DIOCESAN SYNOD.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4406, 12 July 1901, Page 3

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Tho session of the Anglican Diocesan Synod was continued yesterday, under the presidency of the Bishop of We,iington. In addition to the members mentioned yesterday, there were present the Revs J. G. S. Bartlett, J. 1). Russell, T. 11. Sprott, J. McWilliam and TV B. McLean Hon I' - . Arkwright, Messrs T. F. Martin, G. Wheeler, \V. T. Grundy, W. A. Fitzherbert, K. Wilson, Geo. Flux, J. W. Davis, W. B. Allen and J. F. Heckler. The r.pport of the Standing Committee stated that negotiations were entered into with the Church Missionary Association in Sydney in the early part of the year with a view to obtaining a trained Chinese catechist for the diocese ; but no intimation had been received that a suitable man had been obtained for training. The parish of Christ church, Wanganui, had undertaken to supply a sum of £25 per annum towards the support of a Maori clergyman to minister on th e Wanganui river ; but no such clergyman was available for the work at the present time. The Rev Arona To Aana had ceased for some time to reside in tho district assigned to him, under the Rev A. O. Williams, and the Standing Committee resolved that the grant from the Maori Mission Fund to him should be withheld, until they determined otherwise. The grant had not been paid for the past four quarters. Miss Blakiston nhdi been appointed a missionary, under tho guidance and supervision of the Bishop, to the Maoris in and around Greytown. The diocese was indebted to the Church Missionary Association fer generously supplying her stipend. The contributions received towards the stipend of the chaplain to the public institutions in Wellington had proved Insufficient. Tho Standing Commit£e o had suggested that, with the assistance of the Wellington .olorgy, a committee should be formed, to help the chaplain in his work, and to assist in raising the necessary funds for his stipend. Tho Executive Committee appointed to deal with the effort towards liquidation of the debt of £1775 remaining upon Bishopscourt reported that there wore promised subscriptions, etc., to the extent ef £467 Is 2d. The cash received amounted to £359 13s 2cli, and debentures had been reduced to the extent of £350, resulting in an annual saving of £27 for interest. Th 0 committee specially thanked Mr J. T. Fowler, by whoso efforts the sum of £SB was collected in the Wairarapa district; also the representatives of the diocese in the General Synod, who were successful in obtaining a grant of £75 from the General Church Trust.

The sub-committee on the insurance of church property referred to the scheme in operation in the Christchurch diocese and to the organisation of the Methodist Church authorities, and continued, “The premium income in this diocese would probably b 0 less than in either of the instances mentioned above, but not so much less as to lead to the conclusion that we should probably fail where others have succeeded. The committee therefore recommend that the matter bo remitted to the Diocesan Synod for favourable consideration.”

The report of the sub-committee appointed to inquire whether there is need for further church accommodation in the city of Wellington and its immediate neighbourhood concluded as follows ;—“ That in the opinion of this sub-committee it is desirable—(l) That a church site should be secured at Kelburno as a nucleus of a< possible new distriot of Kelburne and Northland; (2) that the room at Berhampore should be secured to the Church; (3]T that a site should be secured near Taranaki street, and a mission room at Mitchelltown; (4) that a site should be secured in a suitable locality at Oreswick: (5) that a site should be secured at Day’s Bay or Muritai. That the sub-commit-tee have no suggestion to offer as to services at Muritai or Day’s Bay at present.”

The accumulated funds of the Papawai and Kaikokirikiri Trusts were reported to amount to £6331 Os lOd on the 31st March, 1901. The Porirua College Trustees reported that notice of appeal to the Privy Council from the judgment of the Court of Appeal had been given by the trustees. The accumulated funds at the 31st March, 1901, amounted to £1761 10s 2d.

The Pension Fund Trustees presented the annual statement of receipts and expenditure, and a statement of the capital of the fund, which- had been increased during the year by a transfer from general accoupt of £SOO, making the total sum now £11,050. In the report of the Diocesan Board of Trustees, it was stated that at the last session Af/’Qjy General Synod they obtained leave to sell the piece of land in Bolton street, Wellington, on which the sexton’s cottage stands; also to sell, if necessary, part of town acre 963, Wellington, the site of St. Thomas’s Church and school, if it should be necessary in view of the City Council's taking part of the same section for street widening. The Wanganui Collegiate School Trustees reported that the financial position of the trust had considerably improved, and was now in a highly satisfactory state. During the year the balance of the mortgage to the Wellington Trust, Loan and Investment Company, amounting to £lsl 13s 4d, was repaid in full, and repayment was also made of the sum of £B4 due to Mr Empson. Notice had been given to the Harvoy Estate that the mortgage to them of £SOO would bo repaid on the Bth August, at which date the trustees wore hopeful of being entirely free of debt, A large number of the leases which fell in during the past year had been re-let, either for long or short terms, as considered advisable by the trustees!. ■ The headmaster of the Wanganui Collegiate School reported that Mrs Atkinson, a lady of very considerable experience in education, had temporarily undertaken the major portion of the French teaching in the school with good results. This was a new departure in secondary school education, and the experiment seemed to he entirely successful. The sum of £IOO given by Mr W. F. Levin to the headmaster to bo nsed at his discretion for any purpose connected with the school, had been devoted to supplying the material for a new classrbom and drying-room. A new east window was shortly to bo pat up in the chapel to the memory of old hoys who had died in the war—L. S. Melville, W. D. Armstrong and C. Parkinson. The total number of old boys who either had been or still were on military service in South Africa was sixty.

The Diocesan treasurer for the Melanesian mission reported that the funds had'again suffered through bad weather on the Sunday sot apart for collecting the annual special offertory. He had heard of only one instance of a supplementary offertory or other use haring been mad© for the authorising resolution of Synod <I9OO. The report of the Diocesan Secretary upon parochial accounts stated:—The to f nl receipts for the year, excluding hni«nr.o s brought forward, hare been £18,302 11s 7d, as compared with £19,273 9s lid for the preceding year.

This i 3 not the falling off that it ap pours to be at first sigat. & the previous year the loans tnd overdrafts amounted to £2718 15s 6d, whereas in the past year they amounted only tc CltiG/, or £1351 less. Out of the totai receipts £7703 19s 9d, as compared with £7l«f 19s 3d, were contributed to the General Church Fund. The increase is duo almost entirely to the assessment ol St. I’etcr’s parish. The total expenditure, including that to the General Church Fund, ha s been £18,060 13s, as compared with £18,608 15s 2d. The sums borrowed amount to £1367, as stated above, while the loans paid off amount to £1222 19 s 2d. The parish of St. Paul has raised by its School Society £415, and £2OO has been paid off the Sydney street buildings. The parish of St. Peter shows donations £2OB 10s, and loan paid off £2OO. St. Thomas’s. Newtown, is to be congratulated upon the happy result which has attended its efforts to place its finances on a satisfactory footing. It started the year with a debit balance of £96, in addition to an overdraft of £SOO and ended the year with an overdraft reduced to £230, and a credit balance on current accounts of £57. Potone has increased its new Church Building Fund by £llß. Carterton has raised by a bazaar £lO6, by means of which it has paid for a choir vestry, previously erected, and cleared itself of other liabilities. Masterton has erected a room attached to the church, to serve as choir vestry and class room, at a cost of £BB. It has raised £2OO by special means. Levin has erected a parsonage on which it has expended £351, most of which has been advanced by th e bank. Foxton has enlarged its church, at a cost of £169, without incurring any debt. Palmerston North has raised £135 for a new church room, out of which it has exepnded £SO on a new site. At Kimbolton (Ongo-Apiti) £149 has been expended on the purchase of a site and the erection of a small parsonage, £IOO being borrowed for this purpose. Christ Church, Wanganui, has erected, by means of a loan, a new parsonage at a cost of £777. Waitotara has purchased a parsonage for £2BO. It is all but free of debt. Hawera has raised £350 towards the building of a new church. At Te Roti (Eltham district) £204 has been expended on a church. No liability is shown. On the motion of the Rev C. 0. Harper a select committee was appointed to consider and report on the best method of providing for the spiritual, oversight of the Pohaiigina parochial district. Leave was given to the Rev A. W. H. Compton to bring in a Bill to provide for the constitution of native parochial districts and native church boards in the diocese.

The Rev P. C, W. Earee moved, “That this Synod instruct the Diocesan Trustees to refund to the vestry of St. Matthew’s Church, Masterton, the sum of £1 charged by the trustees for the inspection of plans for a choir vestry.” He explained that the motion was a test one. It was held by the vestry that the trustees had not the power to make the charge in question. After discussion the motion was lost. A motion by Mr T. W. Downes for the appointment of a select committee to consider the spiritual needs of the Bulls and Sandon districts was, after discussion, withdrawn. The Rev T. B. Maclean moved the second reading of a Bill to amend the Diocesan Pension Fund Act, by making provison for a clergyman’s retaining his interest in the fund on leaving the diocese after having been a subscriber for not less than ten years. A select committee was appointed to consider the proposed new clause. The Rev P. T. Fortune moved the second reading of a Bill to amend the Diocesan Pension Fund Act by making provision for a clergyman’s ante dating his claim upon the fund by paying loaded subscriptions for the back years of his term of service. On a division the motion was lost. The voting was as follows : —For the second reading, 11 clergymen and 7 laymen; against the second reading, 23 clergymen and 17 laymen. A select committee was appointed to inquire into the necessity or otherwise of alterations in. the boundaries of mar riage registration districts. In the discussion reference was made by Mr Downes to the Bulls district, and by the Rev A. S. Innes-Jones to the Colyton district. The Synod adjourned till 4 p.m. today. ~