LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14934, 6 March 1912, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE SUNDAY TRAMS.

Sir,— seems to mo that some of those who have been expressing their opinions about the proposal to permit the tramcars to run during tho hours for divine service on Sundays do not realise the seriousness of the proposal, nor the grounds on which objection is taken to it. As to tho seriousness of the proposal, I would draw jour attention to the fact that there are no fewer than 36 churches on the tramlines in Auckland and suburbs. This 6hows the very large number of Christian people who , will be seriously disturbed during their hour of worship if this proposal of the Tramway Company is agreed to. That the disturbance is very serious my congregation know from experience- It often happens now that a tram or two pass St. Stephen's on the way to the burn after we have started service, and while they are passing it is simply impossible for many of my people to hear mo speak. It if; bad enough when that happens onco or twice during the first 10 minutes of the service; it would be intolerable were it to continue throughout the service. And that is what the present proposal contemplates. It is useless to say that instructions would be given to pass churches at a walking pace. That might be done for a little while, but it would soon be neglected. In tho meantime,. I am informed, the cars are supposed to pass our church at a walking pace when they are late for the barn on Sunday morning, but they seldom do so. , The position is just this: The members and adherents of our congregations form an important part of the Auckland public, and they claim the right to meet for the exercises of divine worship without being disturbed by the rattle -and noise of tramcars. In view of the fact that the vast majority of the people of Auckland claim connection with some branch of tho Christian Church, surely the claim to have two hours' quiet for the worship of God on Sunday is very reasonable; The ordinary traffic does hot matter; _ it is the noise made by the cars that is specially disturbing. Surely tho rights of the Christian people of Auckland are of more importance than tho convenience of an occasional traveller, or of a few picnickers.

It is to bo hoped that our Council will not countenanco this proposal. In any case, it will certainly meet with strenuous opposition. Isaac Jour. Sc. Stephen's Manse, Ponsonby. CHURCH CENSUS. Sir, The president of the Methodist Conferenoo in his retiring address referred to the religious census of tho " Dominion, as published by the Government, as disappointing so far as their Church was concerned. When doing so he said someone had blundered in compiling tho returns. As a proof of this, ho referred to tho fact that the Primitive Methodist Church were credited with having adherents in districts where they held no religious services. Surely this is no answer to the unfortunate position in which they find themselves as a Church- He must be aware that both they, with us and other denominations in New Zealand, have many who claim connection with us or them respectively, but, through circumstances over which thoj havo no control, they are compelled for the time being to worship with another denomination. If I am correctly informed, there is at present, as a delegate at the conference now sitting, one who is a member of a Primitive Methodist Church, 'but who, through residing in a district where we havo at present no church building, is worshipping with them, and has been selected to represent the Church at tho conference referred to. I think, if I may bo allowed to make a suggestion, that this question of the religious census of their Church, as revealed by the returns alluded' to, is worthy of very careful consideration. It is briefly this, that during tho last 15 years the Methodist Church , of Australasia, as it is now called, after taking in the Bible, Christians and Freo Methodists, and during a period in which the population lias increased by over 305,000, has only added to its number 586 adherents, whilst the Primitive Methodist Church, during the same time, has according to the same returns increased by 20,404. D. Goldie.