Grey River Argus and Blackball News MONDAY, MAY 29, 1922. SABBATARIAN HUMBUGS.

Grey River Argus, 29 May 1922, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News

MONDAY, MAY 29, 1922. SABBATARIAN HUMBUGS.

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A certain amount of wonderment lias been occasioned locally by the action of the Government as to the closing of Sunday pictures, because the Ministers of tlio Crown themselves are the very ones who in actual practice set their precepts decidedly at nought. So far as Sunday pictures are concerned, they have in Greymouth been the democratic result of a majority vote of the citizens in their favour. Their popularity, moreover, has demonstrated that they fill a public want. The recent prosecutions against the picture proprietors have been launched —apparently—be cause the Massey Government is shocked at the desecration of the Sabbath by the exhibition of films. Yet what do we find in the Government’s own

departm-ents? Simply that the Governmetn has no scruple or hesitation whatever about breaking the Sabbath in connection with, departmental work. For' instance, yesterday (Sunday) the Hon Mr Parr visited, for the purpose of inspecting, the Scaview Mental Hospital; the Westland Public Hospital and Kanieri schools! It is also well known how the Hon Mr Coates, when he came through the West Coast a few months ago, put in the whole of. one Sunday in making a horse-back trip from Collingwood across towards Karamea. It is a notorious fact that other Ministers, including the Prime Minister himself, repeatedly spend the Sunday in transacting secular work. This contrast- goes to show that the Ministry are open to the charge, of humbugging the community, by enforcing upon other people a rule for which they have in. reality not the slightest respect. Who, then, is responsible for the puritanical ordinance that there shall be no Sunday

amusements for the mass of 'the people, whilst Ministers of the Crown can gad about the country on the Sabbath and do whatever they please? Is it not evident to everybody that there is a great amount of hypocrisy about the Government’s claim that the running of Sunday pictures desecrates the Sabbath. The workers in many cases have not, on week nights, the same opportunity or inclination as on Sundays to attend a picture entertainment, and why should somebody else assume that they have no right to such a recreation? In fact, why do not these people who oppose Sunday pictures hold an indignation meeting to protest against the. awful example of Ministers of the Crown? Are the opponents of Sunday amusements merely one-eyed folk, who can sec no good in some of their fellows, and no evil in others, no matter what either class may do? So it seems. If the people of New Zealand, as a whole, were similarly constituted, it would be a very black out-look for many indeed. It is only a matter of time, however, wo hope when the liberty-loving and fair minded majority will assert themselves and radically remedy the grievance by manifesting the fact that they are no longer going to be humbugged by a minority.