THE LABOUR MOVEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15141, 4 November 1912, Page 8

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT.

,;-;;;-;, : , « : ,/ „„:.l fcTTITirDE OF THE CHURCH. | CAUCUS SYSTEM DENOUNCED. ,- - - JJFROU OTTR • OWN- CORRESPONDENT.] . Syhset,. October 30. The question of ; the position that the Church should take toward the Labour party's industrial movement, was the subject of discusson at the- annual session of the Congregational Union-of New South ; Wales. The Rev. F. V. Bowling read a paper on "The Relations of the Church to the present industrial situation.''' The tie.mand of men of to-day, he said*, was for religion in tabloid form, with a guarantee of t.o mental reaction. (Laughter.) It was urged against the churches by those associated with the Labour party that ministers of religion were in the habit- of taking part in the political fight against them. It was said, " Scratch a parson and you find a Liberal." (Laughter.) • It was also urged, that the church had made no effort to stamp out sweating and other evils. Ho advocated an effort on the part of tho churches to put an end to the rending of tho body politic which was being caused by th< ; conflict between organised labour and capital. His suggestion was for a united effort on the part of the churches to discover the fline of approach «i as to effect a settlement. Tho Rev. F. Priest raid that nonattendance at churches was not confined to workers, bat was a charge that could be laid against tho well-to-do and leisured classes. He had questioned those attacliod to the Labour party -who complained against the attitude of the church, and lie had found that many of them had! not l»en to church for a dozen years, j The Rev. W. L. Patison said "that if ] the church was to have any attitude on industrial matters it should he, to hit tyranny, whenever it was found, whet it was tyranny of labour or tyranny of ■capital. "I want," ho said, "to get rid .of some of those men who are not tine labourers, who arc a disgrace to the Labour party, who are responsible, in my '' judgment, for a great deal of mischief "that "is being caused, and who aiv riding the Labour party liko the ass it is. (Laughter.) They will have to get, , rid of' these; and especially should they -have a ride in tho Labour movement. 'No ox-parson need apply.' (Laughter.) I wi'l never vote for Labour till it. gets ..rid of the caucus, the worst tyranny I have ever witnessed."