THE SAILORS' HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11711, 22 July 1901, Page 7

THE SAILORS' HOME.

* • joi THE editor. kV,;vv r'i:, with reference to the "strange and VF,;if.y ~i ®J5». S' about the " revolution I Home, of which your special | the ,«»•• lias made so much, it should " remembered that the council is simply a SBk directors, charged with the. manageOf the financial affairs of the instituTh!, council, it is true, appoints a 1 " ?r D- nn Committee, but the duties of that . , Mission are simply to see that tho social i; ' ffl used for the purposes intended, and Jhat absolute religious liberty is given to all Christian ■ bodies ; who care to use it. Tho '--W Church Mission to Seamen occupies the hall MS on Sunday r mornings and two week nights Tho undenominational mission lias no use of the hall- on Sunday evenings and three or " four nights of the week. No suggestion, that Mi fclxw of has ever been made that tins arI'• lsSs.fi- l » interfered " ilh by th " ynpvt council* m t t . .. Now. as to tho institution being cap--K_ Tfe( j by the Anglicans" Col. Haultain was V ' r «'loth" to say anything to your interviewer. ' It must be admitted, however, that he said 0 | * very great deal, and he said a great deal - k v S that was contrary to fact. ;He declared that |?,1' 1) 10 "whole representation (with tho excep--1 v''*|| o n "of a single Roman Catholic represen- ,; 'l i' tative) was now practically vested in ono denomination." Now, sir, what are the facts? ♦* At the recent annual meeting the members v ' i to! the Sailors' Home Association were called upon to elect seven members of the council. -f-ii'They chose three Anglicans and four nonfMi Anglicans. It never occurred to anyone to " inquire into the religious beliefs of < these gentlemen. It is an undenominational in®ff stitution, and it would bo an impertinence to i ask tho particular " ism'' of each member of .„ l the association. Col. Haultain jumped to • ; the conclusion that three out of the latter teff four were Churchmen, and theft' "stated this At a fact. It transpires that of the four, one . is a Unitarian, ono a Nothingarian (Agnostic* I presume), one a Primitive Methodist, ■and one a Roman Catholic. I know little HSfor nothing of these j gentlemenexcept that '/."'they are all interested in sailors— lam tp| BUlx of this, that they would air unite 'to "V "oppose anything liko " donominationalism" §fl|f&t;tihe institution. *' Mr. Hanson's refusal to stand for re-election Bid not come as a surprise to the meeting, '~i , for ho had stated emphatically on his election tha previous year that he would serve for one year only. I beliove that everyone present regretted his refusal to stand attain. The sailors believe in him, and ■wish to See him connected with the home. The secretary of the Seamen's | • Union informed ■mo to-day that ho would , most willingly retire from the council if Mr. §18 'Hanson would consent to cotnf on. So much for the alleged "ousting" Of Mr. Ranson. ' "I regret that Mr. Ranson should havo complained to your reporter of the action of the 1" " meeting with reference to the election _of auditors. The proposal for their re-election ■ ~ was met by an amendment that "nomina- ■ tions should be received." There was no wish to cast any slur upon these gentlemen, fy \ but some of us feel strongly that all public institutions should have a frequent change of auditors. Messrs. Jonas and Gillillan were nominated, and none other. The meeting, ■we are told, was left in ignorance as to the "hand" of the movers. There was no 11®^'hand" in the matter. Had the movers any U;: *' hand" they would have been prepared with the names of other , gentlemen to propose, and could have secured the election of whom s. they pleased.',' We are gravely informed that ' ono oi the auditors is a Plymouth Brother, ■C'-; and it is generously insinuated that his religi- ' ous persuasion was, the ground of our action in moving the amendment; Sir. wo neither r;r "~" knew, no." cared to know, the religious views of persons proposed for auditors. I say that i'-Sf'-'ihero was no personal objection to the auditors,'but there was a desire to protest against flattie -idea of any hereditary rights for audi- / tors.' - -■' ■ Captain Anderson was, not present at the ' meeting, but sent a message that lie would not stand for re-election. So there was no "ousting" in his case. Mr. Entrican was jr-y'&t the meeting, and was defeatedsolely, I believe, because he had not attended to his duties as a member of the council in the previous year. This gentleman states that Captain Adamson was not present at the meeting,, and yet' he was elected; while Captains Duder and Clarke, who were also absent, were rejected. . As a matter of . fact, Captain Adamson was present throughout the whole of the meeting, and being a member of the association was entitled to be nominated. :. Captains Duder and Clarke, however, are not members of the association, I believe, and, therefore, had no right to be nominated. ' Mr. , .BraJcenrig seems to have, honestly i ® tried to give your reporter an unbiassed state'V; ment as to the election. He" admits that { -»everything was according to the rules of the f. < constitution. ' Personally, I regret that he was rejected. - I regret this so much that I

•would be willing to resign at any moment, if ■ the rest of the council would elect him in my stead. I am afraid, however, that the council would not consent to this, not because of any personal dislike, but because he remained to,'.long on the council without attempting anv reforms. How little ha suspected me of trying to bring the home under the control of the Anglicans may be gathered from the fact that ho nominated me for the council last year. And I am under the impression that it was he who proposed me this year. ... 1 It is true that the Rev. Father Patterson was approached to go on the council. \\ hen a number of gentlemen asked me to stand ' for election, I objected because one Anglican clergyman was already on the council, and 1 did not wish to see a preponderance of Anblicans, and I suggested■- that it would be well if the Roman Catholic Church were re- ' planted. Father Patterson lives in close pro\imitv to the home and the port, and his Church ought to have a, representative on the Board. If he had stood for election, I should have retired. ' Mr. Little draws a sad picture of the way in which the mission service on Sunday evening was deserted. I sympathise with him. But, in the name of common sense, what had the election of ' the new council to do : with this? What had ■we done to drive away his workers, or the usual attendants? The" Mission Hall was there for their use. No member of the council was there to turn out the lights during service, or to interfere ; with 01 discourage him in way. The new ' ' council never had it in their thoughts to Biter existing arrangements with regard to the mission services. Sir, all this talk about cur intolerance and persecution is false and

foolish. . It may be asked what had either the secretary or the manager to fear by the introduction of new blood on the council? I had ■'. never heard one word said by any of the i reform party about dismissing them. There ■ was some talk about looking into the finances of the home, in order ,to ascertain why it had not been paying its way, and of an inquiry as to the reason that its advantages have not been ■ appreciated by seamen for years past. Was this sufficient to cause these officials to resign in a panic? The- investigation will go on whether they remain in office or not. Colonel Haultain was good enough to explain tc the meeting that his reason for resigning was that he 'was getting old. Mr. Little gave no reason whatever, - which was rather ungracious, since he has been handsomely treated by the council for many years, notwithstanding fee non-success of-the home. So far from wishing to " capture" the home for the Anglicans. T will gladly resign my seat on the board to any Christian .minister who will take an'interest in the : home. If the Ministers' Association will appoint someone to act for " undenominatiohalism" on the council, I will retire, and I believe the council will welcome such ■& representative. This is my answer to those who charge the Anglicans with "capturing" the home. I am the only now member of the council belonging to the Church | W England.— am, etc., W. E. GiLLAM. ' 81. Matthew's Vicarage, July 18, 1901.