DATE OF EASTER

Southland Times, Issue 20516, 19 June 1928, Page 7

DATE OF EASTER

COMMONS DEBATE. BILL PASSES THIRD READING. CHURCH OPINION SOUGHT. Rugby, June 16. The House of Commons to-day passed without division the third reading of the Bill fixing the date of Easter. This date will be the Sunday following the second Saturday in April. The Bill was promoted by Captain Bourne, the Conservative member for Oxford.

Lord Hugh Cecil (Conservative) moved an amendment providing that before the Order-in-Counc.il was made under the Bill a Secretary of State should certify to the King that he had ascertained that the proposed appointment of a fixed date for Easter would be generally acceptable throughout Christendom and was approved by the Convocations of Canterbury and York and the National Assembly of the Church of England.

Sir Vivian Henderson, Under-Secret ary of the Home Office, objected to this amendment, on the ground that it would give the power of veto to bodies with whom the Secretary of State would have to negotiate. Another member, Major Birchall, opposed the amendment for the reason that it would be beyond the power even of a versatile Home Secretary to ascertain any view which would be acceptable to the Christian people throughout Christendom. The amendment was withdrawn and another more practicable amendment submitted by Sir Henry Slesser (Labour) that before making any order fixing Easter, regard should be had to any opinion “officially expressed” by the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, and other Christian bodies. This amendment was adopted.—British Official Wireless.