METHODIST CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 250, 1 March 1911, Page 5

METHODIST CONFERENCE

- THE SEPARATION MOVEMENT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. The Methodist Conference this morning carried a formal resolution endorsing the constitution of an independent conference for New Zealand. The Rev. C. H. Laws read a- report on the steps necessary to give effect to the separation of the New Zealand Church from the Australasian Conference. He considered the resolution of the Australasian Conference was sufficient, and that the other necessary steps would be simple. Sir Samuel Way, Chief Justice of South Australia, however, had given an opinion that in the absence of precedents the proceedings ought to be cautious, and that the steps to bo taken should he sufficient to guard against hasty separation. The Rev. Laws said he supposed Sir Samuel Way's anxiety was to prevent disintegration of the Australian Conference in the future, and that the New Zealand Conference should) express itself firmly on the matter.

A SERIES OF RESOLUTIONS. Chriatchurch, Last Night. To meet the unexpected position which has arisen in connection with the consummation of the independence of the Methodist Church in New Zealand, consequent on the opinion of Sir Samuel Way that the consent of each of the six Australasian Conferences is necessary, the Methodist Conference to-day unanimously decided as follows:

()1 That this Conference, having considered the memorandum "of the Right Hon. Sir Samuel Way, and the statement relating thereto issued by the expresident, unanimously endorses tho statement, and approves of the action taken by the ex-president. (2) The Conference regards it as of most vital importance that the conferring of independence, which was unanimously decided on by the General Conference, should take effect at the earliest possible date, and strongly urges the several annual conferences to expedite in every way the steps needful to complete the matter.

(3) The conference, desires respectfully to draw the attention of any annual conference that may decide to consult its quarterly meetings to that part of the ex-president's statement which suggests that under such circumstances reference should be made to the March quarterly meeting of 1911. It is most strongly of opinion that even a year's delay will be inimical to important interests among us, and may, as the statement points out, prevent the securing of the necessary legislation in one or more Parliaments before the next General Conference meets. It therefore urges any annual conference which may adopt the suggestion of Sir Samuel Way to give conditional assent to the proposals for independence, which assent shall become effective as soon as the quarterly meetings have given their approval. (4) The Conference requests the annual conferences to cable their decisions on the matter of New Zealand independence at the earliest possible moment. (&) That a cable message be prepared embodying the purport of the above resolution*, and forwarded immediately to the president of each annual conference. -■,.'' ■■■,....,■■'

(6) That all. expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, and circulation of the ex-president's statement be a charge on the contingent fund.