BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1710, 29 March 1906, Page 3

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING,

The annual meeting of tho Gisborne auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible

Society was hold ia St. Andrew’s Churoh last oveniog, tho Bov. Mr Cbatterton presiding in tho absence of the President, Air 0. A. DeLautour. A letter was received from Mr 0. A.

DeLautour slating that he would be absent from Gisborne for some time, aDd be would not seek re election, Mr Graham, treasurer, presented a statement of receipts and expenditure to tho end of the fioanoial year, October 31,

1905, whioh showed the . receipts to bo

£l2l Os 10d, made np as follows: Balaoce brought forward, £3l 4i 61 ; sale of Maori Bibles, £l2 15s ; own stock, £l2 17s 9J ; collections, etc , £9 10s 7d ; subscriptions, £sl IBs Expenditure : Sundry expenses, £l3 7s 2d ; Home Society balance centenary fund, £23 10s; free contributions, £25 ; Home Society’s own etook, £33 12 1 Id ; Maori Bibles, £l2 12s ; purchases and depot s ties, £2 2s 4d ; total expenditure, £llO 3s 81 ; balance in dSftod, £lO 17s 2d, Supplementary statement to March 27th Receipts : Balance brought forward, £lO 17s 2J ; sale of Maori Bibles and stock, £l4 2s 6J : collections, £3 8s 9d ; subscriptions, £lO 5s 6d ; total reoeipts, £43 13s lid. Payments : By Homo Society, free contribu tions, £25 ; sundry expenses, £2 3s 6d ; total, £27 3j 61 ; balance in hand, March 27th, £l6 10s 51. The Treasurer, in presenting bis statement, made a strong appeal to members to aivanoe the interests of the Society amoDgst oountry supporters. Although there was a distinct increase in their work they were not doiDg as muoh as the objects of tbe Society deserved. Mr DeLautour had outlined a scheme for assisting the Home Societies in disposing of tbeir dead stock of Maori Bibles, which he would bring before the Society when he went Home.

The secretary, Mr J. Peekover, read the following report of the committee :

The committee of tbe Gisborne Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Sooiety, in presenting their annual report 10 the subscribers and frirnls of tbe Sooioty, desire to record tbeir thanks to our Heavenly Father that His help has been vouchsafed to them through another year in their work. Also to those kind iciouda who have helped them pecuniarily to assist in the great work in whiob our Homs Sooiety ia engaged in sending the Baored Soriptureß to every part of the known world by means of the various missionary organisations, and their own Biblewomen and Colporteurs. At our Jaat annua! gathering we reported that the sum of £lO3 10s had been remitted on tocount of the world-wide effort that was being made to commemorate the centenary of the Home Society by collecting a sum of £250,000 as a special fund to extend the work of the Sooiety, an appeal lorfurther help was rooeived, and in re- 1 itpoose to efforts made a sum of £23 103 was obtained and forwarded to Home Society. At tbe completion of the fund the Home Committee invited us to join them in a servieo of praise and thanksgiving. They held a very large meeting in the ■ Aibirt Hall, London, on November 7th, - and we held a meeting for the auma purpose in S'. Andrew’s eohoolroom on No- i vember Bth. Your committee in various ways have ondeavored to increase the bblo ! So the Maoris throughout the colony of tbo atook of Maori Bibles held by us for sale on missionary terms. Also have had under consideration the subject of tbe 1 amployment of a oolporteur either separately or in ooDjunotion with some other organisation. Your chairman, Mr 0. A. DeLautour, has at considerable effort collected a large amount of information respeoting the gross hca’.henism of many thousands of Maoris in our colony and district, whioh information, we regret, he is unable, through illness, to give to our 1 meeting to night, as he had intended doing. During the year we had a visit from Mr Tiadsll, the Society’s agent for Persia and Turkish Arabia. Ho gave a lecture, illustrated by limelight • slides, in the Anglican schoolroom, exhibiting many scenes in connection with Bible history in Persia, including the tombs of various kings named in Scripture, Gyrus, Artaxerxss, and others. Collections have been received from Wairoa auxiliary, and the Presbyterian and Wesleyan congregations in Gisborne. We desire to increase our subscribers to the excellent monthly periodical, “ The Bible in the World,” sent free to every subscriber of 7s per annum, or less than weakly. Several of our young friends have obtained their 5 s pin cards, eight realising £2 through the efforts if Mr John Wairen, superintendent of Bt. Andrew’s Sunday Sohaol. We have missed tbe hearty co operation and kind supervision of Mrs McNair for tbo country districts since her removal to Auckland. We have to mourn the removal of the Rev. G. Hounsell, a member of our committee; who quite recently was very suddenly removed by death. Wo desire to express our sincere sympathy with bis bsreaved widow and family in their severe bereavement. In conclusion, your committee would invito our friends to avail I themselves of tho opportunity at our depot at Mr Harry Adair’s to obtain Bibleß and Testaments at English oast pricos, also a oontinuanoe and enlargement of the amount of subscriptions, so that our district may more than it has previously done farther the great work of evangolislng and uplifting the world by the spreud of Gospel Truth amongst heathen and Christians also."

The report and balance-sheet wore adopted on tbe motion of the Chairman.

The Rev. Herbert Williams was elected President for the ensuing year, and Messrs Graham and Peckover were ra eleoted treasurer and secretary respectively. The following oommittse were appointed : Mesdamos East and Graham, Miss L. Morice, Mosses Kohore, Stafford, G. Rosie, 0. Thomson, Nicholas, J. Warren, H. Kaop, Agnew Brown, H. Adair, and all the Protestant ministers of the district. Mr Peckover stated that Now Zealand had collided <£8250 in connection with the centenary effort against £3276 col-

lected in Australia. In regard to the work amongst the Maoris, ho stated that '"TTo'fißd written to tbe Education Board for the names of all Maori teachers ia the

oolony, and by this medium packets of Bibles bad been Bent throughout the oolony, Tbe following motion, propcsod by Mr Long, was carried, “ That the committee is strongly of opinion that a colporteur be appointed for tbjs district, and th»t tbe oommittee take tbe matter in band immediately " Other matters for furthering the interests of the Sooiety were discussed, and (he peetlog adjourned.