QUESTION OF LOYALTY.

Shannon News, 9 March 1923, Page 2

QUESTION OF LOYALTY.

A BREEZE' IN CONFERENCE. METHODIST AGENT IN RUNANGA. The finst breeze in the Methodist Conference now being held at .Dunedin arose when the stationing of an agent at Runanga—well known as a Red Fed centre—was discussed. The church has been, closed for some time, and the Rev. B. J. James, of Greymouth, moved that an agent, be appointed, and until he gained his footing the church as a whole support him. So far iso good, but when Mr Isitt stated that the loyalty of the agent must be undoubted the storm arose. A suggestion to go into committee was negatived, and Mr Moses Ayrton, well-known in Labour circles, and who /was for some time the Methodist agent at Runanga, declared that what wais needed was not manmade loyalty, but loyalty to Jesus Christ. He .created a sensation when he declared that he saw" a man in tb r conference who had locked the church door against the people , and had walked away with the key in his pocket, although there were 200 children in the town. Send the right sort of man and he would be welcomed. On a recent visit he had been received with open arms, and the people asked that the church might be re-opened. There were reasons why certain preachers had' not been welcomed. He thought that the terms Red Feds, Bolshevists, etc., would have been better left unsaid. The conclusion of his speech was received with loud applause. Rev. W. A. Hav said, “We have a Gospel to preach,’ 1 ’ and in his opinion a man /should be sent to the district even if it broke the bank. The storm died down, but the enthusiasm remained, and there was a loud chorus of approval when the motion was put that, an agent be appointed to Runanga.