SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

Evening Star, Issue 22444, 15 September 1936, Page 5

SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS' PROTEST QUESTION AGAIN DISCUSSED BY COUNCIL The question of Sunday observance in general and of Sunday concerts in particular once more occupied the attention of the City Council at its meeting last night, when a letter was received from the president of the Council of Christian Congregations (the Rev. >' • A. Hamblett) urging the council to adhere strictly to the principles enunciated by the mayor in connection with the granting of permits for Sunday concerts—namely: (1) That such concerts be only for strictly charitable purposes; (2) that no charge he allowed; (3) that the programmes be supervised by the council. The writer stated that recent permits granted seemed to his council to give an unduly liberal interpretation to the term “ charitable purposes.” They pointed out that on the occasion of the pipe bands’ function at the Caledonian Ground a charge was made for admission, and no prosecution followed. They desired to know if programmes for recent concerts were supervised by the City Council, and requested that this condition be not overlooked when the granting of further permits was under consideration. A motion that the Council of Christian Congregations be thanked for its letter and that the City Council express its entire agreement with the opinions expressed was defeated. The mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) said that it was only on rare occasions that the usual procedure was departed from. The display by 21 pipe bands had been a unique occasion—unique, he supposed, in the British Empire—and it was the only occasion when they could give such an entertainment. He was present that Sunday afternoon, and it was a most thrilling and enjoyable gathering. It was attended by from 10,000 to 12.000 people, showing that the public of Dunedin appreciated the display. The music was inspiring and the parade most thrilling. Programmes for concerts were supposed to be submitted to the town clerk. The council had stopped, and did stop, Sunday night concerts when they found these did not measure up to standard. Last year they had stopped them altogether. The State Theatre would be discontinuing Sunday concerts shortly, and it would be difficult for a theatre to be obtained. Cr Mitchell said he had been told that a charge had been made at the door at one of the Sunday concerts, but he had no evidence on the matter. “1 think this is a lot of humbug, ’ declared Cr Batchelor. Lie added that eight out of every 10 persons in Dunedin had a radio and listened to all the “ tripe ” that came from America and elsewhere and enjoyed it. Many of these complaints about concerts were from people who played golf on Sundays and rode about in motor ears, while these concerts were for those who could not afford to do that. Cr Allen said that this was not the first letter from an organisation in the city doing its best to uphold the traditional Sunday of the British Empire. He moved that the Council of Christian Congregations be thanked for its letter and that.the council expresses its entire agreement with the opinions incorporated in the letter.

Cr Begg seconded tlie ] ation. “ I am going to oppose it,” said Cr Batchelor. He thought the question had been brought up because they were afraid of the effect Silnday concerts were having on the church collections. Cr Silverstone said he had no objection to receiving the letter, but he desired to ’know whether the Council of Christian Congregations was speaking on behalf of the whole of the Christian community of Dunedin. He submitted that it represented only a section, yet it expressed an opinion on behalf of the whole of the community, and the council, which was supposed to be non-reli-gious and non-sectarian, was asked to confirm the attitude of this section. He thought the Council of Christian Congregations had taken up a bigoted attitude. They were opposed to the right of people to amuse themselves on a Sunday. They said, in effect, that people should come to their churches by hook or by crook, and if these people did not come they should sit at home and he miserable. The traditional British Sunday had gone. Cr Mitchell: Why the heat? “ I don’t believe in hypocrisy,” retorted Cr Silverstone. “ There is a political'motive at the back of it.” They held their hands n, in horror when a few people were given the right to hold an entertainment on a Sunday to get some money for charitable work. Cr M'Millan said he was in entire agreement with the letter received, but he had no intention of supporting Cr Allen's motion. The moving of the motion was quite improper. They compelled their tramway employees to work on Sunday and then professed to be concerned because a few people went to a concert on Sunday. The Mayor said he was in perfect agreement with the Council of Christian Congregations in drawing attention to any anomalies in regard to the conditions under which the concerts were held, but he did not think they sliould approve of the letter as Cr Allen suggested. In supporting the motion, Cr Mitchell said he gave an emphatic denial that there were any politics in this matter at ail.

Or Neilson said that in liis trade they had worked all Sunday night to supply bread to the public on Monday morning, and yet there were some who had religious scruples against working on the Sabbath. The Mayor said that the only thing the Council of Christian Congregations wanted was “ clean concerts or no concerts.” Hb did not think they wanted to push religion on to them. Cr Camsron supported Cr Allen’s motion, ani said he did not think they could take any exception to the letter that they had received. He thought there was a distinct feeling in the city that the doer had been opened too wide. The quostioi of religion or politics did not come into the matter at all. Cr Allen slid that the religious aspect of the matter had not been raised, ft was the proper observance of the traditional Britisl Sunday that they were concerned with. If the supporters of Sunday concerts‘were not very careful they would te introducing the Continental Sunday, which would mean that their fellow workers would be called on to work to provide for their amusement. That jras why he was against He granting of permits for Sunday concerts. Cr Silverstone brought in a lot of extraneous natter. Cr M'Millanl said that the present Government hai stopped Sunday work. Cr Allen : Yqi should be assisting them. The motion Was defeated, the voting being: For— Allen, Mitchell, Shepherd, and Cameron ; against—the mayor, Crs VI. ‘Alii la n, Silverstone, Scott, Neilson, aid Batchelor. 1 A