THE FORMAL OPENING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1243, 25 September 1875, Page 10

THE FORMAL OPENING.

The Secretary (Mr E. Quick) read the roll, and the following members of Synod answered to their names :— Clergy— Ven. Archdeacon Edwards, Rev. Messrs G. P. Beaumont, R. Coffey, J. Dewe, A. Gifford, E. H. Granger, W. N. Leeson, C. J. Martin, E. G. Penny, R. L. Stanford. Laity— Messrs Jas. Ashcroft, Jas. Anderson, S. Brent, Bellett, M. Fraer, H. J. Gibbs, H. F. Hardy, M. W. Hawldns, D'Arcy Haggitt, H. Howorth, H. Houghton, R. R. Jones, Lusk, A. D. Lubecki, W. •H. Mansford, W. Manders, E. Quick, Jas. Smith, E. J. Spence, and Fred. Wayne. The President (Bishop Nevill), who occupied a chair near the lectern, declared the Synod duly constituted, and read his address.

CONCLUSION OF SERVICE.

Two hymns having been heartily sung, the congregation dispersed, and the Synod adjourned to the Sunday schoolroom.

APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS.

The Rev. R. L. Stanford was re-appointed Clerical Secretary ; Mr E. Quick, Lay Secretary ; and Mr John Dewe, Chairman of Committees.

HOURS OF MEETING.

It was resolved that the Synod should meet daily (except Saturdays and Sundays), at 4 p.m., adjourning at G p.m. fcr an hour and a-half. The Synod then adjourned.

The Anglican Diocesan Synod of Dunedin held the first of its sittings of the present session for the transaction of business on Wednesday, Bishop Nevill in the chair. There were about thirty members present. The proceedings were opened with prayer,

REPORTS. Various reports and papers were laid on the table.

THE STANDING COMMITTEE'S BEPOBT.

The Standing Committee laid before the Synod the following summary of the Committee's proceedings : —

PURE UTERATURE.

The Standing Committee, having considered this subject, requested the Archdeacon to communicate with the members of tho Church throughout the diocese, aud request their support in carrying out a scheme for the dUserainition of such literature, and regrets to learn that uo sufficient promises of cooperation have been receh ed by him.

aESURAL CLERIiY MAIXTEXAXCE FUSD.

The Standing Committee expresses its regret that, up to the t'nie of the publication of this report, the parishes of All Saints' and tit. Mattne.v's (Dunedin), Invercargill, and Riverton have not contributed to this fund for the past half-year.

SOCIETY FOR PKOJIOTIXG CHRISTIAN KXOWLEDQB.

The stock of the depot ha* not been largely Increased during- the past year, in consequence of the small sum of money available for the purchase of books. Books, however, to the value of &Z\i are now on their way out, and, a sum of £50 having been advanced to the depot, the Committee of Management was enabled last April to order (through the Rev. Jackson Smith) a large supply of works suitable for Sunday-school libraries and prizes. Steps are being taken to obtain a supply ot registers for the use of the diocese through a local flmj.

MISSIONARY CLERGYMAN. In accordance with the resolution of Synod at its session 1874, the Standing- Committee took steps with a view of carrying out a scheme similar to that vi force in the iiiooese of thristchurch, for providing a Missionary Clergyman for the outlying districts of the diocese. They regret to say that they were uasueee-.s-ful. owinjr to the apathy with which buch a project was regarded in those districts which would be likely to be benefited most directly.

GEXERAI. BXDOWMB.YT. In accordance with resolution of the Synod, tho Standing Committees of the various dtocesea in New Zealand have been communicated with as to the expediency of having one general Endowment Fund for general clergy maintenance. No replies have as yet been received.

SOCIEIV FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL. The standing Commuiee hare allotted one-half the sum of £100 given by this Society for Missionary purposes to tho Curate of Gayer.-ha.in, ou the understanding that the 'i'aieri District be included in this cure, the other half to the Curate of Balclutha.

LOCAL TRUSTEES,

No new Trustees have been appointed during the past year. 'Ihe resignation of Mr W. O. Fail us trustee of Port Chaluiurs was accepted. The whole question of the appointment of trusteed requires the attention of tho Synod.

The Committee also described in the report the boundaries of a number of the parishes, and gave a list of subjects to be brought before the Session of Synod. PAROCHIAL " RECEIPTS FROM OTHER SOURCES."

The Rev. E. G. Penny moved—" That a full return of all moneys, subscriptions, and benefactions received in each parish or parochial district, and now included under heading of 'Receipts from other Sources,' be furnished for publication in the Summary of Parochial Accounts, or appended thereto." The Rev. Archdeacon Edwabds objected on the ground of expense, &c. The motion was carried.

STATUTE NO. 16.

The Rev. Archdeacon Edwards moved— "That, in the opinion of this Synod, Statute No. 16, General Synod (statute re ' fitness of candidates'), should not be re-enacted." The statute had proved to be unworkable. The Rev. Mr Oldham moved as an amendment — " That statute 16 should be reconsidered and amended by the General Synod." The debate was adjourned till Friday next.

willing's psalteb.

The Rev. Archdeacon Edwards" moved — " That resolution passed by Synod in favour of Willing's Psalter be rescinded." He thought the Synod had made a mistake in the matter, and, as the proposer of the resolution now sought to be rescinded, he was willing to cry peccavi. He thought it would be far better to leave it to each parish to choose a psalter.

The Rev. Mr Stanford thought it would be a very desirable thing t^ have one psalter. Willing's psalter he described as the most horrible production ever invented. He moved as an amendment — " That a Committee be appointed to advise the Synod on the use of some one psalter throughout the diocese, and to report to the Synod during the present session, such committee to consist of the Revs. Penny and Granger, Mr Ashcroft, and the Mover, and that they be requested to invite the assistance of the organists of the several churches of Dunedin." The Rev. Mr Stanford's amendment was carried.

STATUTE NO. 5.

The Rev. R. L. Stanford moved— " That the Synod go into Committee to take into consideration Statute No. 5, General Synod, in accordance with request on page 34, General Synod Proceedings, 1874." The subject was the manner in which clergymen should be nominated to parishes, and he need not dwell on its importance. He might say that the principle of the resolutions which he was going to propose in committee was expressed in one clause — that clause contained the gist of the alteration which he, for one, would like to see introduced. The clause ran thus : — " The mode of procedure in the nomination of a clergyman to a vacant cure shall be as follows : The Parochial Board of Nominators shall nominate a clergyman in priest's orders to the Chairman of the Diocesan nominators in writing, by a majority of three-fourths of their number. The Chairman shall then immediately call upon the Diocesan Board to meet

and confirm or reject the nomination of the Parochial nominators by a majority of their number, and for such purposes the Chairman of the Diocesan nominators shall have a casting as well as a substantive vote." Most of the other alterations were practically the carrying out of the principle contained in that clause. He then described the present method of nomination, and said that the alteration he proposed would leave the nomination to the parish — to the people most essentially interested. He expected the support of the laymen in the Synod — (hear, hear) — because it was emphatically a question of the laymen. The debate was adjourned to allow of the Rev. Mr Stanford's series of resolutions on the subject being printed.

EVENING SITTING. The Synod resumed at 7.30. CHURCH PROPERTY.

The Rev. Mr Dewe moved, in the absence of the Rev. Mr Beaumont, for returns of church property in the Diocese of Dunedin for the year 1875, and that the same be printed with the proceedings of the Synod. The Rev. R. L. Stanford seconded the motion.

The Rev. Mr Beaumont, who came in shortly after, explained that the object of the motion was to keep up the record of church property in the Diocese.

The following words, after discussion, were added to the motion : — " And that it be an instruction to the trustees of each parish to forward the necessary particulars to the Secretary of the Standing Committee." Tho motion was then carried. RETURNS OF THE DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN.

The Rev. Mr Beaumont moved for returns of the Diocese of Dunedin for the years 1874 to 1875, containing the particulars enumerated in Resolution 111. of the General Synod, 1874, and that the same be printed with the proceedings of Synod. The Yen. Archdeacon Edwards seconded the motion, which was earned. '

GENEBAL CLERGY MAINTENANCE FUND.

Mr Hawkins moved—

1. That the second resolution upon p. 38 of Proceedings of Synod, 1874, relating to the fund for supplying stipends of clergymen, shall be rescinded, and that the second resolution, relating to the General Clergy Maintenance Fund, on p. 43 of same, shall also be rescinded.

2. That in lieu thereof the following resolutions shall be substituted, to take effect from the first day of July, 1875, viz. :— That a fund to be called " The Fund for supplementing the Stipends of Clergymen " shall be, and is hereby established ; such fund to b* constituted as follows —

From all the Offertories received on the first Sundays in the months of January, April, July, and October in each year, in all the churches in the Diocese — unless Easter Day shall fall upon the first Sunday in April, in which case the Offertories received upon the second Stmday in April shall be contributed to the fund, (b.) From the income of property held in trust for general Church purposes, (c.) From the fees for solemnisation of marriages as per schedule below.

3. That the unexpended balance now standing to the credit of this fund, and now called the General Clergy Maintenance Fund, shall be invested for the benefit of this fund.

4. That the said fund shall be distributed as follows : —

To clergymen in receipt of stipends of less than L 250 per annum, a sum not exceeding L3O ; in receipt of stipends of L 250 and under L3OO per annum, L 25 ; in receipt of stipends of L3OO, and under L 350, a sum not exceeding 1 L2O ; in receipt of stipends of L3so;' and under L4OO, a sum not exceeding Lls ; in receipt of stipends of L4OO and upwards, a sum not exceeding LlO. | 5. That the surplus, if any, shall be applied at the discretion of the Diocesan Synod — Ist. To supplement the stipends of clergymen having charge of districts which shall be less than L2OO per annum. 2nd. To the permanent augmentation of the Fund.

6. That, in case the Fund in, any year shall be insufficient to pay the foregoing amounts, the 6um available for distribution shall be divided pro rata, so as to pay to each clergyman a sum as near to the above-mentioned sums as the Fund will permit. 7. That the contribution of each clergyman t# the Pension Fund (if any) shall be a first charge upon his dividend out of the Fund hereby constituted.

Schedule of Fees.— For the publication of bans of marriage, 2s 6d ; for the solemnisation of marriage after bans, 7s 6d ; for the solemnisation of marriage under license, 10s, Mr Quick seconded the motion pro forma. Mr Houghton thought that the whole matter should be referred to a committee to consider and bring up a report. The President remarked that the question dealt with by the resolutions then before the Synod, was a somewhat delicate one, and should be thoroughly considered before any decision should be arrived at in regard to it. Mr Gibbs stated that he had prepared a motion in effect to His Lordship's suggestions, that the Synod should resolve itself into Committee on Mr Hawkins's resolutions. The Synod then resolved itself into Committee. The discussion was not concluded when the House adjourned till next day,