Evening Post. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1914. NATIONAL OR PAROCHIAL ?

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 28, 3 February 1914, Page 6

Evening Post. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1914. NATIONAL OR PAROCHIAL ?

1* peculiar state of mind has been revealed in a telegram to-day by Mr. George Elliott, president of the Auckland Exhibition. He seems to imagine that if the " personal conscientious objections" of Mr. J. P. Luke. Mayor, to the fixed charges for a' Sunday band concert are waived, then all will be t peace, and the love and respect of Auckland and Wellington for each other will be better than ever. By a curious inversion of view — which may have an easy explanation, from the Exhibition standpoint— Mr. E'lliott sees danger, not in a perilous precedent for a palpable move towards the Continental Sunday,but in an insurance policy against that j very undesirable development. "No objections," he remarked, "Would have been raised in Aucklahd had the Wel1 lington public authorities desired io recoup some of the heavy outlay in- , curred in giving a unique musical treat to people desirous of having it. Such good feeling is far more likely to be prejudiced if a. resolution, acted upon in good faith at some considerable ex- [ pense, is set aside for no further cause or reasons than those which were existent at the time that the resolution was passed." This is a. cheerful assumption that the Auckland citizens— or a majoiity or a dominant minority — would not be perturbed at the prospect of a straight-out money-making Sunday; we feel confident that Mr. Elliott will soon be corrected on that point. Secondly, Mr. Elliott half -implies that there is a. narrow element of parochialism or stupid Sabbatarianism in the attitude of all the congregations which recorded their protests on Sunday. He politely and courteously avoids a direct charge, but what is one to deduce from his words ? The plain truth is that last week, by a majority of one, the City Council made a blunder which it will have an opportunity to remedy next Friday. Mr. Elliott and his colleagues need have no fear whatever that the objectors to tho< commercial Sunday (even if "a unique musical treat" is part of the compensation) are 1 pressing for a rear* rangement "most unfair" to the promoters of the entertainment. The Exhibition's president suggests — in a manner which he should be regretting by this time — that this community would allow the band management to suffer monetary damage by the rescission, of the City Council's hasty resolution, adopted before the people here had notice of this matter, which is one of national, even Imperial, importance. Of course, il should havo been obvious to Mr. Elliott that it would be a point of honour with Wellington to make adequate recompense for any lO3S of receipts, reasonably estimated, by the substitution of a voluntary collection for the scheme of fixed charges, as sanctioned by a bare majority ojt the City Council last week. On reflection, Mr. Elliott, as Mr. Elliott and not as president of the Exhibition, must admit that a question of national principle is in this controversy. The local opponents of the Sunday com- ( mercialism are not fighting against ! Auckland, but for Auckland, as well as for Christchurch, Dunedin, and other towns ; they are manifestly fightihg for the whole of New Zealand. It would be infinitely better for New Zealand to " buy off " the band than to have tho beginning of an evil which may even« tually assist .in the degradation and degeneration of a proportion of a sturdy people. However, Mr. Elliott has offered no evidence that the finances of the Exhibition require a sacrifice of national principle. He has not shown that the plight of the enterprise is ' so pathetic that the people of Wellington should not hesitate to help in its salvation, even at the cost of a very alarming innovation— the money-making Sun» day — without good excuse. Wellington's people are willing to do all in their power to aid the Exhibition, which deserves hearty support, but Aucklanders would be able to say fairly : " Save us from our friends," if a portion of Wellington's assistance way given by the establishment of a monstrous precedent, to encourage the mercenary exploitation of Sunday crowds.