REFUSAL TO DRILL

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 138, 15 June 1927, Page 8

REFUSAL TO DRILL

STUDENT FOR MINISTRY

ASKS CHURCH TOR RULMG

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day. The Auckland Presbytery was called upon at its meeting yesterday again to declare its attitude on the debatable question of compulsory military training. After a discussion, which was carried over from the afternoon to the evening session, the Presbytery adopted a resolution expressing the view that a change from compulsory to voluntary military training should bo brought about by the pressure of public opinion and not by refusal to obey the law. The question was raised by a letter from Mr. A. M. Richards, a student for the ministry, who has come into conflict, with the law by refuging to undergo military training. He sought the Presbytery's support for his attitude. "As one of your students," Mr. Eichards wrote, "I inform you I am cited to appear in the Magistrate's Court to-morrow, 15th June, owing to my refusal to take part in preparations for war. I have been largely influenced in making this refusal by the utterances of several of yourselves, and especially by tho Assembly's resolution on the matter. If, as the Church has declared, military training is wrong in principle, it is obviously wrong to take any part in such training." The writer went on to say that he intended basing his plea on the Assembly s resolutions, and asked for a statement from the Presbytery of its attitude to war and the preparations for

The Rev. B. Hutson.said that Mr. Richards had learned only that afternoon that the Assembly's resolution did not cover his case. It was open to him to tell the Court that he had misunderstood the attitude of the Church and then the case would drop. The Rev. M. Richards said that he t?\t t. *her« ™«-* eon ß cience clause m the Act which his son could plead. Mr. Richards attended.and explained the position said that he could not leave the Church out of it because he was bound to be asked about his religious convictions. He still felt that the Assembly's resolution, if carried out to its logical conclusion, did support his attitude, because it con demned compulsory military training. The only reason he took the step was to arouse public opinion on the matter Regret at Mr. Richards V last utterIwl waa expressed by the Rev. M. JH?i« a seemed to him that Mr. Richards had given his case away by saying that he personally had Z7col scientious objections to military train-

theY P c vly n atnh^ Clo3e Of th« <tocussion, the Bey D C. Herron, M.C., said that they all felt that the intensive preparato^So^er^^ 6^^--