Waiapu Church Gazette. Monday, March 1st, 1926. "Gazette" Circulation.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XVI, Issue 9, 1 March 1926, Page 4

Waiapu Church Gazette. Monday, March Ist, 1926. "Gazette" Circulation.

A <month or two ago it was announced that extra copies of the "Gazette" would be obtainable by parishes for free distribution with the object of gaining further subscribers. Our invitation to clergy to apply for the extra copies met with only oaei response. Apparently there is no special desire that our circulation should be increased. We appeal to the clergy to help us. Amongst many other objects the "Gazette" has these:— (l) To provide a medium of communication between the Bishop and the laity of the diocese. It cannot fulfil this object unless all the laity are subscribers. (2). To supply news of the Church throughout the whole diocese and to break down the narrow parochialism which is such a terrible hindrance to diocesan fellowship and sympathy. No parish can thrive m isolation. The very "esse" of the Church depends upon mutual knowledge, sympathy and unity. Narrow parochialism is a constant hindrance to the work of the clergy. (3) To interest especially those who by distance from centres are cut off from Church privileges. (4) To help Sunday School teachers and provide instruction for children who cannot attend Sunday School. The wide circulation of the ''Gazette" m any parish will help the clergy m their work and arouse interest m religion.

The Clergy and Churchmen m general are invited to supply, the deficiencies of the editorial columns by

'■contributing^hmßelY^^i^iclißSnHihait will help the readers m their own and m other parishes. "The Roman Catholics are usually up-to-date with methods of extending and stabilising their work. They understand the value of a good press, as is evident from a perusal of even the secular press. But they also understand the value of Church publications. 1 It was Pope Pius X. who gave utterance to the following warning to coherents of his Church:— 'ln vain you will build churches, give missions, found schools— all your works— all your .'efforts will be destroyed— if you are not able to wield the defensive and the offensive weapons of a loyal and sincere Catholic Press.' — "' ' Church Record ( Sydney) . Time and again, at least at every session of Synod, attempts have been made to discover why the "Gazette" has a circulation of only about 1600 when it ought to be at least 3000. Probably the real reason, and the only reason, is that clergy do not seek to enrol new subscribers because of the difficulty m collecting the subscriptions. If a Vicar secures 150 subscribers m his parish and a hundred of them neglect to pay — it costs him nearly £18 per year ! Only recently a parish which used to take 26 "Gazettes" dropped to 3 per month, and only for this reason. May we ask our readers not to wait to be. asked for their subscription but to give it or send it to the Vicar. If the reader of this is not already a subscriber and would like to become one, will he please send his name to his Vicar with 2s 6d. This will pay his subscription to December, 1926. Another reason sometimes given is that the "Gazette" arrives too late m the month. The remedy is for some Churchman to volunteer to undertake the distribution of the "Gazette" m his parish. The Vicar will doubtless be glad to be relieved of the responsibility and the parishioner will have the satisfaction of knowing, that he is doing a valuable bit of Church work. The best way to do it will be to charge 6d extra per annum to subscribers and to post the copies on ''arrival. The price of the "Gazette" is 3s per annum, or (m most r . parishes) ,3s 6d posted. The "(J^zette" consists of twelve pages of its own reading matter and eight pages of the "Churchman." It ■contains diocesan news, original articles, usually a sermon by some well-known preacher and articles copied from the best English and Australian Church papers. Extra copies of the "Gazette" for free distribution will be issued to each parish next month. If you have a friend who might be interested please ask the Vicar for a copy for him « ■;.■.-■,..,■ ■■... , „ :.' : .•'.■