THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20607, 4 July 1930, Page 14

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

NEW BILL'S PROPOSALS. CO-OPERATION OF CHURCHES. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON', Thursday. The new Religious Instruction in Schools Enabling Bill, prepared by the Bible-in-Schools League, is now being submitted to the controlling bodies of tho religious denominations for their approval or comment beforo it is introduced into the House. The bill differs from previous Bible-in-Schools bills in several important respects. The onus of deciding whether religious instruction shall be given in tho primary schools or not is thrown upon the district education boards which, if they desire, may tako a plebiscite of tho parents concerned. The provisions of tho bill are, therefore, permissive rather than mandatory, and no teacher, if ho or she desires otherwise, is to bo forced to give religious instruction. All Roman Catholic teachers and childrert are, ipso facto, to bo exempt from the- provisions of the bill. The time to be devoted each week to religious instruction and religious observances at tho opening of schools is not to exceed two hours in any one week. Nothing is to be taught of a denominational character and no attempt is to be made to attach the children to any particular denomination. The bill provides that for use in religious observances and instruction, a committee of the Churches convened by the Education Department shall draw up a syllabus and necessary manuals of selected Biblical passages, hymns and prayers, subject to the final approval of the Education Department. For this-pur-pose a meeting of representatives of Christian Churches, to be convened by the Ministei of Education, is to be held. Every church claiming to be a Christian Church and having not less than 20CO adherents, according to the census taken in 1926, shall be entitled to send one delegate to the meeting. It shall also be entitled to send an additional delegate for every 100,000 of its adherents, as shown by that census, and a further additional delegate for any number of adherents not less than 50,000 in excess of any complete number of 100,000.

During the time given to religious instruction any children who may be exempted aro to receive separate instruction in secular subjects, except that the board is empowered to make other arrangements whenever a parent or guardian <<) any child concerned objects to the conditions under which such instruction must be given. If the introduction of such religious instruction and observances as aro provided for under tho bill involves any additional expenditure, thoso exempted from participation aro also to be exempted from contributing any part of payment for any such additional expenditure involved.