CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17078, 4 September 1917, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

"WANOANUI CITiV

(To the Editor.) -' Sir,—With 'the risk of being accused >' of- reiteration, I again seek to draw ? the attention of Wanganui residents • to the proposed division of dioceses.^ That New Plymouth residents are alive\ ,j to their own interests is manifested;', , by an article published in the "Daily t ,^~ News" on the 13th August. After r'\ quoting my. .letter to the "Chronicle" "i of the 9th August, the "News" says;— \' "If it is to be a Taranaki Diocese, l«\ Wanganui must necessarily be at the , <i tail-end, and, with nothing in common,! , - with Taranaki, ■Wanganui, comparative- • ly speaking, has but a small district feeding it, Taranaki is a closely settled,- compact province, with a great future before it, and in a few years must carry a population of not 60,000, bufc '< 160,000. New Plymouth will be its- *" main gateway. Besides, St. Mary's* * Church, with its historical associations, could serve as a prorcathedral without f alterations, and as a point from which ,' to operate no more convenient point ' i could be chosen than New Plymouth. Wanganui as the seat of the proposed new See is quite out of the question. \ , The-authorities might just as well choose Taihape." . The Taranaki " Herald" of the 14th. * August reports: "The Rev. F. G. Har- ' vie preached a special sermon-at St^ Mary's on Sunday, the 12th inst., in advpeacy of the separation from Auck-, land diocese, and the extension southward of a Taranaki diocese to include" a large portion of the present Welling-, ton diocese. In the course of his dis-" '" course he said 'Money was required in" order that the diocese might be constituted by the General Synod.. Suppos- '« ing the annual amount required was £1,000, a considerable sum would have to be raised. A council was to be formed at Hawera this month. This would be a permanent body, with power to act in the carrying out of various suggested schemes. It was natu-i ral they would 'like New Plymouth to, be tho Cathedral city, but they must rise above local considerations, and leave the final decision to the GeneraL Synod.' " - * The new church scheme in Wanganui? was delayed fully five years through! a lamentable lack of perspicacity and • too ready acquiescence of certain responsible persons, whose''vacillation, in. dealing with the Church property caused a big loss in prospective* revenue: from rents, and created considerable friction, resulting in the resignation of the Vicar. V\ ranganui can easily support a bishop and /well afford a Cathedral. Now is the time and opportunity. As to assisting in the finance of the proposed Wellington Cathe-' dral advocated so eloquently by the* Key. Mr. Askew on Sunday last, I\ maintain that "chanty begins afeJ home." Wellington Pro-Cathedral (St.; Paul's) has been a standing monument' of Church apathy.,for many years. De-< spite the splendid gifts of the late( Mr. Wm. Booth, of Carterton, viz.,) two acres of land in Taranaki Street,.) Wellington, and a donation of £3,00tf to form the nucleus of a Cathedrat, Fund, the matter languished for 201 years, and Wellington has just awak-1 ened. Surely a city of seventy thous-! and citizens contains 100 liberal miadedi persons willing to contribute £1,000- . each. This, with £30,000 already donated, and promises, combined with si free site, should warrant a good commencement in Wellington. Last Census' Wanganui's population was 19,250. I should say we are well over 20,000 to-, day. There are many wealthy residents who would gladly donate towards a Cathedral, thereby . conferring on Wanganui the dignity of "city." Ii am, etc., \ ". GEO. M. GARDEITOR. ' " August 29, 1917. _J~-~<