PROTEST SUPPORTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 99, 29 April 1938, Page 9

PROTEST SUPPORTED.

SCHOOLS AS CHURCHES,

A decision to support a protest being made against what was alleged to be an interference with the fundamental right of freedom of worship and with the natural and normal power of school committees in general was reached at a meeting of the executive committee of the Auckland Provincial Freedom Association yesteday.

A report was presented to the effect that the Minister of Education had stated that school buildinge were intended to be used for religious and devotional purposes only where halls or churches were not available, and that the new Education Act would etop by law the continuation of tlie opening observances now in use in pome 400 schools.

It appeared that a strong protest was being made against euch provisions in the new Act on the ground that they would cut across the powers possessed by school committees since the year 1§77, whereby they were enabled to grant the use of the school buildings "for any purpose, including that of religious teaching," at any time outside eehool hours.

The members of the executive were of the opinion that if this statement was a correct summary of the position it interfered considerably with the fundamental rights of freedom of worship and of school committee powers. It was decided to place the matter at once before the Prime Minister and to support the protest.