THE SALVATION ARMY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 42

THE SALVATION ARMY.

THEIR TROUBLES,

Much has been said about the difficulty which the Salvation Army has got into in Xew York in consequence of the resignation of Colonel Ballington Booth, the General's son. What that difficulty is has never been clearly understood. Here is the explanation which we take from the report of an interview with the Colonel's lawyer, published by a New York paper. Mr Prynne, the lawyer in question, said : The Salvationists have got themselves into what is vulgarly called a hole ! General Booth is an alien. There is nothing in that to hinder him from receiving: whatever Ids son, who is an American citizen, may deed over But at the General's death there would bo trouble. This property is for rchgiou* purposes, and ho could not rotransfer it and could not leave it by will or in any way devise it. Jt must, when bodies, revert to the Stats.

Moreover, it came out during the interview that the Salvation Army has no legal status in America because, unlike other corporations, it is neither chartered nor incorporated. Add the diversity of the State laws, and the jealousy of American contributors to the funds against any possibility of their being expended out of the Union, and you havo a pretty complicated situation. It is still further complicated by Hie fact that the alien woman in the States has more rights than the alien man. The General has taken advantage of that by appointing one of his daughters to succeed Colonel Ballington, which shows that he is equal to the occasion, The position is nevertheless very critical and curious for the Salvation Army. We now understand the delay in the tranfor of the Army property, and wo realise that it is difficult to say when and how it will bo transferred. THEIR PROFITS. SI'ECIAI. TO THE NEW ZEALAND M,Un. London, March 20. The annual report of the Salvation Army shows that there has been a decrease in the number of officers in England. The contagious enthusiasm died away during the past few years, but there has been considerable growth in newer fields. In the United States the Army has nearly doubled its strength during tho past live years, though it has declined in Canada. The report shows that the hardest fields for the Army to get a foothold in are Germany and Belgium, but real advances havo been made. In India and Java to-day aro 11,8(1!) officers leading 3(573 corps. Every corps pays two officers, and sends a tenth of its receipts for the support of the division staff.

Periodical special collections aro mado for the sustenance of the international Btaff, which controls tho work throughout tho world. The proceeds of the annual " Self-Denial Fund " and the profits made by the trading of tho Army also go to the international headquarters. The balancesheets issued from the Queen Victoria street headquarters show what is done with all the funds received at headquarters. For the year ending September 30,1895, the total income was between .£130,000 and •£l-10,000. Of this, £l(i,0(K) was raised by the " self-denial week," ,£37,000 by rents paid by the local corps, £3IOO by trade operations, and mo.-.t of the rest by special collections and contributions. Eleven thousand pounds was spent on international headquarters, and the remainder in extending foreign work, helping tho sick, training cadets and so forth. The most surprising part of the balancesheets is the record of the trade department, which prints and sells the War Cry, with a circulation of nearly a quarter of a million a week, as well as other periodicals, and it deal? in everything from hallelujah bonnets to tea and big drums and bicycles. It sells goods to the amount of £183,000 a year, yet after allowing for the interest on borrowed capital and the depreciation of plant, it is only able to show a profit of £IOOO for the year. Even this is only apparent, as stock in hand is worth £3OOO less at the end of the year than at tho beginning. That is to say, the whole trade operations of the Army only brought about £IOO after paying expenses. The international headquarters now own three million dollar.-/ worth of real estate in the United Kingdom, It is mortgaged to nearly two-thirds of its value ; but to whom does this property belong? Certainly not to the members of the Army, not to its officers. Is it held in trust ? and, if so, for whom and who are tho trustees ? These are questions which the newspapers are asking.

A public mooting of the New Zealand Church Missionary Association was held last week in the Diocesan Library. The Rov F. \V. Chatter ton and Mr Holloway, who aro touring the Colony in the interest of the Association, addressed the meeting. Mr Holloway said the Association already had five missionaries at work, in Melanesia, Japan, West Africa and Hiudostaii, and as thoy received only £7lO for their keep last year and it was intended to increase the number of missionaries, tlwy would require more funds. The Rev F. W. Chattorton described Japan and its inhabitants, and at the conclusion of an interesting address exhibited a number of limelight views of tho City of tho Rising Sun.