MARRIAGE LAW

Southland Times, Issue 18936, 24 September 1920, Page 4

MARRIAGE LAW

’ MR MACGREGOR'S BILL. A HOSTILE AMENDMENT. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, September 23. The Marriage Amendment Bill (No. 2) (Hon. J. MacGregorl was introduced and read the first time in the Legislative Council when Mr MacGregor moved that the second reading be made an order of the day for to-morrow week, the Hon. W 7 . J. Geddes said he would adopt the unusual course of moving an amendment, That the second reading be set, down for this day six months. He said that a spirit of religious intolerance and bigotry was spreading, and there wert graver issues before the country than the question of religious belief. Several points of order were raised, members saying that they only had the title before them, to which Mr Geddes replied that the Bill had been explained in the newspapers. Ultimately he agreed to withdraw the amendment if the Council was insufficiently informed, but he said he would return to the mailer on the second reading. Members: Hear, hear. That is the proper time. The Bill provides that the Repstrar-Ge.n-eral is not in enter on the list of officiating ministers (ai the name of any bishop, priest or minister of the Roman Catholic Church so long as the Ne Temere Decree oi Chapter 1 of the Decree of the Council of Trent (referred to in the Ne Temere Decree) is in force in New Zealand, (b) the name of any bishop, priest, or minister of any church which by any articles of religion, confession of faith, creed, or catechism denies or questions either directly or by implication the validity in any sense of marriages solemnised in accordance with the provision/ of the Marriage Act.