CLERGYMEN AND THEIR PAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14212, 13 May 1908, Page 3

CLERGYMEN AND THEIR PAY

PRESBYTERIANS COMPLAIN.

(Faoii Our Own Correspondent.)

| |( WELLINGTON, May 12. I The poorness of the pay of local clergy was referred to at the Wellington Presbytery to-day. One minister complained that his jH.'oplo seemed to think that if the Anglican pastor could keep the wolf from the fold on £150 a. year tho Presbyterian shepherd should try to accomplish tho work on £175 with manse. "1 admit," said the pastor, "that we were all verv tight about. Christmas time." Here the solemn Presbytery burst into hearty laughter. "1 should explain," added the minister, "that wo were financially tight. As a matter of fact, we are all pliohibition-tsti-v' ,

Iho Rev. J. K. Elliott saw nothing to laugt: at. "Jt is scandalous," he added, that there was a Church with collegebred men who were receiving a miserable pittance of £110 or £125 a year, and even then this small sum is not alwavs regularly paid. It is a scandal to the" Church, I saw"

Jho reverend gentleman then made a ■comparison of the liberalitv of the pa-renls witli_ the closeness of their descendants, who were m far better circumstances to-day than were tho early settlers of the i-'ominion.

A lay member of the Hutt congregation admitted that there was "a tightness" of the congregation about Christmas time, but the Government valuations had been so severe in the district that tho liberality of ttie people was naturally restricted iiow an organ had been purchased' and "a good bit of it has been paid for." He warmly defended Ihe congregation against any suggestion 0 f "nearness" in regard to the minister's stipend. b w lhe question of the attendance at the Wellington churches also cropped up. Tho Kw. Mr Elliott pointing out that in this city and suburbs tho Presbyterian populaJ' on i,as shown by the census in 1906, was 10,4-71. _ The total attendance of tho congregations ministered to in these districts Was 2630. When the census population was reduced by 25 per cent., it would bo found that there were 7854 able to attend Cflurch, and- yet tho percentage of attendance on this basis was only 34. He was very .much astonished at, these figures. T'bcro seemed to him to bo need for bestirnrig themselves in tho matter.