REVIEW OF POSITION

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 235, 1 July 1944, Page 8

REVIEW OF POSITION

Conscientious Objectors And Defaulters REPLY BY MINISTER The action of a minister of religion in associating himself with a petition for the release of conscientious objectors was mentioned at. the U.S.A. Dominion conference last night. Mr. G. Gilchrist (Hokitika) said that as the result of this action, with which he entirely disagreed, he was resigning his office at the church lie now attended and going elsewhere. Mr. C. O. Bell. Dominion vice-presi-dent, said (he Minister of Rehabilitation had told them that defaulters were being used to build homesteads on blocks for soldier settlement, but they had no information on the terms and conditions under which these men Were being employed. He read Io the conference a letter received by the N.Z.R.S.A. from the Minister of National Service, Mr. McLtigan, in reply to representations concerning resolutions of the Methodist Synod iu Wellington. _ This reply stated that the War Cabinet had under review the whole position concerning conscientious objectors anti military defaulters. The desirability of bringing the New Zealand procedure more into line wilh that followed in Groat Britain had been receiving examination. In this connexion the views of the association would receive full consideration.