WESLEYAN DISTRICT MEETING.

Patea Mail, 4 November 1881, Page 3

WESLEYAN DISTRICT MEETING.

The District Meeting of the above body was held at Wanganui on Wednesday, the Rev. D. McNicol, of New Plymouth, presiding. The Rev. W. J. Williams, secretary to the district committee, read the report for the last year, which showed the total contributions from all sources to be £2397 11s 3d. The amount paid to the missions, together with miscellaneous expenses, was £2415 19s leaving a balance due to the treasurer of some £lB 7s 9d, exclusive of balance on loan to the Kumara trustees of £B2 19s 7d. The Mission Fund needs to be considerably augmented to enable the committee to cope with the demand made upon it. As showing the extent of the work carried on among the Maoris, the following figures were submitted : —Churches, 13 ; other preaching places, 39 ; Ministers, 3 European and 5 Maori, 8 ; catechists, 2 ; Sunday school teachers, 29 ; local preachers, 32 ; class leaders, 13 ; full members, 369 ; on trial, 23 ; Communicants, 105 ; Catechumens, 15 ; Sunday schools, 27 ; Sunday scholars, 619 ; attendants on public •worship, 2834. The amount collected at the meeting was £2B. The Rev J. Luxford, of Patea, being called upon to speak, commenced by declaring himself a philo-Maori—a Maori to the back-bone. He utterly disagreed, not only with the native policy of the past, but also with that of to-day ; and endorsed the sentiments expressed by the Lyttelton Times, that the difficulty was the result of earth-hunger on the part of Europeans, and that the strong policy of the Government called for the condemnation of all who called themselves Christians. The Rev. D. McNicol applauded the courage of the last speaker in advocating an unpopular cause, but expressed his entire dissent from the views enunciated. From a more intimate knowledge of Te Whiti and his people than that of the Rev Mr Luxford, he must say the action of the Government met with his hearty sympathy and approval. He entirely dissented from every word of the writer of the article in the Lyttelton Times, and emphatically believed that the step now being taken was a righteous one, and calculated to have a very beneficial effect upon the Maori race. Mr John Hurley vehemenently protested against the views of Mv Luxford, and thought it very unfortunate that they should have found expression. The Rev Mv Rouse emphatically disagreed with every statement given expression to by Mv Luxford, and as a ilfaori missionary, who had spent fifteen of the best years of his life among them, he could speak impartially on the subject. The Rev Mv Parsonson expressed his uttermost want of sympathy with Mv Luxford’s J/aori leanings. The Rev Mv Williams regretted that Mv Luxford had thought it necessary to express views which were so deservedly unpopular; at the same time, he could admire the courage which had animated lim in his advocacy of his opinions. , . Mv Basset desired to move, although such a course was unusal, that the meeting express censure upon Mv Luxford for the sentiments uttered by him. This the Chairman, however, declined to permit.—(Abridged from Wanganui journals.)