"CLERICAL TRADE UNIONISM"

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 139, 9 December 1912, Page 8

"CLERICAL TRADE UNIONISM"

' GRIEVANCE OF A PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY (BT TELEGRAPH— PBESS ASSOCIATION.) * DARGAVILLE, This Day. Mr. J. C. Sutherland, Presbyterian missionary at Dargaville, is severing his connection with the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, giving the following reasons :— Ten weeks ago he made formal application to be granted the full status of the ministry by ordination! The application was received and sustained by the Auckland Presbytery, and a committee was elected to support it. At a meeting of the General Assembly the application was also supported by two of the most eminent- living theologians in Scotland, whose classes Air. Sutherland attended, and who, knew him personally. Further, the 'application ; vas supported by a local petition ty the Auckland Presbytery, asking ths»t Mr. I Sutherland be d»ily inducted to the Northern Wairon charge. Notwithstanding all this, and the fact that he had given the New Zealand Pre&bytsrian Church between four and five gears' service as a home missionary, and which service had been most successful, the finding of the General Assembly was :— " That the status of a home missionary in full standing be granted Mr. Suthertand at once, and that his application for full status of tho ministry lie on the table for another year, to be considered again at next SVssembly." " This means," says Mr. Sutherland, " that the position I have been filling for the past five years is having a belated recognition, and that the ecclesiastical veto or what we might call clerical trade unionism, has been applied to this, in spite of the clamant need of the church for men. I refnse to allow any application of mine, .so well supported, to lie on the table of any society.' My application riiust either be granted or it falls to the ground, and when I ask for bread I cannot be satisfied when lam given a stone. The arbitrary action of the Presbyterian Church has thus forced me to send in my resignation."