WELSH DISESTABLISHMENT.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 June 1920, Page 4

WELSH DISESTABLISHMENT.

THE ACT IN EOItCE.

LONDON, April 8,

The Welsh Church Act is now in operation, and 'the Episcopal Church in Wales stands disestablished and disendowed.

The following are briefly the changes affected by tile Act: (1) The separation of the Anglican Church in Wales from the State in establishment and control; (2) the four Welsh bishops cease to bo spiritual peers, and surrender their seats in tli/e House of Lords,; (3) the consitution of the four disestablished Welsh dioceses as a separate province of Wales, with its own archbishop, who will be cbosou next week at Llandrinnod Wells; (4) all endowments prior to 1662 held by tbe Church in Wales to be surrendered, representing a capital sum of £l,000,000, and an annual value of £48,000; (5) compulsory commutation of all life interests from a fund of over £3,000,000, placed by the Treasury in the hands of the Welsh County Councils. Last week the House of Lords witnessed a unique event—the departure of four bishops from its midst. They were the Welsh prelates of Bangor, Llandaff, St. Asaph, and St. Davids. Their places will bo taken by the Bishops of Chsolmsford, Ipswich, Exeter and Bristol, while the late Bishop of Carlisle will, in due course, be succeeded fyy the Bishop of Peterborough. The Bishop of Chelmsford will best he remembered in New ,Zealand as the Rev. J. E. Watts, Ditchfield.

The governing body of tlie Church in Wales met in Llandrindod yesterday for the first time as the actual executive body of the disestablished and disendowed Church, the session being mainly devoted to considering recommendations of the Representative Body of th(o Church in Wales with regard to stipends of tlie clergy. The Governing Body decided to fix the minimum stipend at £250, together with a house or an allowance for ;i house, an amendment that a maximum of £SOO should be imposed until a minimum of £4OO had been secured for all benefices being defeated.

A discussion upon the usefulness of minor canons arose upon a recommendation that not more than two minor canons should be appointed to each cathedral, at a minimum stipend of £250, with a Infuse/", or an allowance for a house. An amendment was moved to reduce to one, but this was finally rejected.

Mr Walter Thomas, of Landaff, described tlie office of minor canon as of a soul-destroying kind. Almost the whole of his work was reciting morning and evening prayer, to the neglect of the chief part of bis duty as priest of the church.

Vno itisliop oi Bangor" defended the minor canon, to speak of whom as a loiterer in the cathedral was, hp considered, a mistaken Idea. Minor, canous of all cathdrals were like a spare horse, and did everything that everybody else was too busy to undertake. The recommendation to appoint not more than two minor cations was adopted.