INSULT TO A BISHOP

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1931, Page 7

INSULT TO A BISHOP

LABOUR PARTY’S LETTER. WRITERS REBUKED BY PREMIER. Sydney, Oct. 8. By way of indicating the interest of the Church in modern affairs an Industrial Sunday will be held at Adelaide next Sunday. All leaders of public thought were invited to attend the services in the various churches, but the Australian Labour Party will not be officially represented. The reply of the secretary of the State branch of the Australian Labour Party to the invitation forwarded by the Bishop of Adelaide, Dr. Nutter Thomas, was couched in such terms that the Labour Premier of the State, Mr. Hill, described it as “a gratuitous insult.” He and his associates in the Cabinet dissociated themselves entirely from the Trades Hall attitude. Here is the letter to which the Premier has taken such strong exception: “Having in mind Your Lordship’s recent public utterances in support of the oligarchy, which is so disastrously dominating this and other countries, and particularly those which were considered by members of my party to be a violation of Christ’s teachings, the conference decided to decline your invitation. You, my Lord, have a princely salary, a free mansion, and reputedly large private wealth, and, although the precepts of our religion forbid interest, your Church, holding half a million worth of interestbearing bonds, exacts usury, while men, women and children in our midst are destitute. The Labour movement is nearer God than the capitalistic and unchristian forces which Your Lordship apparently represents.” The letter is signed on behalf of the State conference'of the party by Mr. F. F. Ward. Mr. Hill said that on such an occasion surely the Trades Hall could rise above politics. He and his Ministers would certainly accept the invitation. The bishop also replied to the letter. He refuted- the allegations against the Church in general. It was quite true, he said, that religious precepts forbade interest. However, the Church had converted all its holdings, and its funds were used largely for charitable and educational works.