DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6553, 23 May 1889, Page 4

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

; 'Wednesday, Mat -22. EVENING SESSION. TheiSynod ..resumed its session at 7.30 BKSIGNATION. The' 'President announced that he- had received from. .Mr E. Denham his resignation of the- office- of Synodsman for Ayonßide. Mr Maude moved — (1) " That a Select Committee be appointed to enquire into the position of the property, real and personal under the management of the Church-Property Trustees and the Diocesan Board of Trustees, and its past, present, and future administration, and to con- : aider and report upon any other business whioh may arise out of the foregoing matters, with power to call for persons, papers, books and other documents, and to report to this Synod within seven days; (2) That such Committee consist of nine i members; (3) That the following persons; be*ppointed to serve on anon Committee, namely— The Ven Archdeacon Lingard, Eevs.J. W. Stack, E. J. Thorpe, Messrs M'lntyre, Malet, Harman, Hargreaves, Hon H. B. Gresson and the mover." He did not think he need refer to the resolution at any length' in order to induce the j Synod to agree to the appointment of the Committee. The address of the President j must have been read by all, as it had j 'been published in the newspapers. It showed that the machinery by which the administration, of the church property was ! carried on by the Trustees was very much I out of order. He made no reflection upon any person, but must point out that there was great necessity for en quiry . If only on account of the numerous rumours floating about the Diocese the Synod should grant the Committee, from the personnel of which lie had purposely ommitted any of the present Trustees whose actions were to be brought under review. It was hardly necessary for him to detain the Synod any longer, but he would at once move the resolution. He might say that for his own put he was willing to work continuously en the Committee, so that its report could be hud before the Synod within the time mentioned. The Hon J. B. A* Acland seconded the motion. Mr H. K. Webb rose to propose an -amendment. He supposed that no Synod bad ever had a more important matter to discuss. He would move — "That this question be considered in Committee of the whole Synpd." In doing this he was following the practice of Parliament as far back as the year 1744. So important a question should nob be relegated to a small Committee, but all the members of the Synod should be placed in possession of all the facts. The advantage of going into Committee of the whole house would be that all the members could make themselves acquainted with all the evidence. There would be nothing to prevent witnesses giving evidence, as they could be called before the Chairman, who could put questions to them. If a quantity of evidence was taken in a Private Committee it would probably be so voluminous that no member would take the trouble to read it all. He moved the amendment, substituting in effect the whole Synod for the Select Committee proposed in the motion. Mr T. Gordon seconded the amendment. The Bev E. J. Thorpe suggested that the vote should be taken on the question that certain words be struck out, with a view to inserting other wordß. Mr Webb said his resolution was that the words "a select" be Btruck out. ' Mr J. Grigg thought Mr Webb's motion was not the correct one. What was wanted Twaa a sifting of the whole facts. If the whole Synod undertook the taek it would -result in only a jumble and entanglement. The Synod should have all the facts placed before it in a Select Committee's report which could be carefully considered. Mr T. W. Maude explained that one part of the Committee's business would be to see how far back it was necessary to carry their enquiries, in order to contrast what had been done in the past with what was 'being done in the present. He was quite /as anxious to shorten the proceedings as fanyone could be. With regard to what [Mr Watson had asked, hiß desire was to cover any ground that might be found necessary to cover. He could not accept the amendment. The reports of Select ■Committees were very frequently found to "be of greater value than the deliberations ©f a Committee of the whole Houbc. : The Ven Archdeacon Harper thought the best thing to be done 'would be to accept the resolution of Mr Maude, so that the facts could be ascertained. He 'would suggest, however, that the Committee should consist of twenty persons, ton clergy and ten laity, excluding all past .and present Trustees. : The President was about to put the ! question— "That this Synod resolve itself •into a Committee of the whole "—when Mr J. Baldwin rose, and said he would like to know why the Select Committee was wanted. He had thought that the Church Property Trustees were a Select 'Committee, whose business it would be to jfcring tip a report to the Synod at its next; session. He might say he objected to .some of the names on the proposed Comimittee, as the names of gentlemen who were certainly not unbiassed. Mr T. S. Weston, before the resolution and amendment were put, thought it right that, as one of the Church Property Trustees, he Bhould say something. Mr Baldwin might well ask for some reasons for the motion. Mr Maude no doubt entertained no complimentary- notions with regard to the aotionß of the present Church Property Trustees, against whom the motion was aimed. It was due to the Trustees that they should urge some ;reasons why the Synod Bhould sustain the suggestions made by Messrs Baldwin and Shaw. The Select Committee proposed consisted of many who were certainly not friends of the present Trnstees. The mover was professionally connected with the Trust and with his Lordship, and possessed some influence. The Ven Arohdeacon Bowen, on whose promotion he (Mr Weston) must congratulate him, advised moderation, and he (Mr Weston) would not forgeb this. Did Mr Maude attempt to show that the Trustees had done anything they should not have done P How far was the enquiry to go back? If for only a few months, it was invidious, and if further back where was it to end P The present Trustees had tjome to the rescue and filled the positions which others would not occupy. (Applause.) The Trustees who had thus come to the rescue deserved some consideration. The Trustees had found it neceEsaiy to appoint an Executive, consisting of himself and Mr Meares. This was found necessary as the Trust could not be managed by the whole Board. The Executive had entered upon their duties with ardour and with a desire to act honourably and fairly to the mortgagees and Cestuique Trust. Their action, though it had proved dis■taatef ul to his Lordship, had been aotuated by honourable motives. When Mr Fryer ,was appointed he had taken an ardent interest in seeing how the funds could be managed to the best advantage of the clergy. The work of the Board was, he could assure the Synod, herculean, and at the best unsatisfactory. The property amounted to a quarter of a million, with a heavy mortgage on it for some thirty years. The Trustees could not deal with the estate, therefore, as if it were unencumbered. The tenants were of the poorest class and rents were difficult to collect, and he believed that the properties would eventually be returned naked as they were given to the tenants. He referred to the town and St Albans sections. With regard to the suburban and rural properties, one was little better than a cow-walk, and some of the farms had, until quite a recent period, been neglected. The Board's predecessors had received a report from an Inspector whom 'they had sent round, which report disclosed a very unsatisfactory state of things. The Executive met once a week, on Wednesday, from four till past six. But this did nob represent the whole work, for they met almost every day, and everything that men could do to make the best of the Church funds bad been done. (Applause.) Another class of business was equally arduous and disagreeable, and that was the dealing with the debts of tho various j^hea^Th^Executiverhadto-flee-that

the arrears were met and the principal not lost. This brought the Trustees into much unpleasant correspondence. When Mr Fryer joined the Bxooutive, they turned their attention to the state of the accounts iin the " outer chamber." They considered this essential, believing that the business could be conducted at a cheaper rate and I with greater advantage to the funds. (Applause.) Mr Fryer reported, and his report disclosed the necessity for the removal of \ the offices, for a re-organißation of the 1 staff, and the dismissal of Borne of the officers. It was found that the records were not kept in the best manner, and '■ that changes were essential. The Board i approved of the report of the Executive.. 1 His Lordship had not attended the uieet- | ings, and this wa3 most unfortunate, | though his reasons were perfectly feasible.. But his Lordship had access to the minutes, and had never interfered until he found that the Board, on Mr Fryer's report, were tacking a greater portion of the English loan on to the Dean and Chapter's Estate. Then the Bishop came down prepared to send the members to their homes. Subsequently his Lordship withdrew his opposition. Mr Grigg : He regrets it. Mr Weßton asked if any bußineßs man could say one thing to-day and another to-morrow. It was too late for the Bishop to regret his action when the Board had committed themselves to a certain course. The Board had taken a nice suite of offices 1 in Hereford street at a cost of only JB2U j more than was being paid at the College ; ■ had dismissed some of the offioials, and ■ appointed a gentleman as accountant. ■ His Lordship had taken objection to the dismissal of one gentleman, Mr Snowies, bub ' the Board felt that the office of Treasurer and Secretary could be dispensed with. : The Trustees felt it would be better to : employ a man with some knowledge of ; accounts. It might be said that the Board : Bhould not have dispensed with the services i of a gentleman so long connected with the office as Mr Knowles. But were the ' Board never to make any improvement P i They had felt it their duty to dispense with I the Secretary and Treasurer. At this ; period it was that Mr Meares had resigned. I That gentleman had been in unison with the other members on every question but that of the Property tax. After Mr Meares left, Mr Fryer and the speaker braced themselves up to the duty of dispensing with the services of the Church Steward. ! Eightly or wrongly they sent notice to that ' gentleman. Mr Baker, senior, had been ! provided for. Mr Smith would go with the Trustees, and the other officers would be provided for. The Board felt that the changes in regard to the Church steward j would be beneficial, but the change was ' not effected untilaftcrtheresignationofMr J Meares. The action of the Executive was ! carefully considered by the Board, who heid i that the Executive had acted according to j their lights, and confirmed their action. j It had been said that the Board Bhould | have consulted the Synod. But what i would be said of any institution the ! Directors of which could not dismiss an j employee without consulting the full body of shareholders ? His Lordship had said he did not wish to interfere with matters of detail, but only with matters of principle. But was it to be supposed that the Board could not let a farm of a thousand acres without consulting the Synod P Mr Fryer and himself, if left in office, would see that the Church property was placed on a business-like footing, would give full and accurate accounts, and would bring before the Synod recommendations for further improvements. All this they would bring before the Synod. If, however, the Synod chose to dispense with the services of himself and Mr Fryer, they would leave their office ; but until the Synod did this they would not forsake their posts. (Applause.) There would be no necessity for his Lordship to come to the offices in Hereford street more than once a month. When the place was smaller thepastcondition of things might have been tolerable, but now something better was needed. He appealed to those who had held office as Trustees in former years to say if this was not the case. Coming now to the financial question. He had objected to the deposit system. His Lordship | seemed inclined to think that the Cathedral purse would be narrowed and the clergy impoverished by the actions of the Trustees. But tho change was more one of account than of actual money. The Board had had to consider the question whether the borrowing and lending system was to be continued or not, and the Executive had come to the conclusion that it ought to be dropped. The Board found that the Dean and Chapter Estate owned .£12,000 or .£12,600, and this was placed in the Union Bank at interest, and could be drawn upon, interest being paid for the amounts drawn. Mr Malet thought it hardly fair to the Bank or the trust tbat delicate negociations of this kind should be dkclosed. Mr Weston was compelled to place the matter clearly before the Synod. The Estate was Bometimes overdrawn to the amount of more than .£25,000. This would give an idea of how a small revenue was ! raised. The Church Steward himself could not say whether any profit was made. Without divulging Becrots, he might say that there might be mortgages held which would not bring 20s in the £. The Treasurer was more Banguine than the Church Steward, but even he said that all depended upon circumstances. The Executive had considered themselves not justified in going into such financing ventures. But for this borrowing and lending, a large defalcation which occurred some years ago would never have taken place. The Trustees felt that ! they were nob justified in incurring any i risks, that to " tiddley-wink " with the i | Trust property was most improper. Sup- , j posing a Bank failed, a messenger lost j money, or a mortgagor did not pay, what , ; would be the position of the Trustees P He ; ; did not wish to speak in disrespectful ' i terms of those who had initiated the system of borrowing and lending, j but the Trustees were put upon their ; trial, and had a right to explain J everything. The most that was in- , volved in the action of the Trustees I was some .£2OO a year. Upon this state of : things the Synod wnsas-kedtopaßstheresolu- : tion. To undertake such a task in a week ] would be useless. It would take a week to devise the best way to set about the task. ! (Hear.) The Synod would be toad to attempt to do it in five days. Tho whole thing waß nothing but a desire to get rid i of the present Trustees, who, however, ! were not going, unless driven out. ' (Applause.) Mr Maude, or his partner, knew the amount of business that was done by the Board, and how prodtablo it i was to hia firm. ("Oh.") if reforms : were to be brought about, and that they \ were necessary all must admit, the Trustees should be given time to make them. ! The Board had found that there was about ; £4000 paid to capital out of income, and \ were endeavouring to make this amount , available for allocation by the Synod. The , figures which justified this assertion he had , : obtained from the Treasurer. There was ! every probability of the .£SO allowances to j the clergy being continued. He would ' not have ocoupied tho time of the Synod i j bo long, but for the reflection upon the j Board made by his Lordship and some of j the members of the Synod. From what I the Board had done,hefully believed great ! benefit would accrue to the Church estate. I If his friend, Mr Maude, thought he should ; not have referred to his firm, he would i ' withdraw what he had said. , I The Eev Canon Cho'.uiondeley thought i J he had never heard a more serious implicai I tion than that a true statement of accounts j would be given by the preßeut Trustees. ' This inferred that previous Trustees had i not made true statements. Mr. Weston: "Evil be to him who evil thinks." He had not had the slightest , idea of reflecting upon anyone. He had , referred only to Mr Fryer's earnest , endeavours to acquire a full knowledge of > the estate, and give a full report to the Synod. . i The Eev Canon Cholmondeley asked that ; the letter dismissing the Treasurer should \ be read. The Eev W. A. Pascoe was at a loss how to vote. There was a deadlock between the Bishop and Trustees. He certainly i thought the discussion had been carried on very warmly. It was all very well to i Iwithdraw a- statement, but- it .was. like

-withdrawing a wasp's sting — the wound still remained. (Hear.) The Hon J. B. A. Acland regretted that Mr Weston's statement had not been made before a Committee. No donbt the reporters had taken down some of it, but much must be lost. Objection was made to the reading of the letter addressed to the Treasurer, and a vote on the voices resulted in the Bev Canon Cholmondeley'a suggestion being negatived. The Ven Archdeacon Lingard, although finding it difficult to oppose the motion of ! Mr Maude, would like to have seen the i firat part omitted. The whole of the information there alluded to was already lin the knowledge of the Synod. What was | needed was an enquiry into the position of the Church Property Trustees. He ques- { tioned the right of the Trustees to delegate I their powers to an Executive, Therefore, 5 the "question arose, is the action of the Executive ultra vires ? Certainly the Board had confirmed the action of the Executive, and for this they would have to answer to the Committee. With all respect to his Lordship, he could not vote for the first part of Mr Maude's resolution, though it followed almost the exact wording of the Bishop's notice convening the Synod. The amendment was now put andlostom the voices. The Ven Archdeacon Dudley hoped MrMaude would withdraw the first part of his resolution. Mr Maude had no objection to any alteration. He wanted a Committee to enquire into what is being done. The Eev H. C. M. Watson moved, as an amendment — "That a Select Committee be apnointed to enquire into and report upon the powers of the Church Property Trustees, under the Church Property Trust Amendment ordinance of 1867, and other statutes of the Gener :1 Assembly bearing upon these powers, with special reference to ClauEOß 11 and 12." He hoped Mr Maude would accept this.Mr Maude was not disposed to accept it, as it simply traversed the whole of the object of his motion. Mr W. H. Shaw seconded the amendment, as calculated to save a great deal of time. Messrs Weston and Fryer were not likely to have acted without good reason. Mr J. Grigg hoped the Synod would not be led astray from the matters which the President had called the members together to consider. Mr Watson's enquiry might be all very well, but should stand on its own merits. The Synod, however, should deal with the objects for which it had been called. He hoped Mr Maude would not draw back in the least. The Committee would, no doubt, produce the figures to which Archdeacon Lingard had referred, but would, first of all, have to decide how far the enquiry Bhould go back. Unless the Synod was possessed of all the facts, they could not deal v.ith the question as judicially as they should. Mr W. H. Hargreave3 did nob think Mr Watson's amendment was an amendment on Mr Maude's motion. He (Mr Hargreaves) thought the Trustees should court a strict enquiry, and suggested that they should agree to the mq,bion, which, however, he thought should not include " the position of the property real and personal, &c," down to " its," so that it would read " That a Select Committee bo appointed to enquire into the past, present and future administration of the estates under the control of the Church Property Trustees, and the Diocesan Board of Trustees, &c." Mr A. Eoee asked what was meant by the "present, past and future." The Eev J. O'B. Hoaro, as one of the Board, courted enquiry. He was sure the Synod would endorse every action of the Trustees. It was not an enquiry into the conduct of Messrs Fryer and Weston. All that those gentlemen had done had been confirmed by the whole Board, who were prepared to accept the full responsibility. Mr T. W. Maude accepted Mr Hargreaves' uggestion, but declined to assure Mr Watson that the motion would not touch any constitutional question. Mr H. E. Webb objected to Mr Watson's amendment as irregular. The President put the question, "That all the words after 'that' in Mr Maude's motion be left out for the purpose 61 inserting other words," and this waß loßt on the voices. Mr T. W. Maude's motion, as modified by Mr Hargreavea, was now put and carried on the voiceß, in the following words : — " That a Select Committee be appointed to enquire into the immediate past, present, and future administration of the estates under the control of the Church Property Trustees and Diocesan Board of Trustees, and to consider and report upon any other business which may arise out of the foregoing matters, with power to call for persons, papers, books and other documents, and to report to this Synod within seven days." Mr Maude moved — "That such Committee consist of nine members." The Hon J. B. A. Acland seconded this, and it was agreed to. Mr Maude moved — " That the following persons be appointed to serve on such Committee, namely — The Ven Archdeacon Lingard, the Eov J. W. Stack, the Eev E. J. Tborpe, Messrs M'lntye, Malet, Marman, Hargreaves, the Hon H. B. Gresson and the mover." The Hon J. B. A. Acland seconded this. Mr M'lntyre declined to be put on the Committee. Mr Malet moved — "That the Committee be elected by ballot." The ballot was taken, with the result that the following were elected : — Messrs Maude, Harman, Hargreaves, Malet, the Hon H. B. Gresson, the Ven Archdeacon ■ Lingard, and the Eevs Thorpe and Stack. Mr C. Whitefoord proposed that Mr 1 Batham's name should be added. The ■ j Trustees should, he thought, be represented ' { on the Committee. • | The Ven Archdeacon Bowen thought 1 ' that, as the Trustees were on their trial, ■ i no Trustees should be on the Committee. i j Mr Whitefoord was not aware that the ■ i Trustees were on their trial. Would Mr 1 ' Maude object to Mr Batham being on the Committee. 1 Mr Maude had no objection. ; j The President announced that Messrs i Grrigg aTl< l Batham hud the largest num- | ber of votes next to those who had been j elected. > A ballot was taken in respect of these j two, with the reault that there was a j tie. , They were again nominated and ! balloted for, and Mr Grigg was elected. ; At 11.35 p.m. the Synod adjourned till 4 p.m. to-morrow. (Thursday).