Presbytery Does Not Want Discrimination

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 723, 24 July 1929, Page 9

Presbytery Does Not Want Discrimination

DRILL AND EXEMPTION REQUESTS DECIDED Discussing the question of conscientious objection to military training, the Auckland Presbytery, yesterday afternoon, carried resolutions agreeing in the main with the decisions of the Public Questions Committee of the Presbyterian Assembly. Possibly the chief point of the man> aspects raised was the whole-hearted condemnation of discrimination in the treatment of conscientious objector*. More than one speaker urged strongly that any objector with claims sup ported by authentic and responsible witnesses should be allowed exeinpAt one stage during the debate, the Rev. W. Lawson Marsh vigorously denied that he had misrepresented the position of the defaulting divinity students. Alim M. Richards and Alex ander Miller, to the convener of the Assembly. A third important feature was th»* championing of the courage of the students in their stand for what they considered to l>e right, by the Rev. \Y. J. Comrie. The clerk of the Presbytery, the Rev. I). I). Stott, saitl that the Assembly was seeking the views o Presbyteries throughout New Zealand. No matter what denomination an objector was. Mr. Scott said, the Presbyterian Church wanted equal treatment. A motion moved asked that the Auckland Presbytery should support the Assembly’s committee in seeking confirmation from the Prime Minister of the statement by the Minister of Justice on July 10 concerning the absence of discrimination conceraing the denominations of objectors. *n*l the early gazetting of alternative nonmilitary service. NO PREFERENCE Support was also sought for a request that the Prime Minister's proposal to exempt divinity students should be extended to all persons whose conscientious objections are certified bv responsible witnesses, with regard to the alternative of nonmilitary service. The Presbytery would repudiate the suggestion that students for the ministry should receive preferential treatment. These two resolutions were carried. The third suggestion on the question was that the Presbytery should point out the anomaly of allowing the present heavy sentence to lie upon Richards and Miller while tlie justice of exempting such objectors is acknowledged, at the same time, by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister should be asked to take steps for the remission of the sentences. On the motion of the Rev. T. Roseveare. it was agreed to substitute the word “revision” for “remission,” and the clause was adopted. The last resolution on the question was adopted on the motion of Mr. Comrie. In it. the Presbytery affirmed the loyalty of the Presbyterian Church to the Empire. Discussing the clauses, Mr. Marsh contended that Richards and Miller, by ignoring the advice of the Presbytery to accept the non-military service, had disobeyed the Presbytery in spirit. Members denied this with a chorus of “No.” Mr. Marsh said that the boys had not continually offered alternative service. The Assembly’s committee had regretted that the boys had not accepted this service when offered. MINISTER’S DENIAL Tlie speaker was asked by the Rev. D. C. Herron if he had given the Assembly’s committee the impression that the boys had refused the service enjoined on them by the Presbytery. Mr. Herron said that the Presbytery iiad urged the boys to accept the alternative service only if it were given by the Governor-General. That anything he had said to the convener of the Assembly had been free from bias and had been accurate, was Mr. Marsh’s declaration. “This is the second time that distasteful insinuations have been made against me,” Mr. Marsh said. “I know what action I shall take if it happens again. It is contemptible for insinuations to be made against a brother minister.” Mr. Herron said that an incorrect report had got abroad, but no personal attack was being made. At this stage, Mr. Marsh was assured by the Presbytery that it was not thought, that he had misrepresented the students* position to the Assembly's committee. Mr. Comrie praised the students for their courage in their convictions. He would reject with contempt the idea that divinity students should receive preferential treatment. WELLINGTON’S APPROVAL STRONGER RESOLUTION URGED BY COMMITTEE CHURCH AGAINST TRAINING Press Association WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The Public Questions Committee of ! the Wellington Presbytery, at a meetS ing today, unanimously agreed to ap- ! prove of the resolutions adopted at. Dunedin by the Public Questions Committee of the Genera! Assembly. These called for a review of the sentence imposed on the two Auckland divinity students, the removal of the difficulties which have grown up in connection with the rights of conscience i:i the matter of military training, and the prescription and gazetting of alternttive service by the Governor-in-Coun-cii. It was decided further to advise the committee of the Assembly to strengthen its resolutions by a more emphatic statement of the alleged wrong suffered by the students in rei ceiving a sentence which was stated j to be not in accordance with the pro--1 visions of the Defence Act of 1912. j it was resolved to support strenu- ! ously Mr. W. J. Jordan’s Bill aiming j at tlie abolition of compulsory military , training, and to urge the committee or ! the Assembly to do the same.