CHURCH OF ENGLAND MEN'S SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 209, 23 May 1918, Page 8

CHURCH OF ENGLAND MEN'S SOCIETY

DOMINTON CONFERENCE. B7 T«lcgraph—Presß Association. Christchurch, May 22. A Dominion Conference of the Church of England ilea's Society was opened today. Bishop Julius presiding. The report of the Dominion Executive specified a number of matters for the public good that the last conference had assisted to bring about, tho arrangement of C.E.M.S. institutes at the military camps, and the effort in the interests of social purity, .which had included a course of lectures by Surgeon-Captain Potht. The exact strength of the society in New Zealand was hard to estimate, as so many secretaries had failed to send returns of membership. The number of branches was about 120, and some 6GI members had responded to the call to servo their country, about 20 per cent. (127 in all) having made tho supreme sacrifice.

Considerable time was occupied in discussing the appointment of an organising secretary. The London headquarters bad offered to undertake to select a secretary, and several members were in favour of the offer being accepted. Others favoured the appointment of u man resident in New Zealand or Australia, being of opinion that the society was "dying so rapidly" that unless an organiser wore procured speedily there would be no one left for him to organise. It was eventually resolved that the Dominion Executive bo empowered to enter into negotiations with London headquarters with a view to tho appointment of an organising secretary a.s soon as circumstances periA'it, and that in the event of tho headquarters in England failing to provide a suitable secretary within three months, tho Dominion Executive bo empowered to appoint a secretary in Australia or New Zealand. Archdeacon Russell, of Oamani, was reelected general_secretary. The following executive wns elected :-Rev. H. G. Blackburno (Pnlmei'ston North), Canon T. F. Taylor, (Trenthara Camp), llev. J. G. Castle (Wellington), Messrs. J. C. Adams (Christchurch), W. Nash (New Plymouth), and J. W. Henderson (Wellington). It was decided to hold the next conference afAuokland.