ANGLICAN SYNOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14819, 24 October 1911, Page 5

ANGLICAN SYNOD.

THE CATHEDRAL LIBRARY.

RETURN OF MISSING BOOKS. HOUSED AT ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE. Tup. Anglican Synod for tho Dioceso of Auckland continued its sittings yesterday afternoon and evening in tho Cathedral library at Bishopscourt, Parnell. Bishop Crossley (president of the Synod) presided, and there was a largo attendance of clerical and lay members. The Rev. R. B. S. Hammond, of Sydney,.and Dr. Diummond, of Adelaide, occupied scats at tho invitation of the Synod. Tho President stated that in accordance with tho resolution of Synod he had sent a cablegram to Dr. Neligan, ex-Bishop of Auckland, congratulating him upon his improved state of health. He aleo read a reply in which Dr. Neligan conveyed his thanks and alfectionato greetings to the Synod.

A message conveying hearty greetings to the Synod was received from, the New Zealand Temperance Alliance.

A brief discussion took place on the question of granting permission to the Rev. R. B. S. Hammond, temperance missioner, to address the Synod on the object of his mission. It was stated that a notice of motion to the effect that the permission be granted (of which notice had been given on Friday last by the Rev. C. A. B. Watson) had been omitted from the printed order paper. Two motions to the effect that the standing orders be suspended to enable Mr. Watson's motion to be discussed and put, although supported by a majority, were negatived, it being necessary that unanimous assent should be given to enable the standing orders to be suspended. The discussion was thus closed.

Canon Haselden gave notice to move that a commission be appointed to consider the question of the erection of a Synod hall, cathedral, library, and diocesan office, the commission, to consist of the members of the Standing Committee and General Trust Board, and to report to the Synod at its next session. The various annual reports were considered in committee. The Selwiyn Library. A report on th'<s Selwyn or Cathedral Library from the Rev. W. G. Monckton was presented by the General Trust Board. Mr. Monckton ytafced that bocks belonging to the library had been returned by the librarian of tin Inner Temple, tho librarian of the Auckland Free Library, and "various doctors and private individuals." All books had, so far as ho knew, been returned, excerpt a few duplicates lent to the Diocesan H/'.gh School. These would bo returned at <uvy time if the board so desired. The books, had been placed in the Kinder library o.t St. John's College. Many reports and catalogues, which seemed to have but little value' for a college library, had been loft in the board room at the diocesan office, while fine books so badly worm-eaten as to be a danger to other books had been placed in a separate box outside the library. Two ancient encyclopaedias, some nautical and college almanacs, and one or t'wo other books, which were practically Talueless, had not been placed on tho shelves. Some old S.P.C.K. books, which

had no commercial value, but which might have some local interest as being associated with tho early days, had been placed on the shelves by themselves. The magazines contained some good articles of permanent value, and should remain. .

".Many of the books," said Mr. Monckton, "are in need of repair or rebinding. I have put in a glass case the books most needing repair. When possible it is better to repair than to rebincl, so as to save cutting the margins. In rebinding buckram or half-morocco is preferable to calf. I have only put aside the more valuable books. A number of paper-covered books want binding when funds allow. Several books could be easily repaired by means of-a'little glue or paste, and missing labels could be replaced. Books which form part of a set should be rebound to match' the other volumes of the set."

Mr. Monckton gave details of his classification of the books, and stated that ho had placed several volumes in glass cases comprising:—(a) Folio editions of the Fathers; (b) tall folios, Gould's Birds, etc. ; (c) a few rare books, also records ; (d) a mixed case of the overplus of tho Kinder library and the overplus of medical books: (e) a complete set of the Bampton lectures; (f) books in need of repair. The report added :— The library is very rich in patristic arid classical literature. It contains, also, many fine editions of great English divines. It is essentially a reference library, and as 'such ought to be of great value to students who like to consult original texts. It is for the scholar rather than the general reader. The main interest to ourselves lies in the fact that so many of the books are so closely associated with Selwyn. In many books are inscriptions from friends; in many there are notes in the Bishop's handwriting. During the troublous times in Taranaki we find the Bishop was reading Euriphides— and date being recorded in his copy. For this reason, if for no other, the books are worthy of our care. Together with the Kinder library, the books give a vivid record of religious thought in the last century. We have Keblc, Pusey, Newman, Manning, Oily Shipley, Neale and Rennet of Frome, side by side with Hampden's Brampton lectures, Vaughan, Kingsloy, Maurice, Robertson and Arnold. Much, could be done to rouse interest in the library by lectures on this most engrcasing period." A report on the Kinder library was nlso submitted by Mr. Monckton. " The library," he said, "is very rich in classics and sermons. It contains a nurr.ber of works that are now difficult to obtain. The books are nearly all in good repair. It admirably supplements the Selwyn Library." A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Monckton by the Synod.

St. John's College. The report of the trustees of St. John's College stated that the general endowment account showed a debit', balance of £242, or £205 more than for the previous year, owing to the addition?!} cost of the Patteson wing and Kindej library. The burials at Purewa /or the year were 221, as against 250 for Uie previous year. The receipts were £94*/ an( the expenditure was £920, includi/ig £300 transferred to strengthen the funds! for the purchase and maintenance of '/he ground. During the preceding 12 months the receipts were £933, and the expenditure was £920. The balance to credit on June 30, 1911, was £167. The Education Board had paid £4000 for the land in Marfyhfield Estate, taken under the Public Works Act, as a site for a school. Tho trustee/3 had approved of a design and inscription for a memorial brass to the memory the late Dr. Kinder, to be placed in t/ie library. Two farms at Tamaki had been leased for a terr.i of 14 yearsone of 150 acres at £107 a year,, tie other of 250 acres at £113 a year. ,' It w/ns decided to call the attention of the governors of the college to the fact that /they hart not complied with a resolution of the General Synod requiring them to l.teport upon their work for the year. The Home Mission Work. The Home Mission report presented by 'ihe Standing Committee stated that the receipts of the Home Mission fund for misI sion purposes of the year were £1588, or 1 £241 less than in the previous year; the 1 «Ynp.nditure was £1617. or £339 Jess than

during the previous year. Nine districts, comprising about 98 centres, were being worked by the mission. . During the 5 ear Hokianga had been cut off from Waimate and formed into a separate district, with a resident mission priest, living at Kohufcohu. The people had bought a mission launch, thus bringing into a fact the vision of Bishop Neligan; and they were about to build a mission house, which, it was hoped, would soon be the vicarage of Hokianga. The future of this district was full of hope. Waimate had been reduced in area, but still included Keriken, Kaeo, and Whangaroa. The people of Waimate North, owing to the gift of Mr. J. B. Clark, had been enabled to secure the old Maori mission property, and they purposed putting the old parsonage into good repair and using it for a vicarage. As soon as this was done Waimate should again become a parish. A new district had been formed with Kawakawa fcs its centre. The Kawakawa people would build a mission house as soon as they had settled upon a site. The people of Russell proposed to build a new church, of some permanent material, on the site of the old parsonage, to commemorate the life and work of the early pioneer missionaries to those parts; a fund had teen started for the purpose. The report stated that Ohura had been separated from Taumarunui, and formed into a separate district, but no man had yet been found to work it; the mission priest at Taumarunui gave what help lie could to the district, but there ought to be at least two men working in this country. There were- over 2000 people living in the counties of Waitomo and Ohura. outside of the townships; more than half of these people were members of the Church of England, and their condition would bo serious wero it not for the fact that other Christian bodies had several men working in the district. The report stated that tho home mission endowment fund now stood at £1132.

The Maori Mission. The report on the Maori mission, presented by tho Rev. 11. A. Hawkins (superintendent), stated that during the year new churches had been erected at Herekino, Kohanga, and To Kao. There had been an increase in contributions, the amount totalling over £600. The help rendered by tho New Zealand Church Missionary Association in supplying two such capable workers as Miss Heron and Miss Brereton for work in connection with the nureea' home.

The Standing Committee's report showed that the Maori Mission receipts for the year had been £2442 (including £424 from the native pastorate fund, £300 from the Maori Mission Board, and £100 from tho Government), or £52 less than for the previous year; the expenditure was £2525, or £197 more than for tho former year. The balance in hand at the end of the year was £33. Standing Committee's Report. The Standing Committee's report stated that the income of tho Selwyn memorial fund for the year was £139, 'and the expenditure £92; £90 of this was paid to the chaplaincy fund. With a view to increasing the capital of this fund to a sum that would yield an income sufficient to pay the full stipend of a chaplain, the surplus over the £90 paid to the chaplaincy fund was held for investment on canital account. The capital now stands at" £2100.

Tho sustentation fund receipts had been £68 from assessment, and £26 from interest. The fund now stands at £623. Assessments to the amount of about £30 were still unpaid. The receipts of the chaplaincy to public institutions fund for the year were £300, or £5 more than for the previous year. The income this year wa6 again not sufficient to cover expenditure, and while it had been a little better than the year before there was still a deficiency of some £20, bringing the overdraft up to £94. Tho report stated that the total cost to the dioceses of New Zealand of the general mission of 1910 was £4050.

General Trust Board's Eeport. The report of the General Trust Board stated, inter alia, that plans had been submitted for a. stained glafe -window in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre*,.for' a vicarage at Morrinsville, for additions to the vicarage. at Epsom*, and for an addition to the church at Pukekohe. Five allotments on St. Stephen's Road, Manukau Road, and St. George's Bay Road, Parnell, had been leased for 60 years, at an aggregate annual rent of £144 10s. The allotment of nine acres, adjoining St. Andrew's Church, had been let for three years, at £39 per annum. The total cost of the new See house at Bishopecourt to June 30, 1911, was £4708. The net annual income available from rents of the cathedral site and Bishonscourt properties, for payment of interest"and sinking fund on this sum, was £324 10s. Clerical Pension Fund. The report of the Clerical Pension Board of the Dioceses of Auckland, Waiapu, and Melanesia, for the year ended June 30, 1911, showed that the income was £3736, and that the capital has been increased by £3134. The total capital of the fund is £43,260. There were 128 clergy and 77 parishes associated with the fund. The board had received intimation from the trustees under the will of the late James. Cottrell, of Rangiaohia (Te Awamutu) that he had made a bequest of 138 acres of land and deceased's residence to the Pension Board for the Diocese of Auckland, to be used in the relief of retired, aged, and needy clergymen. The property had been sold for £3110, and the board expected shortly to receive the proceeds.

The Sunday-schools. The Diocesan Sunday-school Board presented a report of a conference of clergy and Sunday-school teachers, held, last month, and at which 22 schools were represented by an attendance of over 200. It was reported. to the conference that the board has agreed to recommend the diocese to adopt the New York system of gra/ling. The conference passed a resolution affirming the desirableness of the establishment of kindergartens. It also resolved, i " That the system of grading as adopted in the New York Sunday-echools should be tried in this diocese, and an experiment made (as from February 1, 1912) in the middle grade." It was further decided that the "envelope system" be adopted in the schools. The report was adopted on the motion of Archdeacon Calder. Nominations for Standing Committee.

The following nominations for the seats on the Standing Committee wore received : —Archdeacons Calder and Cole, Canons Hnuelden and MncMurray, Revs. J. R. Burgin, E. M. Cowie, W. E. Gillam, W. E. Lush, C. A. B. Watson, P. T. Williams, H. B. Wingfield, and F. W. Young, Messrs. W. H. Armstrong, R. M. Clark, H. Gilfillan, S. Hesketh, A. S. Holmes, C. Hudson, C. J. 'Punks, 11. W. Wilson, E. Yates, and Hon. E. Mitchelson. Five clerical and seven lay members aro to be elected. It was resolved that the Standing Committee bo empowered to take the necessary steps in connection with the Marsden centenary. The Synod adjourned at 10 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-day.