The General Diocesan Fund.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XII, Issue 6, 1 December 1921, Page 327

The General Diocesan Fund.

, -W.e publish m this. issue the- lift of donations received by Mr. A. T. Williams, organising- secretary pf> the Fund. Considering the fact that Mr Williams, undertook the work just as-;," the: slump commenced^ the' rer suits are gratifying.- No doubt 1 if the Fund, had been established four years ago when : money was plentiful -it would now have been iri , a strong 'position. But it -is of no use to r bemoan lost opportunities. y le,; ---can only -profit by the sad; experience/ through which the dioces<e i is) now ' passing, .by .resolving M /build ;;General Fund m every way^ ■and. -as soon as prosperity returns. tfl» ; . use ; every effort to -establish: ;it' piv v !a. firm, basis. Every business' firm finds it necessary to build * tip a . reserye fund to meet such confingeiicies.ias

the present, but our parishes have always lived from hand to mouth, and the Diocesan reserves have not only been hopelessly insufficient but have been largely invested m securities, such as land and mortgages, which m normal times are the safest possible investments, but' are now, the most unremunerative.- No one ' but the Diocesan' Treasurer and the members of the Standing 'Committee, who have to deal with the serious questions-; of diocesan finance, can realise the difficuties which face the diocese and itsparishes, and which are likely to continue for some time to c,ome. ,The work of the Church must be maintained — ground, lost "now ,will be terribly hard to recover. * It • is impossible to curtail expenses, it is impossible to restrict our work.". It is" possible that diocesan grants to assisted parochial districts may have to r be cut down. Grants to the Maori Mission nt \t j uiroady been very soj'ously re<!'U- -<\, ano I.We is a probability that \h« ''li.vkm l«fnifcCH, the most efficient; or' oil our Maori work, will have to be cU-w-rt'. M^v v, & • *ip>;f rJ ?o nil our readers 10 a '"-fst the Cburcii to theirutmost ,«ipacll,y by giving Jibsraily io iw'w own pa7'ish funds, by subscribing to the. General Diocesan Fiuif' end by contributing to the Maoii Mission. Thr-re are s many Churchmen who do not read Ihe "Ciuzette"; it would help considerably, if those who, do .would .b ring. pronnnentJy before them the subject oi' tliis article. This d.ioces'e has..depenaed very largely for its support on the generosity of sheepfarmers; Many of- these are at the present time> m the position of having to 'pay a heavy land tax on land from which they are getting no return. Their taxes exceed their incomes by many times. They are living by selling .their war loan bonds or on money borrowed at high rates of interest to meet their present necessities. We must appeal now, and -appeal urgently, to those who are receiving regular salaries or wages. It is the privilege of the ,poor as well as of the rich to make their offerings , for God's work, , and .the help- of all is most urgently, needed at once if much ,of the work is- to be saved from collapse. ' - /