MODERATOR SLIGHTED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17182, 12 February 1930, Page 7

MODERATOR SLIGHTED

FAREWELL TO GOVERNOR GIVEN A BACK SEAT (Spupial to tho Herald.) CHRISTI-HCRCM, this tiny. - A protest that tho moderator of the Chrfcsfcchurch Presbytery had been slighted ;it a puolie lunction recently held in the city was voiced ul tlie presbytery's meeting yesterday, and it was resolved that tlie attention of thel.Uayor pi t'hristchurch, the Kev. .1. iv. Archer, be. called to the matter. iiio subjest was brought up by Mr. W. ii. Rose, who said that at iue piium la'rewcll function held in L'hiistenurch to the. ex-Uoverncr-Ueneral, Sir Unaiies K'efgtissda, he noticed that seats wers reserved in front for representatives ot the Koman Catholic Churen and ot tlio 'Uhu'rch of England, but he- looked in va.u for their own representatives, ne considered that it was an extraordinary position in view of the fact that tne wtbvernor-Genteral was a ruling eider ot tho ■i'fesbyterian Church of Scotland, and ciosfely,• identified with the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. He considered that the same courtesy shoald have been extended to tlie representatives of ether churches as to the ones mentioned. 'lhe Kev. John Miller, moderator of the Chrlstchureh Ptesbytery, stated that he had attended tlie Junction, bat when he arrived .he was snown into a back seat He thought it was peculiar, and explained his position and who he was, but he was not ushered to the front, where'he thought he would have. been. Mr. Kose said the pcsition should be put befoie the Mayor- with a request that all church representatives should have equal rignts at public functions, and he moved accordingly MAYOR'S KXfLAN ATION. "All churches should be given equal representation in a community wnere no church has a State connection," said tiie Kev. X.. Patterson, "and. it any preierence is given it should be to the two national churches, the churches ot Scotland and of England." It was a slight to the community, Mr. Patterson considered, that any cnurcn should not be given equal representation .with the others. "As ' moderator oi the Church Assembly 1 felt slighted that I should .have been relegated to a back seat when other church aignatones were shown to the front,".said Mr. Miller, but he did not take it as a personal slight. A" member of the presbytery considered that the moderator should have been placed next to the Governor. The motion, when put to the meeting, was carried unanimously. When the matter was referred to the Mayor, Mr. Archer, by a reporter; he stated that they had decided to make the invitations as representative as possible. ' "It is a pity that Mr. Miller did not get in touch with myself, or the town clerk. It was purely a misarrangoment of seats,, and there was no motive for it. So far as I know every attempt was made to treat everyone alike. It is unfortunate, but I .myself. knew nothing about it. It was not mentioned to me at the time, nor has it been since up to now. Naturally i would see that the so-called nonconformist representatives had very good consideration, because I am one myself. It is unfortunate, but it appears to arise from a mistake on the part of the usher."