SUNDAY CONCERTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 17, 22 October 1943, Page 2

SUNDAY CONCERTS

Recently the Dunedin-St. Kilda Patriotic Committee approached the Dunedin City Council for permission to hold Sunday night concerts a*, which charges for admission could be made. The deputation stated that collections at the concerts did not yield a sufficient return to # make them worth while. In addition many people, including servicemen, wandered the streets' on Sunday, night because there was no other place to go. It was hoped to raise funds for patriotic purposes and at the same time provide entertainments for visiting servicemen. A deputation from the. National Council of Churches was headed by the Rev. R. S. Watson, who said the churches had shown practical sympathy with the work done by the patriotic organisations, and had at one stage agreed to the arrangement of entertainment of visiting soldiers, but the same need did not exist to-day. The question of charging for admission was an entirely different matter. "We are anxious to avoid anything," he. said, "even if it is war-time,, in the nature of commercialising Sunday. We may be called conservative,, but that may be a title of honour. Sunday is a day of rest and worship, and we are concerned at the encroachment being made upon it. We want as far as possible to resist any desire to encroach upon Sunday as a d,ay of worship. We do not want to drift near to what is called the Continental Sunday. One door after another is being opened during the war, and we will find, after it is over, that it will be more and. more difficult to close those doors. Let us preserve this priceless boon which is our heritage." Dean Cruickshank said that once they opened the flood gates they would never be able to close them To allow Sunday concerts to keep people off the streets was to correct oae abuse by the introduction of the Abuse of a principle.. If it was not going to affect church services it was going to affect the principle, of

Sunday, which was what they avcretrying to retain. After considerable discussion the Council refused the permission by six votes to three. '