A Word in the Ear.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume VIII, Issue 1, 1 July 1917, Page 3

A Word m the Ear.

(Td Laymen);.

The financial year m each parish ended on June 30th. Annual' meetings will Wield "this month. ; Synod m 1915 passed a! resolution that the minimum stipend of each, clergyman m charge of a parish or district should be £300 per annum. The motion was introduced by a layman, strongly supported by laymen aud received the unanimous vote of the laymen— that is of the lay representatives of all the parishes m the Diocese. There^s no need therefore to labour to provewhal; all laymen are agreed upon already. But very few realise how seriotistthe matter has become and how straitened the finances of the clergy are. Faraiers are getting big war profits, buspeais men are doing better trade thau'ev.er and at higher prices, artisans iand many salaried men are getting greatly increased wages and war bonus|^to compensate fo^the high cost of Hying but the parson gets poorer and popfer. His income was never more. th|il! a bare living wage and now it is hopelessly inadequate to meet not only-the increased cost of living but thjejip* creased codt of his official expejbses, travelling, stationery, postagesjetc., etc* There are many poor parishes— where the stipend has to be collected by shillings and these perhaps can do Very little more than they have dotie -—any increase here must come;! from the Home Mission Fund— but there • ire mahy parishes that coiildft raise #500 or over : £ftfpO a year ft they Jiked arid hever fe^l : it. There are parishes Where one parisliiphe^s War . after paying, the 45 .per ceiit. additional war tax, wOtild: pay the pattlbh's stipend ten times Over, and '' yet Such j^anshibirefs jSre content that; the yicaivs stipend should rehiaia below a afld* thiff cl^g^r- . 1 ami^ shouio! hardly get me „,.;:!'!., , ' ' /' '.-, . ts It' too Itb ask stiak parishes itift&ft at th&j^s annual meeting at least to the iiifli-

main set down as i'ece^saift by ' the laymen: themselves ? Arid then, too, What about travelling expetiseS? It is very poor policy to make a! parsoh pay hid own travelling expenses. Jt i!s one of the topsy r tufvey thihgs about our parochial system that where the tr'avellirijg expensed are highest the stipends are least, arid it cdsts some clergy nearly a fottitb of their stipends to pay the expenses of their WOrfe. Is it any ehcotir fii^eiiieiif to a cje^'gymah to trfttel long diStafidfjs to.V isit parishipriers tfnd take scdfctiered gei-vices Mien the eipen^e 6f eyei^y trip further reduced his already niggardly income ? . '.'"•.'.:"'.' \