THE MARRIAGE ACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18074, 23 October 1920, Page 4

THE MARRIAGE ACT

MR MACGREGOR'S BILL WITHDRAWN. fFnoii Oct. Own Correspondent.) _ WELLINGTON, October 20. Jhe Hon. J. MacGregor's Marriages Amendment Bill (No. 2), which proposed, inter aha, to Roman Catholic priests off the list of officiating ministers so long as the Ise lemere decree remained in force ">6 domm.on. was to-day withdrawn. Mr MacGregor said that as a member of the Statutes Revision Committee of the Council he had heard the evidence laid lKfore the committee on the subject of cerP. iac^ces an d teachings of a. particular Church. It had becomo his duty as a member of the committee to consider how the matter could best be dealt with, and ho nad come to the conclusion that there were two ways open. One was to bring before the Council such a Bill as that which he had introduced, and the other was to amend section 34 of the Marriages Act so as to make it compulsory for every marriage to be celebrated before a registrar. There was not anything inconsistent between t.ho Bill and the new clause that the Council had introduced into the Marriages Amendment Bill upon the recommendation of the committee. He had given notice of such a clause as that contained in his Bill, but ho had refrained from moving it because one or two members had stated there was a feeling that the best way of dealing with the clause recommended by the committee was to adopt it without discussion Ho was given'to understand that the idea of avoiding discussion had originated with one or two members who had throughout the proceedings shown that their sympathies were with the Roman Catholic Church. A Voice: The \Hon. Mr Jones and yours were fcne other way. ; Mr MacGreeor, proceeding, said that ho concurred in the suggestion that had been Made for the avoidance of any discussion that might have led to unpleasantness. His reason for introducing the Bill was a statement of Archbishop O'Shea that the amendment in the No. 1 Bill had been rushed through quietly so that "its purport should not bo understood. That statement was absolutely incorrect, and but for it he would in all probability not have thought of introducing the Bill. He imagined now that there was every probability pf the 'Bill before the committee of the House at the present time being passed in the form in which it had left the Council, and in those circumstances he would ask leave to withdraw his Bill. The Hon. \V. J. Geddis, who had given notico of motion to kill the Bill, congratu. lated Mr MacGregor upon his decision. Ho had discussed the matter at some length with Mr MacGregor during the day, and he wished to say that if a year hence it was found that the situation required that should be further legislation, and Mr MacGregor then chose to revive his proposal that all marriages should be civil, he would give the proposal his support. AUCKLAND, October 21*. Tho Auckland Synod adopted the following resolution previously adooted by tho Standing Committee" That while it is competent for the State to make its own code for a legal, valid marriage, the proposed amendment to the Marriage Act appears, as at present worded, to make ib penal for _ any _ religious societies to state hereafter its own approved form and ideal of marriage contained in the Gospel. The Standing Committee of tho diocese of Auckland respectfully beg that Parliament will not impose these restrictions on religious liberty." GREYMOUTH. October 21. The Greymouth P.P. A. last night resolved—"That this meeting, representing every local fair-minded Protestant of the district., desire to express their heartfelt appreciation and admiration of tho magnificent efforts of the Rev. Howard Elliott and party in their endeavour to checkmate tho obnoxious tactics of tho Church of Rome in connection with the Ne Temoro decree. Further, they earnestly and respectfully appeal to tho Prime Minister and the Parliament of Now Zealand to give effcct to the proposed amendment of tho marriage law, which in our opinion is a most iirgent necessary reform fen- protecting tho rights and liberties of all respectable, law-abiding citizens irrespective of denomination."