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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4281, 9 December 1874, Page 2

A somewhat curious quarrel, or disagreement, has occurred between the Bev. William Hogg, who has lately been pastor of the Presbyterian Churches of Stafford and Boss, in Westland. Some three months ago the committee, and the managing committee of the church there, became dissatisfied with Mr. Hogg, paid up his salary and all claims upon them, and acquiesced in his resignation of the charge, which was laid before the Presbytery of Westland, but appears not as yet to have been dealt with by them. The committee have since had under their consideration the propriety of selling or letting the church buildings for educational purposes. Mr. Hogg, however, has not been denuded of his charge, and remains in the manse, and on the 18tlr ult. he addressed a very strong letter to the chairman of the Boss School Committee, asserting that the committee of the church “dare not" sell the building, and that if it were leased by the School Board for educational purposes, he would, with the help of the Presbytery, eject the Board by legal process. The Bev. Mr. Kirkland, of Hokitika, on the 17th November, also wrote a letter. It was addressed to one of the members of the Church; and : in it Mr. Kirkland said :—“ What the Presbytery may do I know not ; but as Mr. Hogg is minister of Boss, and yet in full possession of the manse, it is his privilege to let it and appropriate the proceeds, if the Presbytery permit him. The committee is perhaps forgetting that there is no change in the position of affairs as between them and the minister of Boss Presbyterian Church. Please inform them that all such changes in the use of our ecclesiastical'property must receive the sanction of the Presbytery.” . The committee, as soon as those letters had been received, adopted certain resolutions, the first of which was that they regarded the .church, manse, and premises as theirs, “ the buildings never having been vested in trustees, or given over by them for the use or benefit of any ecclesiastical body whatever, nor had they power to do so, inasmuch as the land is yet Crown property, and never was gazetted as a church reserve." The second asserted that “ the church, manse, and premises being in the full possession of the committee, they deemed it right to let them to the school committee for a weekly rental :" the third,, “that, as since the Bev. William Hogg left Boss (being paid in full all his demands by the committee), he has written to the chairman of the school committee threatening that body, under pain of legal ejectment, against renting the church, manse, and premises, and in the same letter has dared the Presbyterian committee to let the same, instead of first communicating on the subject as a Christian and a minister, with the congregation of which he still claims the charge, it is the opinion of this meeting that the Presbytery of Westland be communicated with, and requested to accept the Bev. William Hogg’s resignation at once, and thus sever all connection between this congregation and Mr. Hogg, as it is not the intention of the committee to ask Mr. Hogg to return, owing to his arbitrary action in this matter ; and, further, that his resignation being allowed to lie on the table of the Presbytery was acquiesced in by the delegates sent from the congregation, on condition that Mr. Hogg should make fresh arrangements with the committee as to periodic visits to Boss, and that as nearly three months have elapsed since the committee paid Mr. Hogg off, during which time Mr. Hogg has not in any way placed himself in communication with the committee, they consider themselves released, and do not intend to ask his services in future. A copy of this resolution to be forwarded to the Presbytery.” This is how the matter stands—the minister and those who should be “his people" in thorough and unchristian disagreement.