A NEW CHURCH?

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1931, Page 2

A NEW CHURCH?

CONGREGATION UNDECIDED. MATTER TO BE RECONSIDERED. A certain amount of indecision, to- * gether with a measure of legitimate caution were in evidence last evening when the congregation of St. Andrew a Presbyterian Church at its annual meeting, considered the proposal to P 1 °* " ceed with the erection of the new church, to replace the wooden building in Stafford Street, which has been in use during the past 60 years, the Rev. G. Naylor presided over an attendance of about fifty. Mr J. A. Murdoch formally moveu “that this congregation of the Hokitika Pjresbyterian Church authouses the Management Committee to proceed with the erection of the new church, on the same site as that of the old church, subject to tlie contract’ being amended to provide for a written certificate'by the clerk of works being V inserted, and that this congregational meeting approves of the Management Committee borrowing, if necessary, up to £SOO beyond the cash in hand for the above ptirpose.” Mr Murdoch, in support of his motion, said that the Scots Memorial Committee had approximately £2400 in hand while two small amounts, which were still to be received. Apart from the actual cost of " the building itself, there , would be some expenditure in the way of incidentals. Even if the total exepnditure amounted to £2900, ,it would only mean £SOO above the amount in hand, There were many committees winch , had undertaken desirable works with less money than this and made successes of them. He was sure t money to be borrowed would not exceed £SOO. The congregation . should recommend the Management Committee to go ahead. Continuing, Mr Murdoch said that he had been told that the old church would, bring £IOO. by. the time the timber, and iron were sold. At present labour was cheap, and he was sure things were going to improve. If tenders are called in two years time/’ h e added, “I don’t think you’ll get one as .low as that before you tonight.” The site was arranged and he would like to see the church built. It made no difference to him, personally, but lie hoped the people would give the matter their earnest consid- /! oration. The efforts of those who built the church in its primitive surroundings 60 years ago shoifld be an incen- '! tive to them of to-day to take a bold ./■j step;-', ' , ' / Mr Murdoch said that tlie lowest / tender was that of £2635 by the “J. f J, Constructing Co.” . , v Mr Wilson : The architect appears to have approached several well-estab- [• lished firms, thus obviating the neces* if sity of advertising in Christchurch, a; The motion was sedoniwb wsha*? zMx I; Woods. I?/;. f, "Mr S. Presto,n opposed the motion. ;; They had a little over £2400 in hand, | i and from that there had to be dedueted the architect’s fees, the salary of is the clerk of works, , and the cost of •|| the heating, and lighting. . /. ;•! Mr Naylor: The lighting is includ-. •§ ed 1 in the l specifications. / However, said Mr Preston, it meant : ; a that they would be more like £7OO M, than £SOO in debt. When they built V the manse, they had to find £9OO and : it was years afterwards before it was i paid off. “I am n*ot in favour of go- ‘ ing into a debt of £7OO or more,” he said. ”If tlie job is to be done, I would like to see a local man get it. If we cannot built locally it will be better to wait.” - Mr Park, June., estimated the probable debt at £6OO. It was not a good A thing to wait until the church coulci be paid in ready Cash. The church had been in debt before this, but decided efforts, thanks to the ladies, had seen matters put right. He did noi think £6OO to be too large for the con* gregation to shoulder. Mr Parkhill said he understood r member of tlie Memorial Committee ’to t say they intended to go ahead when they bad two-thirds of the money in i hand., | Mr Wilson said that enthusiasm would wane if they waited until they U had the money in hand. If they start--1: ed the job, it would result in more money coming in, and they had / enough to go ahead, i/v Mr J. King: lam afraid we can’t go on, as this tender is broken. A Christchurch man has accepted under r/ certain conditions, but we have altered them. We will have* to call fresh tenders, and this will mean more like £2BOO to us, and at present, on paper, / we have only £2338 so that we must / he to face at least £3OOO. > Mr D. Stevenson stated that, last f: year he had said the church was good p for another six or seven years. It S|| was a silly thing to spend £llO in repf pairs to the old building and then to /%. immediately consider building a new one. The present church was in good' / repair, and their capital was earning V good money. ~ , 4‘l Mr Murdoch regretted that 'local y builders had not tendered. He under- ' stood that one of them, if he had tendered, would not have been lower j £ than the lowest they had received. The j x/r point that most of them seemed to j j/jj miss was that they were merely asked p to authorise the Management Commit, ■iffetee to go ahead. 4 Mr Naylor: Several of the speeches ./to-night have been b&side the point. & Mr Preston - I do not think that half fj the congregation know what they are ■ Areally going to vote for. Mr Murdoch explained the proposal //and repeated the motion. On being 4 put to the vote it was carried by 25 votes to 19. • Mr Naylor did not think that this ■was a sufficient majority. It should definitely have the bulk of the congregation behind it.