The Rev. W. H. Coofbr wished to say a few words in opposition, to the amendment proposed by the Very Rev the Dean, It ap peared to him that the sole question before the committee was the distribution of a cer tain amount of money amongst the town and the country parishes. Objection had been made that the Synod had not the power to divide the sum in unequal parishes, but an unequal division had already been made. In this, as in all other matters, the good of the Church must be studied. With regard to the outlying districts, he was sorry to say that they were in a state of, the most unhappy spiritual destitution. In, Christchurch they were in the great centre of population. In the outlying districts, they considered 40, 50, or 60, a large congregation and in many in stances the churches wepe not large enough to accommodatie even, that number. The put; lying districts had great disadvantages to contend with, alike in point of distance ,to attend Divine worship, smallness of congre gation, and amount of offertory. The actual expenses necessary for an up-country clergy man to work his pariah exceeded by £BO to £lO6 a-year the amount of expense incurred by a town clergyman. lie considered that an equal distribution of the fund was the fairest scheme that could be adopted, and he believed, also, that it would be productive of good to the church. After some further discussion, the Bight Bev the Primate said that in dealing with the subject under discussion, the committee should consider these three points—lst, it was evident that the present financial regulations were not co-,extensive with the whole diocese; 2nd, that there was a question in the minds of the Committee and Standing Committee whether the regulations were of a penal cha racter or not; and 3rd, whether some consi deration ought not to be taken for those parts of the diocese at a distance from the sept of Government, which had not complied with these regulations. The Committee divided on the amendment proposed by the Very Rev the Dean:— Clergy—Ayes, 7; noes, 5.
