CHURCH AND CENSUS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1173, 7 July 1911, Page 7

CHURCH AND CENSUS.

STRONG PROTEST AGAINST A RETURN. . "ABSOLUTE NONSENSE." i | MINISTER TO BE APPROACHED. A matter of census, concerning the 1 Anglican Church, was referred to at yesterday's meeting of the Synod, by Archdeacon Harper, who moved: That this Synod is of opinion that the clergy should not be instructed to supply to tho census authorities information as to the "number of people usually attending the principal service" iu their churches as serving no useful purpose, and considers that if information of this character is demanded by the census authorities in the future some other form should be adopted as the present one is useless as a guide to the number of people who attend the services of the Church. Spoaking to the motion, Archdeacon Harper remarked that every minister was supposed to receive census papers asking for the number of places of worship in his district, whether or not they are used exclusively for worship, the accommodation, the number of Sunday schools, number of children on the roll, and finally the number of persons usually attending the principal service. Personally, he was unable to till in the paper, as he had not the necessary information, and further no one said what the "principal" service was. On stating this to the Department, he was told he must make the return as the law compelled it. What purpose, asked Archdeacon Harper, could these figures serve, except to allow those who wished to draw invidious comparisons between the different religious institutions to do so. For himself, he could not see what good the figures did anyone, and lie did not see that the Government should ask for inside information from voluntary bodies such as the Church. To his mind, the figures were rather harmful than the reverse, and they could serve no useful purpose. He proceeded to quote figures to show the uselessness of the return as a means of comparing the strength of the respective churches. From inquiries he had made amongst clergymen that day, ha had found that 6 out of 14 had not furnished the return as they had not even bctn provided with census papers. Others, had taken the principal service as various different Sunday services, so that the final result could be imagined. As far,as our official return from the Church of England was concerned, the figures wero absolute nonsense. He maintained that the information was not necessary, and served no useful purpose, but led to several harmful ones. If they must give the information there should be'sorae rogular system for every -religious body, which would bo likely to produce a correct. result. The Rev. J. G. Bartlett seconded the motion. Archdeacon Fan court supported the. views put. forward by the mover. The State had no right, to the information, and had no control over them as religious bodies. (Hear, hear, and applause.) They would have to make a protest, or say that they would not sign, as tho request was beyond that of reasonable government. They might well ask whether this was not a pieco of tyranny, or something designed to create an unhealthy rivalry between the different religions bailies in New Zealand. He thought the Synod shonld go in a bedy or by representation, and wait upon the Primo minister or the Minister in charge of the Census Department, and let them see that it was a serious grievance. The only usa he had ever seen made of tho figures was for comparison in newspaper columns. The Government could make no use of the figures themselves, and the figures contributed in no way to the information they required for the purposes of government. "Let us," he added, "show that it is an unreasonable thing, and from a moral point an illegal thing to ask us." (Hear, bear.) Ho hoped that the motion would ba carried, and,that some further action wonld. be taken. .(Loud applause.) Captain Hewitt characterised the return as most misleading, and urged that it was folly on the part of the Government asking for if. Archdeacon Harper wished leave to odd the following words to the motion:— "That the Bishop he requested to interview the Minister in charge of the Department. and place before him the opinion of the Synod; and that the Bishops of the provinces he requested to place the matter before their respective Synods." The addition was accepted. Tho Rev. E. T. Bond expressed his sorrow that Synod had not met before the census was taken, and given an instruction to the clergy not to fill in tho return. Mr. Henderson expressed surprise at such revolutionary, sentiments. The return was demanded by law, and although they could protest, they must not take other than constitutional methods of having an alteration made. The motion, -with the addition, was carricd unanimously.