MINISTERS' STIPENDS: PERMANENT PROVISION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8986, 25 February 1888, Page 3

MINISTERS' STIPENDS: PERMANENT PROVISION.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—The subject of stipends and allowances for ministers of different churches has been of late freely discussed, and this has naturally led to the inquiry: Do the churches make any permanent! provision for their ministers who have grown old in their service, or are their allowances sufficiently ample for them to make suitable provision for their families in cases where by sudden affliction or disablement they are unable to fulfil the duties of their office ? So far as we have been able to ascertain, it appears that up to the present time the only Church which has made a permanent provision for such a purpose is the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The history, basis, and present condition of their fund, will no doubt be of special interest to all who have studied or con« sidered the importance of this question. In the year 1855, the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Conference was formed, and at the second Conference, held in the following year, ib was resolved " That it is desirable to form a fund for the support of supernumerary ministers and ministers' widows." Certain rules and reflations for the manegementj of the fund were then adopted. Each minister of the church subscribes the Bum of six guineas per annum from the date of the commencement of his ministry, and each circuit pays the sum of nine guineas per annum to this fund for each minister who may be stationed therein, so that the sum of fifteen guineas per annum for each minister is paid to this fund, twofifths by himself and three-fifths by his congregation. This fund may be termed a Mutual Life Assurance Association, the scale of life annuities therefrom ranging from £2S to £200 per annum. A supernumerary minister of 20 years' standing receives £75 6s 8d per annum; widow of minister same standing, £43 19s ; minister of 44 years' standing, £200 per annum, or widow of same, £116 13s. The advantages of this association are enjoyed by all the Wesleyan ministers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of the South Pacific, so thafe the fund is not only established on a broad basis, but extends over a wide area. From the report of the general treasurers of the Supernumerary Ministers' and Ministers' Widows' Fund just published, we note that the foundation is sound, and the income and capital account steadily increasing. For the year ending December 31, 1881, the income from subscriptions, investments, &c. was £13,153 3s 2d, and the expenditure £6103 3s lid, the capital account being £122,167 17s 6d. For the year ending December, 1884, the income was £16,398 19s, and the expenditure £8359 7s sd, the capital account being £146,403 3s lOd. For the year ending December, 1887, the annual income was £18,957 17s, of which amount £10,499 9s 9d was received for interest on investments, the expenditure being £9317 3s lid, the capital account having steadily increased, is now £176,349 10s. Of this amount! £165,407 is lent on mortgage of freehold property. The rate of interest during the year has; been £6 lis 6d per cent, on the capital invested. There are at present 174 loans, lent upon mortgage securities for amounts varying from £100 to £4500, and the rate of interest received on capital invested has averaged £6 6s 4d per cent, during the last seven years. The books and accounts have been duly audited and certified as correct. At the present time there are 48 supernumerary ministers and 34 ministers' widows receiving annuities from this fund. There are 428 ministers labouring throughout these colonies who contribute annually, and consequently may be future claimants on this fund. The great safeguard that the claims are fully investigated lies in the fact that no minister can become a supernumerary except by the vote of the Ministerial Conference of which he is a member* —I am, &c., T.A.