ST. MARY'S VESTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 84, 30 April 1901, Page 2

ST. MARY'S VESTRY.

Tub arnual mee'ing of Hfc. Mary's Vestry was *htld in tho Pi.ri-h Hall' on Monday eveninp, them being only a tcoiente The Vicar, Rev. P. G. Evans, presided. | The reports and balance-sheet were Itiken as read :

The reports and accounts presented were of c onsiderable ditncn'-iins covering som*) 24 pagrs in pamphkt form. The Vicar's address expressed thsnk-fulne-s at the inma'ed attendance, especially of men, at Divine service; the advance in the weekly offering-', and the r*m*rkab'e increase in the number of Communions. The congregations wru'd bo much larger if moreself der U\ wpreexercued. If the (ongregat'oQ tot k mora* inteivst in the young men and bnys and wel(Omod them into their pews he f sit that they would attend in greatly increased numbjis. He praised the cervices of St. Marj's choir, and stated thrre was tSfeo a gieit improvement in the music at the ether churches. Thanks were arc irded »o all tho?e who lnd done so much to mafte the services aUractiv j . With regard to Sunday schools is was necessary that every effort should be made to increase their efficiency. The Hospital, Kefuge a-d Gaol were regular'y visited, a service being held in the lat'er qnee a month. The Vicarage was thrqvn open every Tuesday evening to young men and a large numbo hid availed themselves of if. The work of thejvarious church and piroc'aial agencies appeared to be making satisfcc'cry progrefs. , The Kev. F. W. Young's repirt dealt chit fly with the condition an] progress of the Coventry pirts of the T'here were altogether 40Q families living in the oiuptry distriots represent'ng about 2,000 people, and ho* one man ooald be pas'or to that nurnb?r Mr. Young had, ha said, ye' to 1 ara, A good deal of the visiting done by h'm had been pastoral only in name

•The Churchwarden* stated they had li'.lle of special interes 1 ; to raport, though for the first t ; m9 for several years the ordinary revenue had been spghtly in exce'B of the ordinary an nual expenditure. Theavrage of the otfrr'o'ies for the year had b.en the highest yet attained throughout thf parish, a result that might fcava b en expec'ed cnsidering the prosperous statb of bth town and country. The inrreased revenue from coun try cburchfs was altrjhu'ed to improved organisatjpi ard *be g-'od work 4 on e by tin B/'V. P. W. Young. The devoted services of Mr, Bennett, Ben., and tho Rav, F. A ItanneU were cordially acknowledged, tppecially i.i concoction wjth thp gardea ptrty io Sid of the Maori mission, held at 811 Block, and resulting in a gain of £75. A successful sale of firm prcduce had a'so been c rried out at Omati in aid of pun k iiig and renovating the Barreit Road Church. The prec jon of a concrete. wa U an d r*»Vog along the Vivian-street front»go of the Ohurch was referivd t-\ as w»s,alsQ the gene ous action of fri<»tds in d-frayiog the cost of the nnin entrance step*. TheJMaori Mission work, conducted by iho R"v, P. A. Bennett, was reported as growing from month to month in a way quite unlocked for, and continued ns'Htfliice to surpirt tre work was ask •id for. The vexrd question of the 'T-i-annki trust had been finally fet led, and fu'l pnrticul its relating tie-it were appendel to tho report The onvo'ope system continued to inc ease, and was c mtnended to all new-c->mors. With raeard to the parish debenture deM;, 465 17s Id had ben collected en Anniversary Sunday, and sn anonymous donrr had cancelled eight debenture* amounting ti .£4O; £lO5 had bean piid off the debt, which now s'ool at XI2BO. The appointment of Mr. Fletcher, as organist and choirmaster, had proved a wise onp, and a considerable sum hid bean raised, by' recit >ls and concerts, for the choir fund.! The late Colonel Sfcipp't legacy of £lO, it was proposed to put aside as a nue'eus of a fund to erect a memorial to the memory of this lrave soldkr Of the.554 seats in the Church, 122 were frfe.

The folWing statistics were shown : —Celebration of Ho'y Communion, 111 ; Reception of Holy Ooramnnion, 1865 } Baptisms, 123 ; Mar.ißge?, 20; Burials. 37.

The Sunday School had 233 scholars and 24 teachers. The choir con-is'ed of 35 alults and 21 boys, the average ■ittondarca of the former being very muc'i I iolier than that of the litter. T.ie fund show, d a credit balance of £2 15s 6d. . The sU'eme'it of ac ounfs sVowed rccaip s a* £1374 15a Id, «nd oxpanditure £1258 17s Bd, the baluice in hand being £lls 17s 51, with liabilities <>•■ d-bentures amounting to £I2BO, and on op cial fu-ds £176 19* 3 I, a total of; £1436 19s 3d. .\gair.st this thei\i wew as-et=, exclusive of church p operty (which eti such ciunot ra> k as available assets), arr.oun*ing to £143 18s sd, leaving a responsibility i-f £1293 0s lOd te be discharged in the future.

Mr. Goiett ndvrci'ed lha bilnnre 6heet shoeing a compai ion with the previous y ar, but was satl lied wi h Mr Skitine' 's explana in ■ h-«t pros ions yen's accounts wi re for nine mouth's o-l>', thereforo a comparison would liavo leoi. of no s TVJfiO. T> e repcts and balance s'tetts w<re, after s me voluntary explana'ions by Mr. Skinner, cat tied, Mr. Skinner put forward an urgent ploa ft more toachors and this was warmly suppottod by Mr. S. W. Shaw. Tl o Chairman said it vrxa a disgiace (o ihe coDgrega'ion that thera wan no male tea ter at treafwrnoon school.

The Vicar appointed Mr. Ri.berl To'ld as bis Warden. Mr. John Cooke was appointed people's Warden. ISoth gentlmeo rout nod thinks for ppointment.

Mr. Cooko reeved that the number of mom Sera i f tlio Vestry be nine. Th i following were after a bal'ot declared f ] ctod to the Vrstry: - Messn Pa'o*, Woodward, Shiw. Me Kollir, Allen, Whieotnb', H E.l l'\j *»», A. B. K. F.olcs, Oorkill. J Mr. M-uton whs appointed Auditor.

On tli < motion of Mr, G vet", it wag 'ocidrd th-.t if fundH allow some le-munerati.-n thall be piid to the Aidi or,

[ The Rev. F. W. Yourg sail the-e was one omission he wished tosupp'y in his ref.ot ;.nd tint wag a' to the p-o----gnss if the F.tztoy Sunday msUwol

under til's wry able superintend ikm of Miss BcKworth. In wis imin'cnt.ional on his part to omit noting tli-t the Fchoi] was in a mos!; satisfactory ».nd promising stats. Mr. Skinner also pud a very hearty tribu'eof praise n'.t 1 only to Mies Bos worth's sucwsful management of the school, but of the excsllent discipline existing and \\v> heartiness with which Me chil Iren entered into their lessons and tinging. (Applause.) A vote of thanks was p«s d to th« varieui gnild.s and agencies at work in the pxrish.

Tue V.car raid that with regard to the pirticulirs in the report, relntiog to the Taranaki Trust, ho would like to point out the large amount of iroublo takon by Mr. Skinwr in the matter.

Mr. Allsworth moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Skinner for his services in colkc'ing the information. He ft It sure that members of tbe churih at & ratford and Inglewood would be wry much pleaded to havo the particulars, and ha suggested that I copies of that part of the repwt bf priuted in separate pamphlat form and circuht'd in ths couotry districts. He al?o paid a very warm tribute of praise 'o the liberality of the Yen. Archdeacon Govett, whose assistance to country churches had been very c-xten-* sive and was ljtt'e knovn.

Mr. Oorkill seconded the motion ard gave Mr, Skinner all the credit for the vcrk.

Mr. D mpsey, however, contendfd that Mr. Oerkill bad done good work, et-p c'ally at tbe Synod, and therefoie he movtd, as an amendment that a htavty vote of thanks be ccjorded to Messrs. Skinner and Corkill,

After some further remark*, Mr. Retnpsey withdrew his amendment and the motion vra< carried.

Mr. Dempsey then moved tint s hearty vote ef thanks be aocordtd tj Messrs. Skinner and Corkill for representing the Church a 1; the synod and obtaining a sitiafactory settlement of 'he trust question.—Cani'd.

M>\ Guvett drew attention to the rendering of the Li'any, which, he said, was the only portion o c the service thit was not chan'ed but mumb'ed. He pointed ou!; than the tubrio re'ating to that part of the service wa* th«t it should be sung or siid r that we» that when competent choirs were present the Litany should be sung. Se did not ask that the Litany should bo intoned, but that the rtspmses should be suDg. He mived that the responfes to the Lita-iy be rendered l.ke the rest of the service, Mr. Cooke pointed out that the object of the service in St. Mary's wrfs that it should bj oingregatioual, aud he reminded thosa present tlia*, it was not everyone in the congregation who could eing. He suggestsd that the singing aid saying sluuld b) v\ iterated.

Mr. Hughes corsilcrod there w a already too much music in the sen ice, If this ins,i)G desire for mu-ic went on it would enne to the sermon b irg tntonrd. If the servioes wera'left t< the choir and crg«, thoa> present would have nothing to do but look übout.

Tte Yic.r said that while Mr. Hughes and others would prefer nit to have the Lifany sung, t here were many who desired it. He surges'ed a com promise, whereby the chanting should tike place oceas-'onnlly. Wbi'e ,-ome i' jon'ed to ilih cluiit-njf, o'h rs mi-It-'stop away bcrauso the Li any'was not clnnted; He a'ways liked to s udy the wishes of the majority. ! Mr. Skinner: Do you honestly believe that anyone would s'ay away from the church he.'ause the L : ttny was not surg ? Because if you do, 1 don't! Ho earned tbe Vicar of the consequence of adopting the pr-p "sed' 1 erathn.

Mr. Govtt*-, in reply, sil the younger merab rs (f the 'Ongejation who preferr.d a blight nju.-ioil service should be studied,

Mr. H. E. F.wkeJ was in favour of a musicil srrvice, but; he inquired whe'her the propo.n ion was not out of otder, as he und.ratrod such m tteis were sole'y within the province of .he clergy. Th» Vicar said that was but he would b) guided by the wishes of the Uhuichwardens and Vestry, whom he Ror.sideied represented the oongregaiou,

After a few word* from Mr. D-mp s»y, who f aid hi h*d beeia converted lo a mus : cil service," the subj irt dropped. Mr. Skiver n oved that Messr Corkill, Shaw and the mover b) a Commir.ti e to inquire and report on tte qu-sion ef s ib-divMing the pari-h ioti t '0 s parate p<rishes, and tint it necessiry a special meeting of the Vestry be ca'l-d to consider the report. He ou'.lii ed a scheme which inada Te Henui aa tha c ntre of the gacoati parish, leaving ihe town p rish bounled by Moturoa and the town boundaiies. Mr. Cioke sre ndtd the letolution ind co;d'aliy suppirted the piopjsal. Mr. Mai fell tl-.ought there should I e three parishes and advocat.d wMcning the scope of the irquiry. The nntion was then amended si ns' to mad " two or more p»iisheu." In putting the mo'.ion tha Chairman faid he time hal arived-for such a s'ep to hi ttlien or it wmld mean 1b.9 employment of additional clergy. Tho mo ion was carried. I

Oil the nntion of Mr. Dempsey it was resolvad that tho meeting placa-oi record its appreciation of'Archiiewon Govett's labours mm! express a hope i.hat he may b3 long spared to continue his good work. The Vicir in puUioj/ 'he motion faid he looked on St. Mary's Ohuich as a sending monument of the Archde icon's labours.

The meeting closed as usual with the Bene did km.