SYNOD OF OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND.

Southland Times, Issue 890, 29 January 1868, Page 2

SYNOD OF OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND.

According to our usual custom we publish the following condensed report of the proceedings of the Otago and Southland Synod, taken from the Otago Daily Times. The sittings extended over several days : — OVEETTJEE FEOM THE PEESBYTEEY OP CTiTTTHA, EEJCTED. The Clerk (the Rev W. Bannerman) reported from the Committee on Bills and Overtures. After naming the overtures to be transmitted, it stated that the overture from the Presbytery of Dunedin, as to the Manse Building Fund, had been accepted by six votes to three; and that the overture from the Presbytery of Clutha, respecting High School management, had been rejected as informal, it having been adopted at a pro re nata meeting of the Presbytery. NEW MDJTSTEB. The Synod proceeded to the consideration of the papers connected with the appointment of Mr Alexander G-reig as a Minister to Otago, by the Colonial and Continental Committee of the Free Church of Scotland (as one of seven applied for). The Rev. "W. Q-illies explained that the papers had been sent up, only because there had been a misunderstanding at home, by which Mr G-reig had been ordained, although it was the wish —he believed an instruction —of this Synod that ordination should, in each case, take place here. The Eev. A. Bruce believed that there had been simply a mistake on the part of the Committee. It was an instruction from the Church in the North, that, unless the contrary was intimated, Ordination should in each case take place at horne — as Ordination here caused, as a rule, much travelling and inconvenience to those who took part in it. But the Committee had just sent out a gentleman without ordaining him. The appointment of Mr Grreig was sustained j and he was welcomed by the Synod. It was agreed that an instruction should be given to the Committee, not in future to proceed to ordination.

APPLICATION FOB ADMISSION AS A MINISTER. The Presbytery of Southland transmitted, with a recommendation that it be sustained, an application from the Rev. Benjamin Drake, a Congregational Minister, to be received as a Minister of the Presbyterian Church. It was resolved to appoint a Committee to confer with the Presbytery of the Soulhland on the subject of the overture ; the Committee to consist of the Revs. A. B. Todd, a. Sutherland, W. Johnston, W, "Will, and James Copland, M.D., and Messrs Jam.es Adam and E. B. Cargill ; the Committee to report during Thursday evening's sitting. An overture respecting the seat of the Clutj a Presbytery was read and considered; and it was resolved to sustain the overture, by declaring Balclutha the seat of the Presbytery. REGULATIONS UNDER THE PRESBYTERIAN" CHURCH OF OTAGO LANDS ACT. .. In accordance with a resolution of the last session, the Synod proceeded to consider, with a view to final adoption, an Interim Act under the Act cited, which was approved of last session. The Clerk said that a copy of the Interim Act, and an extract from the Lands Act, had been sent to every Minister and every Kirk Session; the Interim Act being— 1. No congregation under the jurisdiction of this Synod shall be entitled to any grant of money out of the Fund described in said Act as the " Ecclesiastical Fund," for or towards the erection of a Manse, until the Presbytery of the Bounds shal have certified to the Trustees of the said lands that plans and specifications of the said Manse have been approved by them, aud that a contract for the erection thereof, in accordance with such plans and specifications, has been entered into, and that the erection of the building has been commenced, and that there exists every reasonable prospect of the same being completed in terms of the said contract. 2. Every congregation which has already procured the sanction of this Synod, or of the Presbytery of Otago, to a grant in their favor out of the said " Ecclesiastical Fund " (provided all the conditions contained in the preceding regulation shall have been complied with, but not otherwise), shall be entitled to receive from the said Trustees a sum not exceeding £200 : Provided always, that in any case when by an act or vote of this Synod, or of the Presbytery of Ofcago, any such congregation cr congregations shall be .declared to be entitled to. priority or preference in the distribution of the said " Ecclesiastical Fund," the said Trustees shall give effect to such act or vote. 3. This Synod hereby directs the said Trustees to grant conveyances ot such of the lands described in Schedule B of the said " Presbyterian Church of Otago Lands Act, 1866," as are now held and occupied as sites of Churches or Manses, or as Glebe Lands, by any congregation under the jurisdiction of the Synod, to the Elders or Deacons or Elders and Deacons of such congregation, in terms of the Draft Model Trust Deed annexed hereto: Provided that every such conveyance shall be prepared at the expense of the parties to whom any such hinds shall be conveyed by the Solicitor appointed by the said Trustees for that purpose. After nearly an hour's discussion, The Rev. Dr Copland moved the appointment of a committee to examine the proposals made by the Deacons' Court of Knox Church, and to report at a future sitting of the Synod ; also to report as to the defects of the Church Lands Act in respect to authorising the Trustees to receive the Crown Grants for the whole of the Church property, He believed that a new Bill would have to be introduced into the Assembly ; and the sooner the Synod looked fairly at the whole matter, the better it would be for the Church. The Rev. Mr Bannerman withdrew his motion in favor of that proposed by Dr Copland, and the Rev. Mr "Waters also withdrew the motion proposed by him. The motion proposed by Dr Copland was unanimously agreed to, and a Committee was appointed. THE FIRST CHURCH. The Clerk read the overture -which had been agreed to at the last meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery, relative to the application of a sum sufficient for the erection of a church on Bell Hill, for the First Congregation, and to the further disposal of the funds held in trust by the Synod, undar the" Dunedin Church Lands Ordinance. 1861." After considerable discussion, extending over a couple of days, the Synod adopted the proposal of MrTodd, which was as follows : — " That the Synod sanction the appropriation of £10,000 out of the fund under the Dunedin Church Lands Ordinance, 1861, towards the building of the First Church and manse, in full of the sum to be given by this Synod out of said fund, exclusively of the sum already expended on the manse ; and that the Treasurer be in* structed to pay over fund, "received out of the Trust property, up to the said limit." treasurer's report. Mr E. Smith, Treasurer and Factor, read the various statements of account. We give a summary of them :■ — Sustentation Fund, — Balance at the beginning of the year, Bd. ReceivedFirst Church, L 403 9s; Knox Church, L 370 5s 7d ; East Taieri, L 302 19s 6d ; Tokomariro, L 286 8s ; "West Taieri, L 268 2s; Invercargill, L 23 0; Lawrence and Waitahuna, L 224 2s 7d; Inch Cluttia, L 214 5s 6d; Wallacetown, L 205; Oamaru, L 202 Ms; Waikouaiti and Palmerston, L2OO 18s 6d ; Oteramika and Long Bush, L 20 0; Green Island and *Saddle Hill, L 192 10s 6d; Warepa, Ll9l 3s 6d ; Anderson's Bay, LlB9 17s 2d; Pomahaka, L 173 2s ; St. Andrew's, (ten months) Ll6B' 9s 4d ; Waihola, L 155 6s ; North Taieri, L 152 ; Otepopo and Hampden (nine months), L 150;: Port Chalmers, L 133 ss; Cutha, L 120; Riverton, LIOB 14s 6dj Balclutha, L2s

6d : total receipts, L 4871 11s 2d ; or, ''with the balance in hand at the beginning of the year, L 4871 lla lOd. After deducting the proportion of costs, the balance allowed the following dividends — June 30th, LIOB 10s ; at the present time, LlO5 5s lOd : total dividend for the year,L2l3ls lOd. Chukch Extension. — Subscriptions for the year, £508 os, or with balance in hand at the commencement of the year, £583 8s sd. The balance now in haad,is £23 4s 91. Passage Expenses Fund. — Received during the year, £147 7s 9d ; balance at the beginning of the year, £83 lls 4d ; total, £204 153 Id. Out of this, only Mr G-reig's passage-money had at presentto be paid. Foreign Mission Fund. — Received, L 330 7s 3d ; in hand, L 327 7s 3d. The Dayspeing Fund. — Received, Ll4O 14s 7d, of which L 122 lls 9d was from Sabbath Schools ; balance in hand, L 139 10s 7d. Widows and Orphans' Fund. — Balance in hand at the beginning of the year, L 230 ]6s 2d; received from congregations, LBO 16s ; from Ministers in receipt from the Sustenation Fund (20 for 12 months, one 18 months, one sixmonths, one three months), Llll ss; iuterest, &c, L266s : total, L 449 3s 2d. Balance in hand, L 447 8s 2d, of which L 350 is represented by debentures, and the balance is in the Savings Bank. Students' Fund. — Received, £3 (West Taieri, £2 ; North Taieri, £1) ; and that sum is in hand. Stnodical Expenses Fund. — Received £44 19s ; balance remaining, £13 12s. Contingency Fund. — At the beginning of the year there was a balance of £11 16s against this fund. After transferring it to the surplus from Synodical Expenses Fund, and paying various claims, the balance against the fund was £51, which would be divided proportionately against the several funds of the Church. CHUEtH TEUST FUND. Mr E. Smith said that, as the Factor of the Church, it was his duty to present a statement of the receipts and payments in connection with the Trust, for the last 12 months. The gross amount of the rentals received during the year from the Trust Fund, was £1315 10s 6d. There had also been received — Interest on debentures, £44 lls ; and £250 from the Provincial Grovernment, for the purchase of a section in the Upper Harbor District, which had been legalised by an Act passed by the Assembly last session. The payments during the year had amounted to L 1217 12 7d, which included grants to various congregations. The balance in hand to the credit of the fund, was L 846 10s sd, of which the L 250 received from the Grovernment was lying in the Union Bank, until a suitable piece of land could be tound as an investment, that being the only way in which the money could be applied. The Trust Fund had to be appropriated one-third to educational purposes, and two-thirds to ecclesiastical purposes. At the beginning of 1867, there was to the credit of the Education fund, L7ll 10s 7d; there was passed to its credit on December 31st, the one- third of net rentals, L 304 Os lOd ; interest, &c, £42 6s 6d. The balance now was L 1057 7s lid. The Elcclesiastical Fund had, at the commencement of 1867, a balance of L 142 10s lid; and the twothirds net rental, L6OB Is 7d, had' been passed to its credit. There had been disbursed as grants, to — St. Andrew's, L 100; Warepa, £200; Wallacetown, L 20 0; Riverton, L 10 0; and the Trustees had paid Ll2 for a piece of land in the township of Merton. The balance remaining was Ll3B 12s 6d. He laid on the table a statement of account of the Manse Reserve, for the yeai ending Sept. 30th, 1866, (that period for the ending of the financial year, being fixed by the Ordinance). On the 30th September, 1866, there was a balance of L 3642 16s lOd. There had been received as refund on loan to St. Andrew's, L 10 0; interest, L 152 3s lOd ; gross rental (including L 54 as interest from the First Church), L 1421 2s. The balance in hand, after payments during the year, was L 5205 17s 9d. Of this, L4OOO was deposited in different Banks, at six per cent. ; there was cash in hand, L 67 10s ; and there was in the Bank, Lll3B 7s 9d. But since the end of the financial year, the balance had increased to about L 5600, and the whole of it was deposited with Banks at six per cent, per annum. To the College Fund, there was a credit of L 67. Thanks were unanimously voted to Mr Smith. THE SUSTENTATION FUND. The Rev. W. Will brought up the report of the Sustentation Committee Fund. The report stated contributions as before given, and dwelt strongly upon the neglect of some congregations to make returns in proper time for the half-yearly meetings. Mr Will spoke at some length on the same point; but on the whole, he said, considering the circumstances of the last year, the report was much more favorable than he had hoped for. On the whole, the collections during 1867 amounted to about LIOO more than in 1866. There were now eight congregations self-supporting, and four who were tip to L2OO a-year. After discussion, the following deliverance was agreed to : — Adopt the report ; record the thanks of the Synod to the Committee and its convener ; declare the dividend for the half-year ending 31st December, 1867, to be LlO5 5s lOd ; and resolve, that the Committee have power given to them to declare the dividends for both half-years ; also power to deal with Deacons' Courts and congregations anent the fund ; also power to collect statistics j over the Church, as to number of contri valors and other information regarding the working of the fund. Further, that they be authorised to pay, out of the contributions of vacant congregations to the Church Extension Fund, to the extent of supply granted by the Church Extension Committee. Further resolve, that all

reports be ordered to be forwarded to the Treasurer, not later than the 2nd d;jy of July and the first week of January. THE COLLEGE QUESTION — THEOLOGICAL PROFESSOR. The Rev A. B. Todd brought up the report of t:he College Committee. It was reporft'.-l last year that L2OO had been bequ pithed by Mr Joseph Lang of Tokoa.iriro, to assist young men in preparing for the Ministry ; but that bequest was only to be available after the Church had established a fund. A few donations and contributions had been received during the past year, through the bringiug of the matter before the congregations. The amount was small, but it was sufficient to secure the bequest and interest. The Committee recommended the Synod to again cause the matter to be brought before the congregations this year. Overtures were read, to be taken up in connection with the report — From the Presbytery of Southland, as to the training of students ; from the Presbytery of Dunedin, as to the immediate establishment of a Theological Professorship ; and from the Presbytery of Clutha, as to a New Zealand University. It was resolved to take up first the overture as to a Theological Professor. Three proposals were made, but they were withdrawn, in favor of the following suggested by the Rev Dr Copland : — " That it be remitted to the College Committee, to consider the best means of providing for our students the advantages of a Theological Tutor, and to report to the next meeting of Synod."