WELSH CHURCH BILL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2201, 14 July 1914, Page 6

WELSH CHURCH BILL

■ —— o— MOTION IN ANGLICAN SYNOD. 1 The Welsh Disestablishment Bill in the. British -'Parliament '-was. discussedat "the! Anglican Synod in Wellington. yesterday-' on a motion by the Rev. C. H., Grant Cowen, who moved: "That ; this -Synod places on record its 6orrojv. and indignation at tlie proposed action-, of the Home Government in disendowing the Church _ of Wales, and utilising such money, given for religiouß purposes, for secular uses; and tliat a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Prime' Minister (Mr.. Asquith), tlie Archbishop of Canterbury, and- the Bishops of the Church in Wales." Mr. Cowen said that fhe present position respecting this proposal was the result of -.a coalition • between Mr; Lloyd George and Mr. Redmond. Mr. Redmond, had supplied the Roman Catholic votes to: take away the funds of the. English Cliurch in Wales, and ill return he ; wa-s to receive support for that 'wretched-act of his'which was to bring civil war to old Ireland. This "wretched coalition" had a parallel in the coalition which the devil formed to destroy the world on the occasion oil which' he was cast from Heaven. Bishop Sprott said that whatever views one might take'regarding the expediency of having an established cliurch; one could not believe fha,t any Government had a right to dismember a church without its consent. It 'might fairly be believed that,the Bill -had not an' English majority behind it. If they, looked at the numbers which were given a few weeks ago on the'third reading of the Bill in tlie House of Commons, they would find that there was a majority of seventy-seven for tlie Bill. The Irish Nationalists - numbered . eight-dne, so, apparently, the Government was in a minority except for the assistance of their Irish'allies. This support of the Irish was not given because the Irish were in favour of the Bill, but in return for something else which the Irish party desired. Therefore, it was safe to say that the Government had not, a majority of the English, Scotch.- and "Welsh behind tliem ,on this question. •The motion was carried.