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course to be pursued is, to leave the Government
to make the best arrangement they can with the
printer; the Supplements having, hitherto, been
charged the same price per sheet as the Gazette.

The Attorney General. As the object is to
publish, acurately, what each Member says, so
that the public may be presented with the senti-
ments of each speaker in the words in which they
are conveyed, the Reporter should be given to
understand, that he is not to make speeches for
others; but merely to restrict in duties to the
furnishing of a correct report; without filling in
those lights and shadows with which many short-
hand writers are in the habit of embellishing their
labours.

The Governor.-I know it is impossible to re-
port, literally, what a speaker says. If the report
be faithful as to the matter, and spirit, of what
transpires, it is sufficient. It is unnecessary to
report those repetitionary sentences which always
do, and ever will, occur in debate.

The Attorney General.-All I want is, that the
reporter refrains from making speeches for Mem-
bers, which would destroy one main object we
have in view. I now move, that the Report of
the Publication Committee be printed.

The motion was seconded, and carried unani-
mously.

CHURCH EXTENSION BILL.

The Colonial Secretary moved the Order of the
day for the second reading of the "Church Ex-
tension Bill." This Bill (the Honourable Mem-
ber observed), has been prepared in accordance
with the principles of a similar act passed by the
Legislative Council of New South Wales. The
main, and most valuable feature of the Bill is,
that all denominations of Christians are put upon
an equal footing. The government, by this mea-
sure, carefully avoids giving to any religious body,
an advantage over the rest; and all who worship
God in accordance with the principles of the
Christian Religion, can be provided with a cler-
gyman. The only condition is, that, before ap-
plicants for assistance from the public treasury
can be entitled to any grant, they must prove
their own zeal in the cause they espouse, by having
subscribed a stipulated sum. This plan has been
found to work well in New South Wales, and
can scarcely fail to have the most beneficial ten-
dency in this colony. By making the assistance
from government, contingent on the contributions
of the people, we aim at the accomplishment of
two important objects. First, it will have a ten-
dency to prevent that lukewarm feeling, which
sometimes paralyzes the efforts of beneficed Mi-
nisters of Religion; and, on the other hand, an
independent feeling will be created, and subser-
viency to the influential and wealthy members of
a congregation prevented, when a Minister of
Religion knows that his stipend is not entirely de-
pendent on the voluntary contributions of his
congregation. The Bill provides, that grants in
aid of religion may be given under two heads:-
First, As to the fund which any religious body
may provide for building a church or chapel;
and-Secondly, With regard to Ministers' Sti-
pends. As to the building fund, no grant can be
made by government, until the applicants shall
have raised not less than £300, by private and
voluntary contributions, towards the erection of a
church or chapel. Then, a sum equal to the
amount so raised, not to exceed £1000, may be
granted by government, but no such aid can be
afforded until trustees, subject to the approval of
His Excellency the Governor, shall have been ap-
pointed, and in whom the property in the building
shall vest. As to the second leading feature in
the Bill, under the head of Ministers' Stipends, no
assistance shall be granted from the Trea-
sury, unless upon the written application and
declaration of 100 adult worshippers in any
church or chapel, when Government may grant
a sum not exceeding £100 per annum; -if 200
persons make such declaration, then £150 per
annum may be granted; and, when there are
500 applicants, £200 per annum may be awarded
towards the support of a Minister; but, Govern-
ment will not, under any circumstances, and how-
ever numerous may be the congregation, award
a larger yearly sum than £200 in aid of a stipend.
The bill further provides that, under certain cir-
cumstances, even where no church or chapel has
been built, if a sum of not less than £50 has been
raised in any one year for the support of a Minis-
ter, Government may grant an additional sum,
"not exceeding £100, nor exceeding the sum so
raised." Such are the provisions of the bill, a
knowledge of which, it is hoped, will be dissemi-
nated far and wide, and have the effect of induc-
ing the various denominations of Christians in this
Colony, to take active steps for having Divine
Service performed in their own churches. If they
do not, the fault will not remain with Govern-
ment. -I may observe that, some time ago, an
article appeared in print, adverting to the "Es-
timated Expenditure" of the year, and finding
fault with the small amount set down under the
head of "Ecclesiastical Establishments." But,
the writer must have been in ignorance of the
real facts of the case. This bill, as I have already
intimated, only enables Government to assist
those who have first assisted themselves;-and
the item alluded to was not put down as the limit
of Government assistance; but, as exceeding the
probable amount that would be applied for. The
only town from which we have yet had any appli-
cation is Auckland, where upwards of 500 in-
habitants have subscribed the necessary declara-
tion to entitle them to the Government allowance
of £200 per annum. Now, there certainly must
be, at Port Nicholson, and in other towns of the
Colony, large bodies of worshippers who, upon
proper application, will be entitled to a grant
from Government, either in aid of their building-
fund, or in support of a Minister, or both. Cer-
tain it is, however, that, hitherto, no such appli-
cation has been made, arising, probably, from
their not being fully aware of the provisions of
the New South Wales' Act, which has, up to the
present time, been law in this Colony. I remem-
ber that information on the subject has been re-
quired by the Rev. Mr. Strachan, Minister of the
Presbyterian Church at Port Nicholson, and I
adduce this fact to shew that many parties, other-
wise well-informed, have remained in ignorance
of the provisions made by Government for pre-