A COLLAPSED SECT.

Northern Advocate, 18 August 1919, Page 4

A COLLAPSED SECT.

CHURCH FUNDS DISTRIBUTED,

It is not very often that people find themselves in possession of wealth that they do not know what to do with, but that is What happened to W. C. Kernot, Charles H. Cottpn, and George A. List, of Geelong who made a unique application to the Chief Justice in the Melbourne Banco Court recently Some time prior to 1-864 some adherents of the Anglican church in Geelong had a disagreement with Bishop Perry. They (seceded from the church, bought land in Latrobe Terrace, built a stantial bluestone church there known for spme time as the Prep Church of England, and appointed Trustees. A condition of the trusteeship was that the church should never again be subject to episcopal control. Changes of trustees had occurred since: most of the members of the church had returned to the Anglican fold; the building had been let to the Church of Christ, and the trustees named held in trust a prpperty valued , at £5000.f0r church purposes, without a congregation, and are receiving rentals for which they have no use, while there is no purpose to which the money can be legally converted. Mr R. E. Hayes, for the trustees, asked His Honour for permission ; to sell the property and to hand over the whole of the trust funds to the Geelong Hospital. Mr Martin was present to represent the Attorney-General, and raised no objection to the proposal, providing that the mqney was devoted to some permanent object, and not paid into the general funds of the hospital.

His Honour said there were difficulties in the matter. The trust had wholly failed, but the money hadbeen subscribed for religious purposes rather than charity. However, there seemed no other object to which the money could be devoted, and he therefore granted the application, subject to the Attorney-General's proviso, coste to come out of the fund.