BIBLE IN SCHOOL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23071, 23 June 1938, Page 14

BIBLE IN SCHOOL

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY _ GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE REPLY TO CRITICISMS ! [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] DUNEDIN, Wednesday A denial that the Government was in any way opposed to full religious liberty for the people or that it was antagonistic to religious instruction in school, was given by the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Eraser, when speaking in the Town Hall to-night. Mr. Eraser said he intended to call a conference as soon as possible to see whether the question of religious instruction in schools could not be satisfactorily settled once and for all. Mr. Hamilton had said in February, 1937, that at the last election the Labour Party wormed its way into the support of many good church people and attempts had been made to show that the Labour Government was in some way antagonistic to the people's rights of worship. Nothing could be more stupid. It was not the Labour Party worming its way into the support of church people that made them vote in their hundreds of thousands for Labour, said Mr. Eraser. It was because they believed that the condition of the country and the suffering to which thousands were subjected was not a Christian condition. Efforts had been made to capitalise the fact that he, as Minister of Education, had to deal with the compulsory and secular education system of the country. Provision was made in the Education Bill to recognise for the first time the Nelson system and he had indicated that the whole thing would have to be placed before Parliament. Because it was elected to do so Parliament would have to decide those matters. That had been construed as an attack on religious instruction in schools. "I have discussed this with leaders of churches all over the country," the Minister added, "and I propose as soon as possible to have a conference of all organisations interested to see if it is possible for this matter to be settled in a satisfactory and friendly way and, I hope, for all time."