PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 237, 1 July 1919, Page 8

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION

ADDRESS BY REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT. A meeting of the Wellington North group of the Protestant Political Association in St.. Andrew's Hall last night, was addressed by the national lecturer for the association, the Rev. Howard Elliott. Major M'Naught presided. Mr. Elliott referred first of all to the glad news of the signing of peace. ,pe proceeded to discuss the political situation in New Zealand, declaring that tiie interests of the people and the country were forgotten, and that politicians cared only for the interests ol their parties. Much had yet to be done nt the way of social reform, but as things were, no reforms were likely to come. Mr. Elliott talked also 011 the coal situation, and the plight of the people in consequence. He scoffed at the Government for resorting to such an expedient as the curtailment of railway services when there was plenty of coal in the country which could .be obtained if the Government showed some resolution. When there was trouble about conscription, and the coal supply was threatened bv the miners, Sir James Allen and Mr. MacDonnld, instead of demanding that the coal should be obtained and insisting that it should bo obtained, had "gone down 011 their marrow-bones" to the miners. Since the agreement was made 011 that occasion the coal output had steadily declined. He expressed the greatest disgust for the weakness of the Government ii, allowing the eoal miners to set control of the situation.

Mr. Elliott referred again to the. exemption of Catholic school properties from rates, while all other private schools, including Protestant Church schools, had to pay rates. The reason was that a(l Catholic schools were declared to be religious institutions. In the Wellington area alone the Catholic Church lind ■ properties, worth a quarter of a- million, and in all New Zealand three, rinarters -of a million. The Roman Catholic Church was the greatest pro-perty-owning corporation in the lnnd. There were ecclesiastical trusts of the Catholic Church owning interests in many ventures, but nowhere could bo discovered that any of these trust-,- paid income tax; nor could he find that any priest of the Catholic Church paid income tax. With all these exemptions, which wero really subsidies, from tho State, Home was enabled to carry on, to grow stronger. Everywhere it was the aim of . tho Catholic Church to exorcise-domination in tho community, and to this end: tho young people of the Church were encouraged to get into the Civil Service. In every English-speaking country the increase in the number of Catholics in tho Civil Service was remarkable. He believed that in New Zealand ten years ago there were 10 .per cent, of Cat.hc.lica in the Civil Service. Now he believed the number was nearer 40 per cent. There had bfou siu-li an outcry alwit Catholics in the Civil Service in New South Wales (hat tho rule was made that every Civil Servant must take ,the oath of allegiance, to the King. Unless (he Protestants woke up (ho Catholics would capture- the whole Civil Service. In Victoria. Catholics numbered fiO per cent, of (he service. In America rJso . t.hov wore fift per cent. The secretary to President Wilson was a Catholic, . a Knight of Columbus. ' '