[?]Sters Of Religion Affronted By

[?]op is Wrath

[?]P-Ng's Native Marriage Bill

isurd, impractical, ridicuious an,d an affront to ministers of i, was how Bishop P. N. W, Strong described the controversial ; Marriage Bill which made a brief appearance in the Legislative 1 of Papua-New Guinea during the September meeting. After hop had had something to say about it, debate was adjourned meeting.

1 has been “on the stocks” >me time, and was expected use some mission fireworks it did —although it has its a a Mission Conference, the missions wanted, in ras that, in relation to marriages New Guinea e brought into line with What they appear to have at Papua is to be brought with New Guinea. 20 years ago it was n New Guinea (then, of dministered as a separate ) that natives could not :cording to European law ’ Christian ceremonies denied them, if this were i wished, but the marriages registered. The reason was that they were said

not to understand the implica tions and obligations of the European form of marriage—and

that there had been cases of natives frnino- a Jvf ady v, had Several Wives going through another ceremony according to our custom.

Papua however there was no such restriction and some time ago following a Mission conference it was suggested that the legal lastnction now be removed from JJSLf natlves also ’ 80 that th ey might marry (and register) their manner. in the Christian and **3 In now trying to give the two Territories a uniform law for native marriages the legal architects have introduced an offending (to the missionaries) clause which says that before two natives marry and have

their marriage registered thes first obtain the consent T District Commissioner who: make sure that they knov obligations and that there ! just impediments to the union, powers of discretion were fo in Papua, left to ministJ religion, who in the Territo: of course, missionaries.

It is this whittling do: church authority to whichT Strong takes strong exceptio said that ministers of ] were “bound in conscience” that the prospective m partners understood the trues of what they contemplated! the Bill became law hu other missionaries would b sidered no longer compete carry out these obligations—al in his opinion, they were fa: competent to do so tha District Commissioner.

The Bishop said also thr proposal was racial discrimiu The Church’s insistence 1 garding marriage as a & closed-shop in which they, can tie the right kind of 1 well-known, and their hosti the new Bill can be understa the same time, the Administ legal talqrit no doubt wig protect itself from trouble future. If there is legal mu there also has to be mau for legal divorce. Some nati just as capable of assuming Christian obligations i European; but with man veneer of Christianity is stt thin.