PEW RENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10441, 22 April 1912, Page 1

PEW RENTS.

THE SYSTEM AT ST MICHAEL'S

VIEWS OF THE REV H. D

BURTON.

After forty-nine years, during which parishioners of the Church of St Michael and All Angels hare been able, for a payment of one guinea per annum, to reserve a pew in the church, the vestry has decided to do away with the system. At yesterday morning's service tlio vicar, the Rev H. IX Burton, denounced the principle of rented pews. Ho had before him, he stated, the record of the first meeting of the parishioners of St Michael's Church. The first entry in the minute book of 1863 was with reference to a special meeting of the parishioners, held to consider the advisability of raising funds by means of pew rentals. That meeting had refused absolutely and unconditionally to lot sittings in the church. In 1866 the parish was unable to pay the salaries due in the last quarter of the year, and another meeting was_ accordingly held, to advocate the raising of funds by pew rents: Seven gentlemen, including the late Archdeacon Lingard, had vigorously opposed tho proposal, but an amendment to the effect that the meeting should refuse to let seats on the ground that the church property had been granted on the understanding that the Church of England settlement should be for ever free, and that 6ums of money had been obtained on that principle, was lost. If the reason put forward on that occasion were true, Mr Burton stated, that most sacred obligation to keep the church free should never have been violated. Thus St Michael's adopted the system of renting ipews, but solely on account of financial difficulties. In 1594 a motion was carried at the annual ioners' meeting to the effect that pew rents should be abolished," but that motion was declared null because it was proposed by a 11011-parishioner. The fact that the expressed wish of tho parishioners had nqt been given effect, simply because of a technical error, was not in tho minutes, but there were those in the church who had been present at the meeting, and they had assured liim that that was the reason why tho motion was dropped. In 1908 a technicality had again prevented anything being done. To his mind, the preacher said pewrenting was detestable, but as lie had given a. kind of pledge to his advisers that ho would take no action in tlie matter, he had done nothing to alter the system, knowing that it must kill itself in time. At tho recent parish meeting the matter had again been brought forward, when two old" and -highly respected parishioners had proposed that the vestry should gradually abolish paid pews from the church. It was realised that a sudden cessation of pew rents might hamper tho church finances and would certainly causo sorrow and inconvenience to some parishioners. The proposal was that those at present holding seats should continue to do so on payment of their pew rentals, but that in future all pews other than those, at present reserved should bo freo to worshippers. Tho proposal had been carried, and now it would bo the preacher's' duty- as vicar to see that its provisions were carried out.

There was an excellent set of rules laid down by the previous vicar for his parishioners, but to the preacher's knowledge they had not been observed. Tho rule relating to pew rents was that the charge should be one guinea per annum, payable half-yearly, in advance. Tile speaker objected strongly to the detestable principle of buying and selling in the House of God. Ho hated to havo to say it,- but as they could see from the annual financial statement-, there Were a number of bad debts, debta to Gcd. And the Cliurch had no redress, for people could "hire" seats in any church and never pay for them, for in the eyes of the law the debt was a debt to God, and could not bo recovered in a. legal action. But although those who held seats could continue to do so, the preacher appealed to them to consider whether it was not their duty to give up those seats and give their rentals to tho church's funds. Whilst tho minute relating to paid seats was on the minute-book he would see that it was strictly enforced.