DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Evening Star, Issue 3925, 23 September 1875, Page 2

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

The Anglican Diocesan Synod of Dunedin met at the City Council hambers at four o'clock yesterday, Bishop NVvill in the chair. There were about thirty members present. The proceedings were opened with prayer. REPORTS. Various reports and papers were laid on the table. THE STANDING COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The Standing Committee, having considered the subject of pure itemture, requested the Archdeacon to communicate with the members of the Church throughout the diocese, and request their support in carrying out a scheme for the dissemination of such literature and regrets to learn that no sufficien’ promises of co-operation have been received by him. It expressed its regret that the parishes of All Saints’and St Matthew’s (Dune.iin), Invercargill, and Riverton had not contributed to the General Clergy Maintenance Fund for the past half-year The stock of t he depot of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has not been largely increased during the past year, in consequence of the small sum pf money available for the purchase of books Books, however, to the value of LS'J are now on their way out, and, a sum of LSO having bean advanced to the depot, the Committee of Management was enabled last April to order a large supply ol work# suitable fer Sunday-sehool Übrwie*

and prizes. Steps are being taken to obtain supply of registers for the use of the diocese through a local firm.—ln accordance with the resolution of Synod at its session of 1874, the Standing Committee took steps with a view of carrying out a scheme similar to that in force in the Diocese of Chrisfccliurch, for providing a missionary clergyman for the outlying districts of the diocese. They regret to say that they wore unsuccessful, owing to the npathy witli which such n project was regarded in those districts which would be likely to be benefited most thereby.—ln accordance with resolution of the Synod, the Standing Committees of the various dioceses in New Zealand have been communicated with as to the expediency of having one general Endowment Fund for gene al clergy maintenance. No replies have as yet been received.— The Standing Committee have a lotted one-half the sum of LIOO, given by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for missionary purposes to the curate of Caverslmm, on the understanding that the Taieri district be included in this cure ; the other half to the curate of Balclutha. No new trustees have been appointed during the past year. The resignation of Mr W. G. Fail as trustee of Port Chalmers was accepted. The whole question of the appointment of trustees requires the attention of the Synod.

A PSALTER.

.The Rev. Archdeacon EDWARDS moved—- " That the resolution passed by the Synod in favor of WilliiK's PsaVer be rescin led." He thought the Synod had made a mistake in the matter, and. as the proposer of the resolution now sought to be rescinded, he was willing to cry " Peccavi /" He thought it would be far better to leave it to each parish to choose a psalter.

■ T he Rev. Mr Stanford thought it would be a very desirable thing to have one psalter. He moved as an amendment—" That a committee be appointed to advise the Synod on the use of som* one psalter throughout the diocese, and to report to the Synod during the present session; such committee to consist of the Revs. Penny and Granger, Mr Ashcroft, and the mover, and that they be requested to invite the assistance of the organis s of the several churches of Dunedin "

The Rev. Mr Stanford's amendment was carried.

STATUTE NO. 5,

The Bey Mr Stanford moved—“ That the Synod go into Committn to take into consideration statute No 5, General Synod, in accordance with request on pa e 34, General Synod Proceedings, 1874.” The clause ran thus “ The mode of procedure in the nomination of a clergyman to a vacent cure shall be as follows ; —The Parochial Board of Nominators shall nominate a clergyman in priests’ orders to the Chairman of the Diocesan nominators in writing, by a majority of three-fourths of their number. The chairman shall then immediately call upon the Diocesan Board to meet and confirn reject the nomination of the Parochial nominators by a majority of their number, and for such purposes the Chairmab of the Diocesan nominators shall have a casting as well as a substantive vote.” Most of the other alterations were practically the carrying out of the principle contained in the clause. The alteration he proposed would leave the nomination to the parish to the people most essentially interested. He expected the support of laymen in the Synod, because it was emphatically a question of the laymen. The debate was adjourned to allow of the Rev Mr_ Stanford’s series of resolutions on the subject being printed. CHURCH PROPERTY. The Rev. Mr Dkwk moved, in the absence of the Hev. Mr. Bi-aumnnt, for returns of church property in the Diocese of Dunedin for the year 1875, and that *he same bo printed with the proceedings of the >nod. The Rev. R. L. Stanford seconded the motion, The following words, after discussion, were added to the motion“ And that it he an instruction to the trustees of each parish to forward the necessary particulars to the Secretary of the Standing Committee,” and it Wuß carried. RETURNS OP THE DIOCESE OP DUNEDIN. The Rev. Mr Beaumont moved for returns of the Diocese of Dunedin for the years 1874 to 1875, containing th > particulars enumerated in resolution 111. of the General ynod 1874, and that the same be printed with the p.oceedings of Synod. The Vtn. Archdeacon Edwards seconded the motion, which was carried. General clergy maintenance fund. Mr Hawkins moved : 1. That the second resolution upon p. 38 of Proceedings of <ynod, 1874, relating to the fund for supplying stipends of clergymen, shall be rescinded, and that the secoud resolution, relating to the General Clergy Maintenance Fund, on p. 43 of same, shall also rescinded. .2. 1 hat in lieu thereof the following resolutions shall be substituted, to take effect from the first day of July. 1875:—That a fund, to be called “ The Fund for Supplementing the Stipends of Clergymen,” shall be, and is hereby established ; such fund to be constituted as follows From all the offertories received on the first Sundays in the months of January, April, July, and October in each year, in all the churches m the diocese—unless Easter Pay shall fall upon the first Sunday in April, in which Case the offertories received unom the second Sunday in April shall be contributed to the fund, (b.) From the income of property held in trust for general * Jhurch purposes, (o.) From the fees for solemnisation of marriages as per schedule below.

3. That the unexpended balance now standing to the credit of this fund, and now called tha (j-eneral Clergy Maintenance Fund, shall be raveeted for the beneit of this fund. 4. That the said fund shall be distributed as follow-:—To olergymen m receipt of stipends of less than L 250 per annum, a sum not exceeding L3O ; in receipt of stipends of L 250 and under to ftnnnm » L 2 5; in receipt of stipends of L3OO, and under I 350, a sum not exceeding L2O ; in receipt of stipends cf L 350, and under L4OO, a sum not exceeding Lls; in receipt of stipends of L4OO and upwards, a sum not exceeding LlO.

5. That the surplus, if any, shall be applied at the discretion of the Diocesan Synod—lst. To supplement the sfippnds of clergyman having charge of districts which shall be leßs than L2OO per annum. 2nd. To the permanent augmentation of the Fund. 6. That.iu case the Fund in any year shall be insufficient to pay the foregoing amounts, the sum available for distribution shall be divided pro rata, so as to pay to each clergyman a sum as near to the above-mentisned sums as the Fund will permit. 7. That the contribution of each clergyman to the Pension Fund (if any) shall be a first charge upon his dividen ; out of the Fund hereby constituted Schedule of Fees.—For the pub lication of bans of marriage. 2s 6d ; for the solemnisation of marriage lifter bans, 7s 6d : for the solemnisation of marriage under license LOs. '

Mr Quick seconded the motion pro formd. The I'hEsiDENT said the question <iealt with by the resolutions then before the Synod, was a somewhat delicate one, and should be thoroughly considered before any decision was arrived at in regard to it. t Mr Gibbs stated that he had prepared a motion in effect to his Lordship's sugyestions, that the Synod should resolve itself into Committee on Mr Hawkins's resolutions.

The Synod then resolved itself into Committee.

The discussion was not concluded when the House adjourned till next day.