A SECTARIAN QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2485, 11 June 1915, Page 6

A SECTARIAN QUESTION

! APPOINTMENT OF CHAPLAINS TO HOSPITAL SHIP. (By Telegraph— Special Correspondent.) Chrlstchuroh, June 10. At the meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery t»<lay the Rev. J. Dixon redecision of the Government, that only episcopally ordained tho l . be a PP°inted to act on ? SP 'f- a meant that J Anglicans and Koman Catholics 3 tl, to. Ho consid1W n- J ' ?, dd not forgo th eir rights, Ilioj were all agreed that tlie day had fains'lliT ordained chapon aw Vi T" Stor t0 the wounded if ? A shlp - Ho moved to the effect that the attention of the head of ™?i tw rnm ? nt J ? d P wn t0 the matter ana that a chaplain be appointed to ropiosent the Presbyterians and other non-episcopal men amongst the woundTho Rev. G. Lindsay supported tho motion, stating that 40 per cent, of the men wore non-episcopahans, and that being so, they ought to have a representative aboard. The motion was carried unanimously. Imperial Regulations. This matter was referred to the Defence Minister yesterday His reply u as that the decision to allow only one Anglican and one Roman Catholic chaplain to go in tho ship was not the decision of the New Zealand Government, but the decision of the Imperial authorities. "'Wo asked the Imperial authorities what chaplains should go on the ship," Mr. Allen went on to say. "and they replied one Anglican and one Roman Catholic. I am aware that the Nonconformists have asked that a Protestant non-Anglican should be sent, and I have had to tell them that I am not able to allow one to go because tho Imperial regulations do not permit of it. For my own part, I think that two chaplains will bo all that will he required, because tliere will be only 400 men on tho ship. I think I may also say that surely this is not tho time to bring up things of this kind. Surely the Nonconformists can safely trust their wounded to an Anglican chaplain for a few days, which is the length of time that wounded men are likely to be on the ship, which is intended to carry men from the Dardanelles to Egypt or Malta, where there are hospitals. It is possible, though not at all probable, that she will have to go to England with wounded."