A BENEVOLENT FUND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 14

A BENEVOLENT FUND.

GIFT TO METHODIST CHURCH.

AUCKLAND, February 26.

A gift of £ll,OOO to the Methodist Church for the relief of widows and the children of deceased ministers and the relief of supernumary ministers or laymen, who, by reason of sickness, were in needy circumstances, was announced by the Rev. George Bond at the annual conference of the Methodist Church to-day. The donor is a prominent Methodist laymen, who has already given largely both to the church and to the public of the Auckland province.

After a conference between the donor and the Revs. Dr C. H. Laws, G. Bond, and Dr H. Ranston, and their legal advisers, the terms of the trust were drawn up. They provide that the income is to be applied to making compassionate grants or giving financial assistance either- by way of gift, or, in exceptional circumstances, by way of loan either with or without security, to the widows or children of deceased Methodist ministers who were at the time of death in full connection either as ministers or supernumary ministers. Relief is also to be afforded to supernumary ministers or laymen of good standing in the church for whom no adequate provision is made in other funds, and who, by reason of ill-health or misfortune or- loss of property, are in specnally needy circumstances. No grant exceeding £lOO to any one person may be made within a period of 12 months.

The fund of £ll,OOO consists of bonds bearing interest at the rate of 4j percent., and maturing in January, 1931. It is the desire of the donor that the fund should be left intact until the bonds mature.

In receiving the fund the conference decided unanimously to thank the donor for his generous gift of a benevolent fund, which it was decided to name after the donor and his wife.