REFORM OF CHURCH SUGGESTED.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 331, 12 January 1937, Page 6

REFORM OF CHURCH SUGGESTED.

TWELVE BISHOPS ACT. Plea For Radical And Economic Changes. Press Association—Copyright. London, January 11. Twelve bishops, including Dr. F. W. Barnes, Bishop of Birmingham, and many other prominent ecclesiastical and lay people, have signed a plea for the radical and economic reform of the Church, of England, entitled, “Men, Money and the Ministry,” which was published to-day. The chief advantages advocated are the pooling of church resources, the establishment of uniform stipends for all persons ordained, including bishops. “It is not a Christian principle that increased spiritual responsibility necessarily means larger incomes,” states the publication. “Diocesan bishops must be tired of explaining to the public that most df their in-

come goes in expenses, not in joyous living. Is" it necessary even in so class-ridden a country as England that the successors of the Apostles should be housed like wealthy merchants and rich landholders, even if they live more frugally?” The proposed scale of stipends is £325 a year, with allowances for a wife and children.