ANGLICAN CHURCH.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1919, Page 4

ANGLICAN CHURCH.

ARCHDEACONRY BOABD. TARANAKI DIOCESE SCHEME. ■ Meetings of the newly-constituted Taranaki Archdeaconry Board were held in St. Mary's Parish' Hall, New Plymouth, yesterday, under the presidency of the Bishop of the Diocese, the Et. Rev. Dr. A. W. Averill. ■ At the opening session the following were appointed the executive committee: The Ven. Archdeacon Evans, the Revs. F. G. Harvie, and G. H- Gavin (secretary), Messrs. W. H. Skinner, L. N, Fairhall, and F. H. Brown. The Bishop welcomed the Rev. W. Bui-, lock, the organising secretary for the C.E.M.S., in New Zealand, and he was given a seat at the conference. The Bishop then gave a brief address on the needs of the Church, the desire for unity amongst its members, and on the objects of the Archdeaconry Board and the prospects of the establishment of a separate diocese for Taranaki. A statement in regard to the position of the Bishopric scheme was submitted by the treasurers (Archdeacon Evans and the Rev. F. G. Harvie), showing that the General Synod flad stipulated (a) That the endowment fund for tne proposed Bishopric was 1 to be £IOOO per annum, and a house for the Bishop; (b) that a commission, specially appointed for the purpose, should enquire how far the present dioceses of Auckland and Wellington should contribute towards the' endowment fund; (c) that the seat of the Bishop should be at New Plymouth.

The sum to be aimed at was £20,000, and there was in hand about £7BO. The Bishop of Wellington did- not wish money to be collected for the Bishopric fund in his diocese at present, and practically all the money received by the treasurers had come from within the Auckland portion of the proposed new diocese. The committee of the Bishopric scheme therefore, whose constitution had been ratified by the two diocesan synods, was in the anomalous position of having a large number of its members under orders not to raise money for the fund. The treasurers therefore <eU that until such time as the Wellington portion of Taranaki could actively; assist the progress of this fund, the Archdeaconry Board was the obvious "body to make such plans as it pleased to further the interests of the Bishopric scheme within the Archdeaconry of Taranaki. It was not anticipated that the sum required would be raised rapidly, but that it would be by a steady growth perhaps over a number of years. A discussion took place on the treasurer's report and the first decision reached was the following resolution, moved by the Rev. F. G. Harvie and seconded by the Vcn. Archdeacon Evans: That in the opinion' of the Board it is incumbent upon the Church people of tho Archdeaconry to give all possible* support to the Taranaki Bishopric Fund and the Board suggests to the various vestries that they give one Sunday's collections annually to the fund, and the appointment of a committee or individual in every parish and district, and fake such step? as they deem advisable in order to keep the formation of the I>r/>osed diocese prominently before the people. Other aspects of the Bishopric schem-! were also discussed, as well as various matters relating to the interests of the Archdeaconry.