A VEXED QUESTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 349, 25 February 1902, Page 3

A VEXED QUESTION.

TROUBLE OVER A CHURCH SITE,

There is great trouble in Hamilton over the sale of the site of St. Peter’s parsonage. At a meeting held on 14th January j itTwas decided to sell the present parson- j n"e site at a minimum price of £7i>o, and | with the proceeds to purchase a new house j for tho vicar. Some of the vestry, being ; of opinion that this did not fall in with j the wishes of the parishioners as a whole, j called a vestry meeting and expressed tho opinion that the resolutions arrived at by tho parishioners’ meeting were illegal. The vestry passed resolutions asking tho vicar to call another meeting on tho .same subject, requesting him to ask the Primate or his commissary to preside over tho meeting. Two vestrymen, Messrs Sare and Farrer, called another meeting, of church members last evening to consider the position. There was a large attendance. Mr Sare, as chairman, introduced the subject. He characterised the action of Vestrymen Swarbrick, Stevens, Edgocumbc, Sandes, Salmon, Atkinson, Birnio, land Gwyune, in ignoring the vicar, warden, and two members of tho vestry, as illegal and unwarrantable. They had offered an insult to the vicar which the i p‘irishiono s could not allow* to go unchallenged. Messrs Dyer, Farrer, Walter, and [ Graham addressed tho meeting at length, referring to the action of tho other v.estry--1 men in similar terms. On the motion of Mr Sare, seconded by Mr Dyer, a resolution was unanimously carried, expressing

confidence in the viea r and appreciatioi of the good work done by him, and regret ting that some members of the vestry hai taken upon themselves the responsibility of passing important resolutions and for i warding them to the chairman of tin i Diocosan Board signed by Mr Edge i cumbe in his official capacity as secretary of St. Peter’s, the vestry thus conveying the impression that tho resolutions had been duly authorised by a properly constituted meeting of the vestry, such not being tho fact. Fourty-four ladies voted for the resolution, and sixty-eight men. Feeling ran fairly high at times.