REV. T. J. WILLS'S RESIGNATION

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 189, 29 January 1887, Page 2

REV. T. J. WILLS'S RESIGNATION

(to the editor.) Sir,— l observe by your kind notice of me' in your last issue, that you were at a! disadvantage in having to depend uponr the Herald for information, which paper suffered in correctness by depending upon reports furnished by a member of Conference. The world has received' Conference version, and I have no doubt some of your readers will be glad to heat* mine. I wish to state that it is a 1 standing rule of the Wesleyan Church; that every probationer shall take each year five subjects and pass in four. A t my first examination as a probationer I passed in five subjects taking 81 £er cent, in my second I passed in five subjects taking 71 per cent, in my _ third I took five subjects and passed in four, and required only 2 per cerk to make a pass in the fifth subject. \lc will -bo seen that I had thus gained two unnecessary passes in my first three examinations. At the commencemetit of my fourth year I requested to bo removed from Upper Thames Circrtit, oa the ground that I could not do the enormous work of the circuit and prepare for examination, but I was reappointed, and as I feared so it happened, I wanted fifteen per cent in my fourth subject, and the Conference gave me no credit for extra passes in previous years, and I was retained on probation for a fifth year. Consulting examiners 7 returns in my possession I find in three years five failures, all' of whom were passed ; and a gentleman, wholike myself wag retained on probation a fifth year, who ba's taken Irf subjects and passed only in 15 is hot required to take another examination, while I, having taken 20 subjects, and passed in 17y am required to take further papers^ It; will be seen that my fellow-probationer'

lias passed in one subject ltss, in four .years, than the law requires, and I have passed in four years, in one more than,; the law requires ; but Conference ex-, cuses him from further examination, and imposes further examination upon me, and not having learned to lick the dust, , I absolutely declined. Some of the. brethern take the ground, in my case, that the law requires that a pass bo obtained in four subjects in eath yenr, but they do not {eel it incumbent on them to explain why five, who have failed in. three years, have been passed, or why my fellow probationer, who has taken one subject less than the law requires, and, passed in one less, should pass on, while I, having taken sill the subjects and passed in more than my comrade should be ordered to sit again. Again the reporter has concealed facts. I had laid charges against an ex-President of the Conference, and came to Auckland to meet him before a committee, but to my astonishment no such committee existed, but a committee of "Discipline," of which said ex-President made one, was appointed to try me. The following charges were formulated, (1) I had got married, (2) I had been guilty of insubordination, in refusing take examination ; (3) I had published a circular, contrary to Methodist discipline. The last charge was withdrawn ; the first l they did not press, but tho insubordination could not be overlooked. I met the committee and defended my case, and returning, wrote my resignation, and placed it in the hands of the President, but as I had been disobedient my resignation could not be received, but my name must be dropped. The reporter forgot to state that my resignation was on the table before the Committee's report was received. — I am, etc., T. J. Wills.