METHODIST CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 134, 2 March 1920, Page 7

METHODIST CONFERENCE

STIPENDS INCREASED. By TelegTaph—Press Association. Auckland, March 1. At tho Methodist Conference tho Board of Examiners for 1920 was appointed with tho Rov. J". A. Haslatn .is convener. Additional preachers were appointed to-tho following circuits:—Wangauui, Gisborne, Mnsterlon. Dovednle, Dunedin (Roslyn). A proposal to transfer Albany to the new Takapuna circuit was rejected. Tlifl balance-sheet for 1910, presented bv the treasurer, showed an incoi.'.e of ,£8490. and an expenditure of. .£7345. The summary of estimates of the Home Mission Fund showed a total income of .-£10,102. including a credit balance from 1919. It was estimated that there would bo a deficit of .Cfi3o on the present year's working, owing to increased grants from tho Home Mission Fund.

Tho report contained the following resolutions, which wore adopted by tho conference: "(1) That the forward policy adopted bv the conference in 1918 be reaffirmed, and the parts of that policy which were suspended by"lnst conferenco bo restored, and become operative forthwith: (2) that grants lie .made to circuits applying for them to assist in increasiiiß the stipends of ministers from J3200 to JJ2SO: (3) that estimates of income from circuits be based on the actual provision necessary to carry out the conference polioy of expenditure."

The conference placed on the supernumerary list tho Revs. Hammond, Murray, Peters. Griffith, Marshall, and Ward. The Rev. Mr. Blnmires was given permission to visit Englnnd.

Tho following probationers were passed in their respective years:—Messrs. Dennis. Parker. Dent, N<:!son. Bright, Chambers. Neal. Parker. Skuse, Cunning, Ford, Gabinan, and Jefferson. Tho question of stipend was considered bv tho conference. In regnrd to homo missionaries (ho miftter was referred back to the Home Missions Committee, with n view to effecting a 25 per cent, increase in home missionaries' stipends, which nre now JCICO.

Tho conference decided that in corisenuence of the increased cost of living tho minimum stipend for ministers and probationers (now £M and ,£l2O respectively) bo advanced to <8250 for ministers, and £VX> lor probationers.