THE CHURCH WALES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13941, 28 June 1907, Page 5

THE CHURCH WALES.

disestablishment question. STATEMENT ISY MR LLOYDGEORGE. Preii Association—By Tolcgiaph—Copyright. LONDON, June 26. Mr Lloyd-George has informed the Welsh Congregational Union thai the Government intends to press its measures for the disestablishment and diseiidowment of the Church in Wales through tlio House of Commons if Parliament runs for ii normal period, and if the House of Lords precipitates a general election the subject will hold a prominent position in tho (jovernment's programme. I he Archbishop of Canterbury presided at the eleventh annual meeting of the Committee for Church Defence and the Church Instruction in the Church House, Westminser, on May 10. The Archbishop said that a good deal 0 f attention bad been directed to the highly interesting proceedings which had taken place in connection with tho Royal Commission on the Church in H:t e«. lie was <„ie of those who both private y and publicly welcomed, from the hrsl, the appointment of the Commission, r.very month had shown tliein wlwt was the value. _of Biieh an inquiry, fruitful of material, winch could be taken and counted upon and used as official information. The morn the evidence was multiplied, the better that, evidence was studied, the more certain he felt, that the evidence would in tho e.jd show enormously tlio riirhteousne*! of the cause for whkh they had been conlanding. If they were to' disestablish Ihe Church of Bngland. as a whole, or that, branch in the Welsh counties, no quo had ever suggested that it wou'd not of n-eces* sitv be done permanently. If t-liat were so. they should take care how they moved! Lot those who seemed io fool that the arguments against, the common .view of Cmirehmen were exceedingly sirong test them by quiet deliberation, by accurate investigation, and bv letting the facts bo longer before the public than they had been yet. ere a decision was ultimately arrived at. Earl Cawdor moved a resolution that, having regard to the renewed attack on the schools nnd tho national position of the Church of England, as shown by the Education Hill of last, year and by the declared intention of the Government to introduce i'l the present -Parliament a measure to disestablish and disendow the Church in Wales, the meeting strongly recommended clergy and laity to avail themselves of the committee's assistaiicc to establish local church defenoo nnd instruction organisations. and to provide additional fumls. The Riehop of St. As'ipli sccondcd, saying J.ho Inst general election was pot a flood, but a deluge, but, whatever it was, it was not a disestablishment deluge. The resolution was carried unanimously.