METHODIST CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 37, 13 February 1913, Page 8

METHODIST CONFERENCE

TO-DAY'S SESSION* (THEOLOGICAL TRAINING.' To-day 'a session of th© Methodist Conference was presided over by the Hon. C. M. Lnke. The report of tho Theological Institution Committee was presented by the Rev. Mr. Drak«. It eet out that soon after the year opened tho institution was Tembved from Ponsonby to "Duhholme." In-brder, however, to accommodate comfortably the full number of tert students, the, ' committee found it necessary to ■flbuild .two additional rooms. • These rooms, under one roof, are detached by •• few feet from the main building, and -fierce as studies and bedrooms for four ■menu The students were kept busy on "Sunday in the Auckland and adjacent •circuits, and were well received by congregations. The nine students in residence had taken more than 300 services during tho six months (May to October). "I 'am of opinion that it "is not to' the •advantage of the students to preach so •frequently, and that the number of ap■tpoitftnieiits next year should be reduc-■-■*ed:V . . ",- The conference thanked th© principal '(tKe Rev. C. H. Garland) and Mrs. Garlad}i for their services, and reappointed Mr> Garland. It was resolved that the ffolFowing appropriations for the college ■ expenses for 1913 be made ;— (1) Probert iTrast, £600; (2) Contingent Fund, -£bm; (3) Home Mission Fund, £150; <4) J Prjnoe "Albert College Trust, £150; <(s):Emsly Trust, £90 and £120 from the Primitive Methodist Education Fund ; j and that the amounts named in 1, 2, 3, ' and \ -A /Be paid in quarterly instalments in Jafhiary, April, July, and October. .it was resolved that students be not Teqaired to preach more than thirteen 'tiifijSs in any'* I ' quarter. tfEW THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE. aCh© report of the committee upon tho 'fcrijfiding of ft new Theological College i stated that there was nothing satisfae- ' toryto report. The committee was of j opinion that the TheoloL^jol College I snotlld be as- near as possible to the University College, and owing to recent J -in the discussion concern'inj£,;.he locality of the latter, it was -exptediettt to ; delay building until the -ehV of the -university was definitely fixSJj "Greatly as the committee chafes under this enforced delay, it is /conipelled to ,advi3e th© conference that th^re is no hope for prosecuting a suc<^skful canvass until the question of site 'is fettled. Meanwhile the purchase of thef -site at Epsom, to which the committee was pledged before, the last conference; has been completed. The cost ■wsneSOOO; and of this £30dO is left on, mortgage. The property is bringing an ah- income of £75, but the interest and rates are a little niore than double that amount. This liability will cease ' -as t subscriptions already promised are *paid in. The contingency of a possible change of site need not occasion subscribers any " anxiety concerning theEpsom section, for the committee anticipates that the sale of it would involve no financial loss." On behaff of the treasurer. Mr. J. A. 3?leeher reported that promises of doInations to the building fund totalled £7569 4s. Of this £1390 15s had been •received, leaving £6178 9s outstanding. The promises, however, covered a period of years. The delay in the matter was dueto'Siefacfcthat the site for the University in Auckland had not yet been isettled by tile Government. , Mi 1 . A. C. Caughey, the treasurer of the building fund, was Teappointed, and the Canterbury district was empowered to appoint a. treasurer ,for the South Wand if deemed necessary. TRAINING COLLEGE. Th© report of Wesley Training College ,ipteßefited by the Prihcipal (Rev. J. H. • Sirflmonds) said that the year just closed had been one of the best in the history | of the college. In ordinary school work the scholars and student's had shown :*ateady progress, and their numerous industrial duties had been carried out *<cheeri'ully and intelligently. With re,*gard to the Trust Estate attached ro the college, it wati reported that additional revenue might be anticipated from the -jWaikowhai property, which was being *roaded and subdivided. A still more immediate advance in the revenue was anticipated irom the Graf ton-road pfoper«ty, where several long leases were- just reaching maturity, and where a new tent , tate would represent an addition, of beHwee&i£3ooand £400 to the annual income vof th© board. Conference had already '-approved generally of the proposal to ac- - quire for the future operations of the '•college a new site in a rural district. A block of 600 acres adjacent to the main south railway 2G to 27 miles from Auckland had been selected. The conference placed on record its ■gratifkajirm-atj the continued progress of the ipititution, thanked the Rev. J. H. SiiMtnonds for his services, and re-ap« pointed him for another term. ■proposals by the trust board for the leawing i of about 12 acres of the Waikowhai property to the Mount Roskill • Roatk ßoard were approved. TheNproposa^L-lor purchase of the 600 acres asNa-*fte for future college operations was approved, and the .board wag authorised to sell such portion of thn Three Kings property as might be found •necessary to secure the required funds.