EDUCATIONAL FUND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27043, 30 March 1949, Page 4

EDUCATIONAL FUND

PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS ON DISPOSAL The task of making recommendations to the Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland on the disposal of the Synod’s Educational Fund was entrusted to an Advisory Committee whose constitution and duties were defined by the Synod at its annual meeting yesterday. The Educational Fund is made up of one-third of the annual revenue from the Synod’s endowments. By Act of Parliament, all the fund in excess of £2400 is devoted to special educational purposes. The sum of £2400 a year was formerly devoted to endowing three professorial chairs at the University of Otago. It is now to be disposed of in other ways, “so that not the Church alone, but the community as a whole, shall benefit.” The new Advisory Committee will comprise Dr J. D. Salmond as convener; the convener jof the Synod’s Finance Committee, Mr D. Standage; the clerk of the Synod, the Rev. A. M. Elliffe; one member nominated by each of the Presbyteries of Oamaru, Central Otago, Clutha, Mataura, and Southland; one member nominated by the Council of the University of Otago; one member nominated by the Otago Education Board and another nominated by the Southland Education Board; and one member nominated by the post-primary school boards of Otago and Southland. The motion carried setting out the order of reference of the Advisory Committee was: “ That the committee be asked to suggest regulations in (connection with the distribution of the amount of the Educational Fund, and any other matters related thereto; the committee to have power to send the suggested regulations to Presbyteries for consideration and report, and to take the steps necessary to have the regulations approved by the Sytood, also to receive applications for grants and to make recommendations regarding them to the next meeting of the Synod.” Almost the whole of the discussion on the setting up of the Advisory Committee and its duties was taken in committee. The Daily Times was told after the meeting that speakers emphasised the need for urgency in dealing with the disposal of the fund. Cases were quoted where early applications would be lodged for grants for schemes in which financial assistance was urgent. “ I have been deeply concerned with the leisurely way in which the matter of disposing of the funds has been prosecuted,” said the Rev. H. J. Ryburn, when the convener of the Finance Committee, Mr Standage, read _ the proposals for the Advisory Committee He went on to say that the matter had been under way for about five years, but little progress had been made. At this stage, the speaker asked that the matter be taken in private, and the synod went into committee for the remainder of the discussion.