WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2431, 20 January 1882, Page 4

WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

The Wesley an New Zealand annual Conference for 1882 was opened last evening in the Durham street church, in the presence of a lark? gathering of the members of the «huroh. The Bev. W, I**, aoting president, presided, and the following members Of the Conference were present;—The Revs. William lee (ex president), Ttomas Buddie, John *Aldl»C, William Kirk, Alexander Eeid, John "Crump, William J. Watkin, William Oannell, William Morley, Jamas A. Taylor, John 8. Blshwortb, Joseph Barry, David McNicoll, Joseph S. Bmalley, William H. Beck, William Xeall, Joseph H. Simmonds, Francis W. Isitt, John J. Lewis, William J. Williams, Thomas G. Oarr, Henry B. Dewsbury, William B. Marten, Frederick. O. Dewsbury. Pan! WVEairclough, Charles H. Standage, William Baumber, Samuel J. Garlick, Thomas Fee, Samuel Lawry, J. Newman Buttle, Joseph H. Gray, Walter L. Salter. William Tinaley, Edward Best, Thomas G. Brooke, William 18. Gillam, John A. Luxford. The proceedings were opened by the choir and congregation singing the 478th hymn. The Bev. A. Beid then read the 103rd Psalm, after whioh the Bev. Thos. Buddie and the Bev. E. Bast engaged in prayer. The roll was then oalled, and the. members present answered to their names.

The retiring President delivered a short address. They were all aware of the painful occurrence whioh had necessitated his again assuming the office of president. They had all indulged the hope that their beloved brother who had been last eleoted wonld have been spared through his year of office, but Divine Providence had mysteriously ordered it otherwise, and to-night they had met together under the shadow of a great sorrow. Their connection had suffered a serious loss in the heavy calamity whioh had snatched away from them their late beloved president and the other esteemed brothren who perished with him. The Church's loss had been their gain. They rested from their labors, their memory was still precious to their friends, and the influence of their lives wouid be of great benefit to the sooiety in which they formerly moved. In looking baok upon the past year they had much to be thankful for. He felt specially grateful that God had been pleased to restore to health the Bev. Mr Bavin, who had been seoretary to the Conference, and had also spared the life of our beloved pastor, the Bev. Alex. Beid, who was again amongst them after his lone travels. They had re»»oo also to thank God for the large amount of spiritual good that had bean done duringthe past year. Many oircuits had been visited with a shower of blessings, believers had been sanctified and sinners had been converted. They were thankful too for the continued material prosperity and liberality of their people generally in the circuits. The general Conference had been held sinoe they last met, and although some of them perhaps had been a little disappointed at its results, yet there were unmistakable indications of greater success for them in the future, and he believed that (he next general Conference, to be held in this city, would grant them a great deal of what they desired. In the meantime, they ought to manifest peace and loyalty, and the future of Methodism would be brighter than the past had been. Amongst the questions of importance thai would claim the attention of the Conference was that of the ministerial supply. They would have very great difficulty, he thought, in filling up their existing circuits, and many new districts were applying for agents whom they wonld have to procure somehow. There were very few candidates ttia year, and if the money were forthcoming tley might be able to procure young men &m England or elsewhere. He desired to eipress his gratitude for the assistance and ecunael he had received from his brethren String the time he had held office, and it was vih a sense of great relief, and a feeling of pofound thankfulness that he again relinquished the office of president. The election of officers was then proceeded nth. The Bev. J. A. Taylor was elected president, and the Bev. W. Morley seoretary, Ito voting in each case being by ballot. The swly-appointed seoretary nominated the follwing offioers—Bev. W. J. Williams, assis-tnt-secretary ; Bev. T. G. Carr, journal ■cretary; Bev. W. Oannell, corresponding acretary. The latter gentleman was also ajpointedprecentor. The Bev.F. O.Dewsbury arl the Bev. J. H. Simmonds were elected rejorters for the daily papers, and the Rev. J- Berry correspondent for the " New Zealanl Wesleyan." A'tor hymn ISo. 486 had been sung, the Bev. W. Lee transferred his office to the newb-eleoted president, placing in his keeping tie Conference seal, Bible, and journal, and a hope that his year of office would be a successful one. The President returned thanks for the honor inferred upon him, which he said was quite unexpected. He did not covet the honor, lut valued it nevertheless as an expression of the estoem and confidence of hiß irethren. He trusted that at the end of the -jar they would not think that confidence had misphoed. [Oheors.] lie Bev. Mr Morley thanked the Confer«ni f or elesting him as secretary, though if tnsihad allowed him to do so he would have if- *° undertake the onerous duties whiobma bßen a u o tted to him. He desired J° »»y me or two words about the General Uonferi ce# Though they did not gain all ™" T de red, they had every reason to be I jv W the consideration and fair hearing they s Ce iy e d at the Conference. The brethren t ere oor tainly treated them with v**j7 r ? Bp ?% and were perhaps the mora tindly in expressions beoause of the sod £ j 'J? New Zealand members had !u ,i ' Bn . d tough they did not agree with the latter in u they eaid> moßt ot them practically adm» ed that there wag B good ?i! £ r 8^ 0n ID . the de " re ° n the part or the New Zealand rarJoh 0 f the Churoh for an altogether indep», dent oxistenoe. For his own part he had 001* baok from t he Conference more pereuat, d than ever that the members of the Chu 0 h in New Zealand ought to manage their affairg . [Qheers.J He thought he might „ ay withont sumption, that they were . qua i to the task. Neither by pressure[from \ U stralia, nor by direction from England, sho,i d they allow this matter to pass out of theuhands. They should olaim their privileges, and he believed it wonld give them a g, 0 d steady. vag power if they felt they had all the responsibility upon them. £ e would like to make a slight reference to their foreign missions. Those who had r,ad the report would know that proposals were ma do to them by the English Conference th* the grant which they had oontinued for a quatter of a century should, within the next two years, come to an end. The Conference dia sot see its way to altogether aooept that pro-

poßftl, but he believed the English Conference would be found to be inexorable. So that the question they had to face was whether the members of the Church in these colonies would provide for the missions in the South Seas, which had been suoh a wonderful success, or whether they would withdraw their clergymen. Methodists would not take long to answer that question. They would say that their Brother JLangham, in Fiji, and his band of workers; Brother Hamilton, of Tonga, and the small band of men who had taken possession of New Britain and New Ireland—that at all costs these brethren must be supported; and not only must they be continued in the field, but be liberally assisted. When they had about a quarter of a million Methodists in these colonies it did not soem an outrageous thing to expect that a sum of £ISOO a year additional could be raised by their united efforts The thing was almost too paltry to talk about. There was another matter to which he would like to allude. There was one thing especially needed in New Zealand, and that was a loan fund to aid in building churches in new districts. He was afraid the people would be getting tired of constant and persistont appeals on behalf of this objeot, and he thought it would be better to a:-k for a good round sum, say £IO,OOO, to begin with. He believed they oonld get a third of the money in a few hours at the Conference, and that the wealthy circuits in Otago, Auckland, Kelson and Wanganui would contribute to suoh a fund. In conclusion, he moved — '•That the oordial thanks of this Conference are due and are hereby presented to the Bey. W. Lee, ex-president, for the manner in which he has fulfilled the duties of that office since he was again placed therein." Tho Eev. A. Beid seoonded the motion. The retiring president had ocoupied the chair during a year of spiritual prosperity suoh as had not been equalled in the past. The motion was carried unanimously. The Bev. W. Lee returned thanks. He moved—" That the oordial thanks of the Conference are due and are hereby presented to the Bev. Mr Bavin for the diligent manner in which he has filled the offioe of secretary during the past year." The Bev. Mr Kirk seconded the motion, which was agreed to unanimously, the Bev. Mr Buddie, in the absence of the recipient, returning thanks for the vote. The choir then sang the anthem, "In the beginning was the Word."

The hours of sitting during the Conference were fixed as follows:—From 10 a.m. to 12.45 p.m., and from 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. It was deciaeu ti ba t w bil3 s ne ministerial Conference was assembled the mornings should .be devoted to committee work and the afternoons to open sessions of the Conference. The Rev. W. J. Williams moved the following resolution :—" This Conference with deep and ohastened feeling remembers the .very painful dispensation whioh removed so suddenly from amongst us our ■ late president and the editor of our "Conference Journal," with two of our excellent lay brethren, all of , whom were taken away when journeying to Australia as representatives at the General Conference. We record our deep sympathy with the bereaved families, and pray that God may comfort them and sanctify the event to , the spiritual good of our ohurohes." They |had been so long .familiar with the painful event alluded to, that anything like a lengthy address on the subject would be out of place. The Bev. Z. Crump briefly seconded the motion, and after a few appropriate words from the President it was carried unanimously. Addresses were then delivered by the Bev. M. MoNiool of Taranaki, who said it was a disgrace to the Churoh that it was not endeavoring to benefit the Maoris, and the Bev. Mr Berry of Nelson. The ohoir gave the anthem, " I am Alpha and Omega." The President mentioned that Wesleyan Annual Conferences were opened to-day at Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide,_ and that a telegram had been received stating that the Bev. George Martin had been elected president of the New South Wales Conference, and Dr. Kelynaok seoretary to the Foreign Missions. He also announced that the future sessions of the Conference would be held in the Provincial Council Hall, commencing this morning at ten o'clock. The doxology having beon sung, the Bev. Mr Bishworth engaged in prayer, and the President closed the proceedings with the benediction.