PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3314, 19 September 1917, Page 22

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

There was a large attendance of the public, in the King's Theatre on the 12th to hear an address by the Rev. Howard Elliott on behalf of the Protestant Political Association. Mr J. W. Patton presided. The proceedings opened with the singing of the National Anthem.

The lecturer, on rising to speak after a brief introduction by the chairman, was loudly applauded. He went on to explain the objects of the Protestant Political Association, and to give reasons why it should be supported. He contended that members of the Catholic Federation had been pushed into all sorts of positions until to-day they wero filled by Roman Catholics out of all proportion to their numerical strength. No one could question the right of the Roman Catholics to organise, but the Protestants also had the right. As to the war, all their churches had sent ministers, and some of the colleges had to close for want of teachers, but the Catholic priests sheltered themselves behind the law of the Church, and the Government let them. The association was out to see that there was no differentiation in the law, and that some of the priests were required to go as soldiers. That would only bo British justice. As to the exemption of Marist Brothers, there were some things that might be urged in favour of the priests, but nothing could be said in fence of the Marist Brothers, for they were not a clerical order. When the association made representations on the matter in regard to , State school teachers it was stated that it would be a Tory large order, but only a small matter to exempt a few Marist Brothers. The Protestant State teachers were just as necessary as the teachers of the Roman Catholic Church —and he hoped Sir James Allen had by this time come to realise this fact. They wanted to be fair. To send all the priests would bo an injustice, because they were entitled to have that spiritual ministration that the Protestants had, but they should ask some of them —the eljgiblo ones—to go before the married men were sent. In their Government departments influences were at work. The fact that they had discovered thaff 33 per cent, of the employees in the Auckland Post Office were Roman Catholics was a staggerer.—A Voice: Shame ! —'Roman Catholics were 14 per cent, of the population, and were entitled to that proportion of the Government jobs. In many of the big denarfcments there was a movement going on, and the police force was amongst them. All the big offices were filled by men of one creed, because of some influence which it was for the association to combat. The Protestant Political Association stood for Protestantism that was based on tho Bible, for Protestanism that would give equal rights to all, that would have the nation clean, sober, and moral. As he resumed his seat the speaker was enthusiastically applauded. Mr Wilkinson mo-ved, and the Rev. J. R. Nelson seconded, and it was carried: "That this meeting of the Protestants of Dunedin protests against the glaring injustice that is being done to them. ,the teachers and the children of the dominion, and especially to the men of the Second Division, by the preferential treatment of the Marist and Christian Brothers in respect to military service. Further, this meeting considers that the proposal which has been submitted to the Cabinet to exempt sectarian school teachers, whilst still conscripting the teachers of our State schools, is calculated to provoke the loyal Protestants to the strongest resentment. We emphasise the fact that nearly one-third of the eligible teachers of the First Division and many of the Second Division have volunteered, whilst the staffs of the sectarian schols are intact thus the children attending the State schools are penalised because of the patriotism of their teachers, many of whom have laid down their lives for the Empire and the King and the children whom they taught. This meeting therefore calls upon the Government to take action' to ensure that these private school teachers render their due service to the Empire before the men of th Second Division are called upon to leave wife and children to take the places that single men of the Marist and Christian Brothers ought to fill, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Right Honourable the Prime Minister." Mr Lyons moved, and Mr A. Williams seconded: "That this meeting of Protestants in Dunedin expresses its hearty approval of the national system of education now in vogue in New Zealand as opposed to tho sectarian system; and its determination to strenuously combat all attempts _to interfere with tho religious liberty which the national system affords, and congratulates the Honourable the Minister of Education on his firm opposition to the grant of State aid to Roman Catholic Schools. This was also carried unanimously. MEETING AT MILTON. The Rev. Howard Elliott addressed a largely attended meeting of Protestants at the Presbvterian Hall. Milton, on Tuesday, 11th inst.rthc Rev. S. Robertson Orr presiding. Resolutions were unanimously carried protesting against the exemption of Marist Brothers and priests from military service; also upholding the present national system of education in vogue in the dominion, as opposed to the sectarian system, and congratulating the Minister of Education on his firm opposition to the grant of State aid to Roman Catholic schools.