DIOCESAN SYNOD

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 245, 10 July 1920, Page 8

DIOCESAN SYNOD

» YESTERDAY'S SITTING PENSIONS FUND FOR CLERGY The Wellington Diocesan Synod resumed its sittings in the Masonic Hall ' at 4 p.m. yesterday, Bishop Sprott lire- < siding. I Mr. J. W. Henderson moved tho first i reading of nn Act to provide for dio-' j cesan fire insurance The. motion was ; carried. A New Pension Fund, Mr. Henderson moved:—"That the establishment of a provincial fund tor . the clergy be approved, based on reso- i lutions passed by General Synod held iu ; Napier in 1919." In «o moving, Mr. Henderson entered at some length- into | figures showing the basis of eontribu- : tion from an actuarial viewpoint. One of the proposals was that members could j be accopted at 25 years of age, and another that it be compulsory for nil clergy in the province up till 35 years of age : to join the fund. : Mr. AY. H. M'Lean commented ] severely on the high amounts to bn contributed, contending that it was almost impossible for clergy receiving, tho averago salary paid to-day and under existing social conditions to pay such rates, which, after all hardly provided what could bo regarded as a living pension. Tho Rev. Franklin hoped that members would oppose tho Bill to set up a new fund, maintaining that the Diocesan Pensions Fund, if examined now, would probably be found to bo quite sound. , Ho saw no reason why a new provincial fund starting with nothing should bo ( established, save that it would make it easier for members to move about, which was not always desirable, and was certainly expensive. Under tho terms of the proposed new fund it seemed to him that members would go on paying until they died. Mr. E. Hadfield said that the con- , tribntions to the diocesan Pensions fund, compared with those of Auckland and Waiapu, Nelson, and Christchurch, were woefully inadequate. Whilst he did not say the fund was unsound (which actuarial examination some four or five years ago had indicated), the refusal of those funds- mentioned to amalgamatewith tho Wellington one, had been pretty positive proof that they consider- | ed tlie Wellington diocesan fund actuarially unsound. Mr. 6. Shirtcliffe moved as an amendment that consideration of the auestion should bo postponed until next session of Synod, and that in the meantime members should study carefully all the data available. Ho thought that as it was such an importunt question they should "hasten slowly." This was the first session of Synod, aud there were many new members who would find it difficult to .grasp at once such an abstruse matter, which so immediately atfected them and which would have an oifect on tho diocesan fund. Of course, the question was one more for the clergy, and ho would hesitate to go against it, but thero wore laymen who might bo helpful owing to the knowledge gained in the course of thoir own business. Mr. Hen-, derson was full of good, sound Scotch sense—(laughler)-and was one of the , shrewdist business men in Wellington— (applause)—but the speaker confessed that there were certain clauses in tho , Bill that he failed to agree with. . Ha mentioned tho absolute certainty of th« , diocesan fund yielding a retiring allowance of ,£lss—more than the proposed new fund "proposed to give them. At this point (8 p.m.) the debate win adjourned in favour of standing orders of the day. Board of Nomination Election. During the afternoon an election fof one clerical and oho lay member of th« Nomination Board was held. The elerl- . cal nominees were tho Ven. Archdeacon A. M. Johnson and H. Watson and the j Eev. A. L. HanseU, and the lay nominaX tions were Messrs. R. L. Button, J. W. .Henderson,.and G. Shirtcliffe. Tho clection resulted in the Teturn of the Rev. A. L. Hansell and Mr. Shirtcliffe. , When Synod assembled in the evening the Bishop announced that he had made , a mistake in standing orders in tho con- j duct of the election, which provided ' that each candidate must be elected by an absolute majority, the procedure being , to delete the name lowest on the list until only two names remained, when , a final ballot should he taken, In the ( case of the clerical member the Eev. Mr. Hansell had been returned by an ( absolute majority, and ho had consequently been elected—(applause)—but i there would have to be another election j for lav member between ; Mr. Henderson , and Mr. Shirtcliffe. ' On another ballot being taken, Mr., j Shirtcliffe was declared elected. j Shortly after 8 p.m. Synod went into , committee for the consideration of the ; report and estimates of the Finance ' Committee. , The Synod will resume at 2.30 p'.m. on Monday. j