CENTENARY PLANS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 182, 3 July 1936, Page 11

CENTENARY PLANS.

CHUBCH OE ENGLAND. CATHEDRAL SCHEME DEFINED. WELLINGTON, July 2. Not prepared to commit themselves at this stage to any particular course in connection with a proposal to commence the building of the longprojected Anglican cathedral lor Wellington as part of the Church’s observance of the centenary, members of the Diocesan Synod yesterday deferred further consideration of a committee’s recommendation proposing to go ahead with the work in 1940 if funds permitted. Lt was felt that nothing should he done in this direction until the bishop-designate had had opportunity to give the question his consideration. A second recommendation, “That this synod considers that a church congress should bo held in Wellington as part of the centenary celebrations, and that the commissary be asked to communicate with the Archbishop toward this end,’ was adopted. A third recommendation, that a fund or funds for the endowment of parishes and parochial districts should be created as one of the obesrvances of the centenary, was not finally dealt with when the adjournment was taken. Moving the adoption of the committee’s report, and dealing with the recommendation relating to the cathedral Rev. N. F. E. Robcrtslmwe (St. Mark’s Wellington) said the synod had previously reaffirmed that the site for the cathedral should he the siteof St. Mark’s Church. It was time that some portion of the cathedral should he seen rising in the city. Mr W. H. McLean (Redding) asked whether it was intended that the motion should be adopted by synod as definitely deciding on the form the celebrations were to take. Mr Bobertshawe replied that it was the committee's intention that the synod should either adopt or reject any one. or all of the recommendations.

The president, Canon Percival James, said that if the synod did not adopt the recommendations then, it did not mean that they could not he brought forward again at some future daate. As far as the first of the three (recommendations was concerned, the question for the synod was the simple one whether it considered the year of the centenary was the right time to make a start with the cathedral. Mr McLean moved the amendment of the first clause by the addition of the words “and that a committee he set up to take such expert advice as may be necessary to ascertain if sufficient funds are available, and to report to the next session.” Rev. F. S. Ramson (Palmerston North) suggested that a fourth recommendation would he more convenient —a recommendation giving authority for carrying out any one or more of the three recommendations.

Mr McLean agreed to withdraw his amendment. “We certainly should not let it go out to‘the public that the building of the cathedral is to bo a part of the centenary observance when we may find wc are unable to proceed for some reason or other,” said Mr McLean. “We don’t want to run our heads into a noose.” Ho agreed that the report as a whole bliould be sent back to the committee. Mr Tye moved an amendment in accordance with his suggestion, and Mr Ramson seconded. The amendment was carried.