SABBATH DESECRATION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1626, 29 April 1903, Page 19

SABBATH DESECRATION

IMPEACHMENT OF VOLUNTEERS. THE PREMIER "DEFENDS THEM. A deputation from tho Wellington Sunday School Union was on Friday inti educed to the Minister of Defence (Mr Seddon) by Mr J. G. W. Aitken, M.H.R., for tho purpose of laying before him some facts regarding the volunteer movement, and requesting Ins assistance in securing the proper observance of the Sabbath as far as that force is concerned. Mr Aitken said the union was very much interested in the youth of the district, and particularly of the city, and it had a good deal to battle with and contend against. One of the difficulties was to get the young peoplo around them, as young peoplo were very apt to run away on Sunday afternoons if there were any enticing inducements offering outside. It had come to the knowledge of the union that in the volunteer force there had been a decided advance in tho way of doing work on Sunday which the deputation thought tho Minister, as head of the department, could very well put a stop to. Mr W. Allan said that while the conference of Sunday school teachers was on at Palmerston North at Easter, the volunteer movement was brought very prominently before it, with tho result that tho conference passed a resolution ivl ich he read, pointing out that unnecessary work was dene on the Sabbath, and asking that the Premier should cake steps to put a stop to it. The deputation quite felt, he said, that they were approaching one who was in a very great degree in sympathy with their - work They took that from the Premier’s action in the past, and from his utterances during his recent visit to the Old Country. Sabbath desecration, and particularly the volunteer movement, they feltwas a hit light at the heart of the cause. They were rapidly approaching what he feared might be —and he thought most of them would deplore it—a Continental Sunday They were not thoro to waste the Premier’s time with speechmaking, as they were cf opinion he was fully afire to the necessities of the case. Most of the irregularity had been, done with the cognisance, or at any rate t he knowledge oi the Government, and it was to the Government they looked to have the matter remedied. They left it entirely in tiw hands of the Government. The Minister: Yes, but stop a moment. As far as speechmaking is concerned I quite agree with you there, and am in sympathy with the object in view, but I should like to have facts before me as to where this desecration or where thij practice exists, because it is a pity to cast a reflection on the whole of the cciony and to bring all the volunteers and cadet corps as it were under the lush of publio opinion -with.out. criviner some

facts. You must have had some facts before yc»a that caused you to pass that resolution, and I certainly am entitled to have something before mo which v/i.uld causo mo either to tako steps oi to make inquiries, so I call upon you now to show that there was any cause to.* passing that resolution. Mr Allan stated that on Easter Sunday a rifle match was fired at Foxton beHVien teams from the Wanganui and W« llington riflo battalions. The Minister: The battalions were there at an encampment. It was not an oidinary condition of things that one coips from Wanganui deliberately arirnged to leave on Saturday for Foxion, and get back on Monday. There were extraordinary conditions existing at Foxton at the time. However, I will cause inquiries to be made into that. Mr Allan: Of course it is difficult for as to give you exact- data. Tho Minister: Well, can you give me any case where volunteers are called out to drill or are allowed to go out ? Air Allan mentioned a recent case in which a Wellington volunteer appeared in tho Court through a mishap which occurred after Sunday rifle practice. They were also given to understand, ho said, 11 at class-firing on the butts at Trenthani on Sunday was quite a common practice. They knew volunteers had been called upon to do their class-firing and they had remonstrated, but they were told that it was impossible to get through the class-firing unless they fired >u Sunday, since the number of rounds had been increased from 40 to 98. Hepointed out that ho had been a volun-* teer in the Old Country for many years, and although they had to fire 60 rounds they novor had tho slightest occasion to consider sho-oting on Sunday. The Minister: But. you havo no post-* t>vo proof that this does take placo on Sunday. Mr Allan: I havo no doubt that any inquiries you may make will satisfy you that our statements are quite correct. Wo have interviewed officers of corps, and naturally they are reticent, and do not want to bo mixed up with it. You can appreciate the difficulty we have in getting just tho evidence you would like. We do not want to cast strictures upon any individual or part of the commun- - ity. The Minister, replying to the deputation, said in the first placo he was glad to meet them and to thank them for tho - <• ’ k they were doing. If the education of the children was to be complete under tho present system, there must be another means of teaching, and the'only way that that could bo clone was through the Sunday schools. In his cpinion that was tho way it should bo done, and anything that would militate against the Sunday schools would be in-i-n cal to the best interests of the coum try and the rising generations. (Hear, hear. That was his firm conviction. He was voi-y glad to find that, when analysed, there" was not very much in r.he contentions or the deputation, and that thev were present to ask for prevention rather than to call his attention to any remissness. because ho was satisfied that the officer commanding and those entrusted with volunteer affairs in the country would not desire for a moment to trench upon tho Sabbath day. And he was very glad to see that it was so. It would be a very bad day’s work for New Zealand if ever they had a Continental Sabbath. (Hear, hear). There might have been, and probably wa3, a match held at Foxton on a Sunday, but lie pointed out that the conditions were abnormal; the men were all there at a military camp. In the other case, lie did not know whether it was done yet or not, brat the volunteer referred to would not repeat his offence as a volunteer, lie should bo dismissed from ally volunteer corps whether lie had done it oil a Sunday or a Saturday. With respect to class-firing on Sundays, he would make inquiries and satisfy himself as to how far it existed, and would take such steps, if it did exist, to prevent a recurrence. T he deputation had his entire sympathy in its work, and certainly no Government department, as far as he could speak for his colleagues, would injure them. If they could help in any way they would be pleased to do so. - Tho deputation thanked the Premier far his reception of them.