done a good deal of work; amongst the soldiers, and that the military chaplain there had asked him to go to a large cantonment at Meerut for a week's meetings, He expressed the hope that a doctor will go to Jagadhri as soon «s possible in order to be ready to take charge when he leaves on furlough, in 1925.—1 t was resolved to assure Dr Porteous that the committee will do its best to. supply .a colleague by the end of the year' 1925.

Dr Porteous forwarded notes on plans and estimates of buildings which he had sent by registered post, but which had not

reached Dunedin.—lt was derided to give the Finance Sub-committee power to act if tho plans should arrive before tho end of November. The Roy. G. W. T. Kerens, Methven, wrote advising that a member of his congregation is prepared to make an annual donation of from £24 to £SO for the needs of the mission in India, and asking to what, object this could he devoted.—The secretary was instructed to confer with the India missionaries on furlough and act upon their advice. NEW HEBRIDES. The Rev. 0. Michelsen, Tongoa, -wrote on September 16 that operations for the repair and renewal of the buildings destroyed by the hurricane in February were at a, standstill until the arrival of more material from Sydney, Ho gave particulars of the wav in which the gift of the ‘Break of Day’ readers at Christmas could ho applied in the erection cf a new and larger church at hid head station and in providing fresh iron for roofing some of the smaller churches that had been blown down. Mr .1. W. Mansfield, Paama, who has the oversight, of the New Zeahindl mission district in North Ambrim, wrote on September 29 that he intended visiting the districts at an early date, he worn? report upon the work of the native teachers. He advised ’that the mission house at Port Tato is not worth repairing, as it is a heap of ruina after tho hurricane. An application, was received from a minister offering to go with his wife as mission ariea to North rim brim ; but owing to the rather advanced age of the applicant, combined with the tropical climate and the necessity of learning the language, it was' not considered advisable to accept the offer. it was resolved to send a greeting from the committee to Mrs Bnmiennan, Roslyn, whoso interest in the foreign mission enterprise continues unabated, in spite of her great ago and bodily frailty. Mrs Bannerman is the widow of Dr Bannerman, who wan for over twenty-nine years convener of the Foreign Mission Committee of the Church of Otago ami Southland. DONATIONS. The following donations were reported: For foreign missions—Mrs J. Smith, Mangaloa (thirty-first monthly donation), 10s, For the Canton' Mission—Miss E. A. Sherratfc, Geraldine (twentieth annual), £1; Mr D. Ross. Amberiey, £1 10s; Hamilton Y.W.B. Class, £6 for the training of ■ a Chinese student. For the Indian Mission —Miss Brechin, Wanganui, £35 for. a medical scholarship. For the -rew Hebrides—Redan 8.5., £1 for tools for Rev. W. Y. Milne, Ngima.