RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22435, 23 June 1938, Page 16

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

CONFERENCE TO BE CALLED MINISTER’S INTENTIONS CPBEBS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN, June 22. A denial that the Government was in any way opposed to full religious liberty for the people, or that it was antagonistic to religious instructions in the schools, was given by the Minister for Education (the Hon. P. Fraser), speaking in the Town H.ll to-night. Mr Fraser said he intended to call a conference as soon as possible to see whether the question of religious instruction in ,schools could not be satisfactorily settled, once and for all. “Mr Hamilton said in February, 1937, that at the last election the Labour Party wormed its way into the support of many good church people, and attempts had been made to show that the Labour Government is in some way antagonistic to the people’s rig! ts of worship,” said Mr Fraser. “Nothing 'could be more stupid. It was not the Labour Parly worming its way into the support of church people that made them vote in their hundreds of thousands for Labour. It was because they believed that the condition of the country, and the suffering to which thousands .were subjected, was not a Christian/condition for a country to be in.”

Efforts had been made to capilalise the fact that he, as Minister for Education, had to deal with the compulse-./ and secular education system of the country, Mr Fraser said. Provis' n was made in the Education Bill to recognise, for the first time, the Nelson system, and he had indicated that the whole thing would have to be placed before Parliament. Beca j it was elected to do so. Parliament would have to decide those matters. That had been construed as an attack on religious instruction in the schools. “I have discussed this with leaders of the churches all over the country,” the Minister added, “and I propose, as soon as possible, to have a conference of all organisations interested, to see .f it is possible for this matter to ba settled in a satisfactory, and friendly way, and I hope for all time.”