PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 6

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND SYNOD. The Synod of Otago and Southland opened its annual sessions in First Church on the 15th inst. The retiring Moderator (the Rev. W Gray Dixon) presided, and conducted the communion service which customarily precedes the business sessions of the Synod. The Moderator's discourse was followed by the solemn dispensation of the Sacrament. The Synod was duly constituted with prayer. The Clerk of the Synod (the Rev. A. M. Finlayson) announced that owing to indisposition the nominee of the previous Synocl for the Moderator's chair (the Rev. Professor Hewitson) was unable to be present to undertake the duties of tho office. He nominated Rev. J. S. Ponder, who was elected and welcomed as Moderator-elect. Ministerial changes during the past year were reported. SECOND DAY.*" The annual sessions of the Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland were continued in the First Church Hall on Wednesday. The Moderator (the Rev. J. S. Ponder) presided. PERSONAL. Tho Synod recorded its thanks to the retiring Moderator (the Rev. W. Gray Dixon) for his services to.the Synod. Appropriate reference was mad© to the deaths' during the year of a son of Professor Watt, of tho Revs. J. I. Clarke, W. Finlayson, and W. C. Blair, and of the wife of tho Rev. W. Hain. It was also decided to forward letters of sympathy in their illness to Mr W. S. Fitzgerald and the Rev. F. R. Blue. Tho Rev. J. H. M'Kenzie, clerk of the General Assembly, and the Rev. W. J. Comrie, treasurer of the General Assembly, were welcomed to the Synod. New members of Synod were also personally welcomed by the Moderator. THEOLOGICAL COMMITTEE. The annual report of the Theological Committee stated that 11 students, three of whom 0 were returned soldiers, entered the college this "year. There were seven students in their second year, and five in their final year, making a total of 23. Other students who had been on active service would return during tho year. In moving the adoption of tho report, the Rev. H. H. Barton submitted tho following recommendations: —Increase the amount available for tutorial expenses from £l5O to a maximum of £250; accept the resignation of Dr Watt, to tako effect from tho end of Februarv next; appoint the Revs. A. Cameron, G.'H. Balfour, and H. H. Barton a committee to framo a suitable minute anent his long and valued services; that an interim Act bo framed making provision for the appointment of an additional professor and for the increasing of tho salary of Dr Watt's successor to £6OO per annum, with a house allowanco of £IOO r>er annum. Mr Barton said that tho time had come when the funds would permit of the appointment of another professor, which was extremely desirable. He would not at that stage enter into details. The Rev. A. Cameron seconded the motion.. The report and all the subsequent recommendations were adopted. CHAr-LAIM'S nEPOHT. Lieutenant-colonel A. Gray prosentod tho

annual report of the chaplains' department, Otago district. The report stated that arrangements were continued up to tha last draft for each soldier to receive a Testament, presented by the Otago Bible Society. Trains bringing returning troops were usually met by chaplains, and the sick and wounded in hospital were regularly visited. During the year the following chaplains had returned from the front:—Revs. H. W. Burridge, W. W. Brown, J. E. Lopdell, and J. D. S. Wilson. The Revs. J. W. Ross, A. Hardie, H. Clark, D. C. Herron, A. G. Irvine, H. G. Gilbert, and H. M'Lean were still with the Expeditionary Forces. The report also detailed the work that had been dona for the Territorial camps and at Quarantine Island. The deliverance proposed to adopt the report; thank the chaplains for their diligence, and congregations for generosity; and anew commend the work to the prayers and sympathy of the people. The chaplains associated with the Synod of Otago and Southland were appointed a Chaplains' Committee, with the Rev. A. Gray as convener. MODERATOR-ELECT. The Rev. J. Lymburn was appointed Moderator-elect of Synod for next year. PRESBYTERY RECORDS. The Rev. R. Fairmaid submitted the report of the committee to examine Presbytery records On the whole, th© minutes had been well and regularly kept, but' a number of minor mistakes were pointed out. A keen discussion took place on the procedure at a ministerial induction in the Dunstan Presbytery, and the minute recording the service was sharply criticised. —Mr Fairmaid's report was adopted. CHURCH EXTENSION. The Rev. J. Kilpatrick (convener of the Church Extension Committee) reported that the income from the Jubilee Fund was £459 9s 3d t and that the committee had directed that it be paid into the Church Extension Fund.—The report was adopted. On the motion of the Rev. J. Kilpatrick, the following were appointed as the Synod's Church Extension Committee; Revs. J. Kilpatrick (convener), Cameron. Balfour, Davies, and Messrs P L. Clark, W. H. Adams, and W. Gow. APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS. Applications for grants for church repairs in the following districts were approved :—Tuapeka Mouth, Clydeval© Home Mission Station, Kaihiku, Waiwera, Purikiriki, Tahatika, and Lawrence. An application was received from Mataura for leave to sell the present manse and glebe, and for a grant of £4OO towards the building of a now manse. The Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland said that he thought this application should be further looked into, and the Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland and Mr W. Gow were appointed a commission to confer" with the Mataura people and report to the next Synod. An urgent application for church repairs at Stewart Island was granted, and similar applications from Dunrobin, Waipahi, and North Chatton were also granted. An application from Bluff for church and manse repairs was remitted to the Presbytery of Southland, with power to deal with the case. A grant was made for church repairs at Oteramika. Permission was asked to sell the church and site at Otautau. Mr Sutherland explained that the church and site had already been sold. —It was decided to agree to the sale on certain conditions.

A grant was made for church repairs at Winton. . , Grants -were made for church repairs at Mosgiel, Kaikorai, South Dunedin, and Waitati, and leave was granted to sell a church site at North East Harbour, subject to regulations. The Dunedin Presbytery recommended a spectial grant of £l5O to the South Taieri congregation for removing the church at Otokaia to a more convenient site, and a further special grant of £2OO to the Sea-cliff-Warrington charge towards the cost of enlarging the manse. These recommendations were agreed to. First Church, Dunedin, made application for £SOO for church repairs, and to make the church premises more comfortable. Mr Sutherland drew attention to the very frequent use made of First Church premises by the various organisations of the church, and the application was granted. _ Grants for church repairs at Ophir, Becks, and Alexandra were agreed to. The application for church repairs at West Taieri was granted. It was agreed to give a special grant of £75 to the South Invercargill congregation for urgently needed repairs to the manse. FINANCIAL. An interim act passed last year was finally confirmed making a grant of £SO from the Manse Reserve Fund to Chalmers Church fo:: church repairs, a grant of £220 to St. Stephen's Church for church alteration and repairs, and a grant of £SOO for the erection of a new brick church at Seacliff. The report of the Synod's Assessment Committee showed that the year started with a credit balance of £9 13s 9d and there was now a balance in hand of £ll 18s 4d. The Rev. A. M. Finlayson, who submitted the report, said it would be necessary to increase the assessment this year from £6O to £7O or £75. It was eventually decided to make assessments amounting to £9O- - Synod's Finance. Committee was reappointed. APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOBS. There was a large attendance nt the evening session, when the Synod met in confer'enoe a committee appointed by the General Assembly to confer with the Synod, and matters of very grace importance to the Presbyterian Church were discussed. The Assembly's Committee consisted of the Revs. Dr Erwin, Dr Gibb, J. H. M'Kenzie (Clerk of Assemby), W. J. Comrie (Treasurer of Assembly), John Paterson, and C Tocker. The business of the conference was the discussion of the duties and conditions of appointment of a successor to Dr "Watt, the retiring professor of_ Hebrew and Church History, and an additional professor to be appointed to the Theological Hall. Before this particuar business was reached the Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland moved the following motion: —"That the Synod take tho necessary steps to endow a chair to teach history in the University of Otago, and to have a professor appointed to the same at a yearly saalry of £650, on condition that, in addition to tho ordinary work of such a /chair, he shall deliver annually a course of not less than 10 public lectures on historical subjects." An amendment to fix the salary at £6OO was defeated, and the motion was earned. Tho Theological Committee was appointed to act with the Board of Property to take the necessary steps to fill the proposed chair. Mr Sutherland moved —"That the Synod take the necessary steps to increase the salary paia to the occupant of the chair

of Natural Philosophy in the University of Otago (Dr Jack) by the sum_ of £SO a year on condition that, in addition to the ordinary work of his chair, he deliver an annua! course of not less than 10 public lecturer on subjects falling within his ordinary work." —The motion was adopted. Tho conference proceeded to a discussion of the appointment of a successor to Dr Watt. • ' , • Dr Erwin said tho Assembly s Committee was unanimously of opinion that the retiring age for the professor of Hebrew should be fixed at 65 years. There was a very strong feeling throughout the church that if they had men among themselves capable of filling the position they ought not to go outside New Zealand to make the appointment. Dr Gibb expressed a desire that the actual qualifications of possible candidates should be discussed that evening. The Rev. H. EL Barton moved that the retiring as;e for candidates bo fixed at 65 years unless requested by the Assembly and Synod to continue. The Rev. G. H. Balfour, in seconding the motion, said that the matter of retiring allowance and insurance should be considered. , , , The Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland suggested that a man be appointed' for, say, five years in order that his teaching qualifications as well as his scholarship might be thoroughly tested. If satisfactory, he could be appointed at the end of that term till he was 65 years of age. The Rev. J. H. MacKenzie said the regulations gave the Synod full power to dispense with the services of any professor who proved unsatisfactory. Dr Gibb pointed out that it would be extremely difficult to put the regulations referred to into operation. Several speakers pointed out obj actions to fixing a term of several years' probation. Dr Erwin supported the five years' provision suggested. The motion was carried . On the motion of the Rev. A. Cameron it was decided to remit it to the Theological College Committee to prepare a deed of agreement to be signed by the professors. The Rev. Mr Cameron said he thought it would be a calamity if, because they had good men here, they should shut their eyes to the possibility of getting still better men outside. ' He moved that they appoint a commission at Home to advertise and send out not more than three names, appoint a similar commission in the commonwealth to send on three names, and that the Theological Committee call for applications within the dominion. —The motion was carried. The Rev. Mr Cameron moved that the Theological Committee _ and the Assembly's special committee consider the applications and reduce them to three for each ohair for submission with testimonials to Presbyteries. The combined committee would then submit its recommendation to the Assembly.— The motion was carried. It was decided to allot to Dr Watt's successor the subjects of Old Testament Languages and Literature and Church History, and to the new professor to be appointed the subjects of New Testament Language and Literature and the English Bible. The Rev. Mr Barton submitted, relative to the approaching retirement of Dr Watt, a motion which concluded as follows:—"Dr Watt's ripe and accurate scholarship, his whole-hearted devotion to his duties, his deeply reverent spirit, and his transparently sincere and singularly gracious character have given him a warm place in the veneration and affection of succeeding generations of students, who have recognised in him a cultured Christian # gentleman, whose profound and gentle piety, unflagging industry, and high ideals will remain with them as an abiding incentive to a life of service becoming the ministry of the Gospel."—This resolution was unanimously adopted.

The Synod adjourned to meet next in Invercargill at the close of the meeting of General Assembly there towards the end of the year.