St. Matthew's Parish.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3041, 30 October 1888, Page 2

St. Matthew's Parish.

An extraordinary meeting of the parishioners, for th'o purposo of electing a vestry and churchwarden, was held in the schoolroom last night (Monday). Tho attendance -was so ineagre that the Chairman Eov W. E, Paige) wailed halt an hour before commencing the proceedings in order late comers an opportunity of being present, During this interval an irregular discussion took place na to whether the general business of the parish could be discussed, . The .chairman decjded that he cpiild only take motions for the ejection of a wardeq and vestry,' as tl}e meeting was convened for this special object. Tho meeting was opened in the usual form r and the chairman expressed his .regret that; so few were present .that' night,.tbo purpose for which: the.ineetinghad .been convened being:-.of .importance," 'The meeting had been called in coiisequqhce of the receipt: of the following-resolution': "In consequence of; the^rejeotiqa;of our resolution by. the' Synod, we; tho undersigned, members of St, .MathWa ■ ijjpreby. £ resign, our offlcife 'Signed %■'■fcVonVSlurniey.-

- ' — trW, ]j, Grundy." Tho brat''business nas the election of a parishioners' waiden* to toivefor the balance of the term. Mr J. Payton moved that Mi Von* * Sturmet ho elected for the -'office of churehwaidcn. In doing sa ho said he did not think that gentleman wan anxious to midertako the duties of tho office, but there weie coitain leasons at the present crisis why the office should be filled by someone who would not shirk its lesponsibihties, Borne threo yrais ago the paioclnal meeting disussed and passed a resolu tion that the pirmh should bo assessed at £175 per annum, He was one who dissented from the lesolution as he deemed that the sum was made qiwto, The resolution was passed, however, and that was tho only resolution standing on then lecords, and by it they wero hound. The Synod, howevei, mled tho motion out of order and assessed them 1 at a highei rate than they deemed themselves able to pay, and it wanted a man like Mr;VonStunnerto help them through their present difficulty. . ( TLequestion'-tp-be discussed was whethertheywereto paywhatthe' Synod liked; to assess them at,' .or what they could-afford. /.' They; had been absolutely forced ; into -their.: present position of indebtedness ; -by; ; the action of the Synod, : ;If the latter body had accepted their respliitibn/at: the timeit was passed, from, a 'calcii- ' la tion. he hadiuade, iußleiid of their being jfil 40 the; Sviiotl : : wbuld , have been £l6O in debt to tnein ]QhI Oh'!,, and,'; laughter.) Under- these circumstances; recognising "tliat : a , battle .would have be; fought with the Synod, he; moved'that' : Mr. von Stunner bo appointed their Churchwarden, bo, being'a fit ana*'-proper person to ohdmpioii'their cause. ' * Mr von'Stnrmer thanked the mover of the resolution,; but be begged to' intimate to the -chairman. that he declined the honor. ; Ho; did not: think ho was iii a position to undertake,the duties of tho office,- ■■■■ Mr Payton saict there was one point he had missed in his remarks, and asked leave to reuttfy.it. Whilst' he was quite ''prepared to fight the Synod, so far as thoir Chairman, was coucerned, his sympathies were with him.. The Chairman thanked the last speakor for his kind expression; but pointed out that the Synod was riot to bo blamed for theaction they had taken.' It was quite tiue that a motion' bad indireotly been made that the stipend bo fixed at £175 whichi.thc Synod would not recognise, but somo time prior to that a motion had been passed moved by. Mr Payton and soconded by Mr P. G, Moore - to the effect that the time had. come thit the parish should staud hlone,implyingthat with- ■ out aid from anyono Mastertou would find tho. £3OO per annum it was assessed at, including Tiuui, That was Bent down to tho Synod, nnd it was upon his (the Chairman's) recommendation that the amount was reduced to £275, as he considered tho parish as curtailed was not ahloto pay more. It was quite wrong to throw upon the Synod what had. been done by the parish. • , ■: Mr Payton remarked that he noticed the Chairman stated that it was only implied that a separation from Tinui meant that Mastertou , should bear the burden of tho'whole amount. The Chairman said he would leave it to anyone to say whether the fact of passing such.a resolution would not bear out what he had said, It was .only to mitigate the severity of Mr' Pay ton's remarks, against the Synod, of which body ho was a member that he bad drawn attention to it. Mr; P. G. Moore failed totee that the motion for separation from Tinui covered the question of stipend. Mr Payton notified that on the first opportune meeting, ho would move " That this Parish do not pay the sum lit which it has been assessed by tho Synod,"- He would do so with the ohjeot of bringing the question to an issue. ■ Mr W.T.Grundy moved "That as this meeting is not prepared to olect a ohurohwarden and vestry, that a meeting be called for discussing and dealing with Parish matters generally and to elect a churchwarden and vestry."

Mr Beard having seconded the motion, it sas put und carried,-' tbe meeting to tako place on Monday, the 12th November, at tho same hour and place, The meeting then adjourned,