Indignation Meeting

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 92, 16 October 1893, Page 2

Indignation Meeting

A largely -attended meeting was held in the Salvation Army Barracks yesterday afternoon to protest n&ainst certain clauses in the Borough bye»laws proposed to be adopted. Amongst those present were Councillors Carthew and Gould. The meeting having been opened Capt. Horlow read a portion of Mark's gospel, wuich dealt with the religious right of Christians to march, and uphold righteousness and liberty, and the Salvation Army claimed the right as a duty commanded by God. The Captain quoted the authority of a Chief Justice in South Australia, who spoke in the highest terms of the Salvation Army and Us work, attributing the reduced amount of crime to their efforts. The names of the Hon Mr Patterson, Chief Justice in Victoria, and Mr Seddon, Premier of New Zealand, were mentioned as having eulogised the work done by the Salvation Army. The latter gentleman having stated, while sitting in Parliament, that if Borough Councillors would continue to form such bye-laws as were now in force in Milton, and put them in practice, the boroughs would have to find or pay its own crime officers, as the Government did not intend to squander money away by such bye»law restrictions. Major Vince was the next speaker, and said he was not aware, before ho came here on ;Saturday, the Feilding Borough Councillors lad framed a bye- law like the now-famous Milton one. He then read the bye* law objected to. It was quite likely the present councillors never intended to put in force such a bye- law, but who knew what sort of councillors would be in office a( future elections. The Milton laws had been made j'ears ago and until recently had not been enforced. They had now met to enter a protest to the Feilding Borough Council before ttiey adopted the bye-laws on October 25th next. At Milton a man fifty years old had been imprisoned, and the law that did this was a disgrace to the colony. It must be put a stop to. The other day a councillor asked the Army officials why they could not ask for permission to march from the Council. He did not believe in asking permission to do that which was right. To hinder the Array from marching the streets was an infringement of the rights of Christianity. Without open-air work the efforts of the Army in checking crime would not be so effective The clauses objected to were 41 and 42. It had been stated that the services of other denominations had been disturbed by the Army marching p:ist with playing band. He was sorry for this as such a thing should not happen nnd it would not be allowed again Mr Towler proposed, and Mr H. Hickford seconded, That this meeting of ratepayers and citizens of Feilding emphatically protest against bye-law No 5, clauses 41 and 42, of the Foilding Borough Council, considering that it is an infringement of the rights of the people, and that such a bye-law should not be allowed to come into operation in the Borough of Feilding. — Carried. Messrs Carthew, Wilson, and R. F. Haybittle, opposed the motion. Mr Gould explained that there was n • intention to stop the Army from marching, and asked Major Vince to read a bye-law, which was far more stringent, and had been in force for ten ycurs in Feilding. Major Vince refused to read the by« law referred to, and contended they were not there to dispute matters individually. Mr Gould was sorry to have to defend himself in a Salvation Army meeting, but the rumour started, that he was the first to piopose the bye-law condemning the Army, was without foundation. He had always sympathised with them. The meeting having abruptly closed, Councillors Carthew and Gould interviewed the Major, and arrangements were made for them to bring the matter bfifore the next meeting of the Council.