IS THE CHURCH ANTI-LABOUR?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17879, 22 June 1926, Page 8

IS THE CHURCH ANTI-LABOUR?

TRADES HALL SENDS QUERY TO MINISTERS. REPLY IS: GO TO CHURCH AND SEE FOR YOURSELVES. “Is the Church Anti-Labour? ” Thi* is a question upon which the Trades Hall has asked a representative of the Council of Christion Congregations to speak on August 8. The Trades Hall Propaganda Committee -asked the Council at its meeting last night to give the address with special ! reference to the Church's attitude on capitalism and socialism, imperialism and internationalism, and war and peace. After discussion, is was decided to inform the committee that the council did not consider that anyone speaker was capable of expressing the various points of view of the Christian churches on the Labour question, and ii»*regretted that it was unable to acdefit the invitation of the Trades Hall Propaganda Committee, but it suggested that the committee should approach individual members of the churches with a request to give their personal view of the matter. The secretary (the Rev J. F. Coursed said that the matter had been considered at a meeting of the executive. but it had no recommendation to make. Personally, he felt that it was a challenge to the churches. The chairman (Archdeacon P. 13 Haggitt) : It is not only a challenge; it is a great opportunity. The chairman added that the council should send some one along who would speak with benefit to the council and to the listeners. lie thought that if the members read the “International Sunbeam” (a copy of which was enclosed with the letter) they would find that it contained a ring of earnestness and a great deal of real Christianity although it had misrepresented what the Church stood for. He suggested that the Rev J. F. Coursey should go to the meeting. The executive was not in any way opposed to the request. “Above all. we should send somebody who knows something of Christianity." added the speaker. The Rev C. A. Fraer said that he thought that if Messrs Bell. Page and Co. (the authors of the letter) wished to hear the attitude of the church on Labour questions, they should go to the churches. They were not likely to ge't the attitude of the Church in one address. If they wished to hear, the way was open to them. The" Rev H. L. Blamires said that he thought that it was an opportunity. The Rev W. J. Williams asked -who was going to undertake to represent the views of the Church. Who was acceptable to' the Trades Hall Propaganda Committee as a representative of the Church. It was a very big qiiestion and he could not see .anything satisfactory come out of it.

The chairman; We must send a reply. Mr W. Dobbs suggested sending Professor Condliffe. Personally he did not expect to get some good out of it. He v;as afraid that a lot of them did not wish to learn of the Master of the Church. They wanted to settle the matters themselv-es. He also suggested that the Rev J. K. Archer be asked to speak as he was sympathetic with them and was one of them.. The churches were open and why* could not these men go round to the churches to find out for themselves? The motion was then proposed by the Rev J. F. Coursey. Mr C. Barrell seconded the motion. Mr Blamires said that he would not like it to go out that they were not sympathetic. * Voices: We are sympathetic. The chairman said'that the question was “Is the Church Anti-Labour?” There were different points of view. There were some that belonged to political parties and if th*y sent one man. he might present £. aspect, and if they sent another v«an, he might present another side, and both sides might be irreconcilable. He thought that the motion was the best answer. Mr Coursey said that whilst he was in sympathy with the efforts of Labour for the amelioration of the conditions of their fellow men, he was not prepared to swallow some of the planks of the political Labour Party. For example. Labour wanted a secular education system and he would never stand for that. He sympathised with Labour in the true sense of the word, but he could not sympathise with some aspects of political Labour. He had t6ld them that on the West Coast and it would not hurt them to know in Christchurch.