PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15949, 21 June 1915, Page 4

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.

WORK OF ANGLICAN CHURCH, ' Jj

SECOND CHAPLAIN NEEDED.

1 . .v- ——- ■ r .. \'mk ; V-U ~ ■ '/ ;. ... _ |\. Ax appeal by the Bishop of Auckland, Dr. , A. W. , Averill, for funds to ' enable the. / ' Standing Committee to appoint a second .} • / chaplain to the public institutions was read in. the Anglican \ churches yesterday,: . anl ; copies lof the' letter were circulated. '• among the. congregations./J The. present chaplain is the Hev.;»E. C. Biidd, and the bishop ,> states Jhat the ; religious and / ( ' humanitarian duties / which the Church is / asking him to ' fulfil constitute ; ah iraj/s----sibla task. . / '/:/ /There is no more urgent need than the appointment and maintenance of a second . chaplain, the ; bishop continues. The chap- \ ' • lain ;is expected: to minister to the needs . of about 300 ; ■ sufferers !in the hospital, /•/ nearly 1000 in the * Mental ■ Hospital, T - about ; 260 : inmates at ? the Costley Home, _ and _ .. . nearly.; 300/ prisoners in the gaol. It is quite /apparent;: that no one man can possibly give these sufferers in mind or. body, - tho attention, : care . and sympathy they ■ /•/ have ..a/right to expect from the' Church. V. /i; Lay readers assist- greatly by taking services; and of late the Rev. M. Kirkbrido ;%i lias been giving most valuable help in the " Costley/ Home, but this latter can only.v./;/ be of. a temporary nature. It is.tr", ./ / 'that only a substantial proportion of ;' V A' the inmates ' are members of the Church /.;/ /

of V England, and that . . other ; religious • ' bodies make more or 'less effective provision for spiritual ministrations to their ... own people. ' ■ ' Discussing the financial aspect of the ■ question,' Dr. Averill states that funds now available are drawn .from the Selwvn memorial fund, which has provided about £80 per annum, ' from chaplaincy fees, v yielding last year ■ £150, and subscriptions, donations, and collections, £71 16s Id, of' | which St. Mark's, Remuera, contributed '--.'j £33. But although only one chaplain was-' -',2 provided,;; the I income did not meet the • expenditure. ; The balance overdrawn at; ' the beginning of the year was £27 6s -Id;' . at .the end of the year this was increased to . £48 9s 4d, making a deficit' for thaNtSj year of i £21 3s 3d. This statement, says r: the .bishop, shows how utterly inadequate |fgs| were the contributions of church people to this most important, work. The present position is that the overdraft of £48 9s ~ ■

4d'must be : paid , off, and;a.sum of £300 v a year must be raised by subscriptions, J: donations, and collections to enable , a second chaplain to be appointed to tho |g|| work. The. bishop concludes with a re- /.-* quest that collections might be made' in,y'|| each church lat some special service, which i would not interfere with existing claims' | upon the. parish finances and that some one person in . each parish should be authorised to collect subscriptions, which may./£| I be forwarded to the diocesan office. i . Archdeacon Mac Murray announced yesterday morning that any sum above the average offertory collected at the cathedral ' ' _ nest Sunday would bo devoted to the Jg|| |fund. ' ' i ■" #|§|