DISCIPLINE AND MILITARY LAW.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1059, 23 February 1911, Page 2

DISCIPLINE AND MILITARY LAW.

Sir,—l have read your, special correspondent's report, dated Wanganui, September 11, 1911, of the breaking-np of tha Territorial camp thel-e, and cannot understand how any; responsible officer could have carried out" such a farc<), : Lieut.rColonel Hughes is. reported 'to - have, called a-Court-Jlartial to try a man for insubordination, to have held the Court by whom, the -man 'was sentenced to "five days' imprisonment," and then to havo addressed theVbattalion, telling them . that "he. had- power to make such reduction ofl;the 'sentence as he thought fit." I am nbt, sure "whether this is tho military. law in*New_ Zealand or not, but it does not. tally rp- : collections of ;same in tho Imperial service. Lieutenant-Colonel :; Huehes\is then reported to have'said "that he h(td real- -: ised during the-.week-* that .the riien .were : not conversant, with -the;'new*, military law, and did '.'not/know, fhe pains anil penalties attaching, to broaches" of it.'W •Surely, this is an-'admission thathad seen breaches of military: law; if ; this were so, would it not-have been far better to have insisted on these breaches being reported, to have "planked" the . offenders, and then explained .to thein in - w h4t way they had :offended; instead ■ ofcalling a "faked" Court-Martial, and thus making, a farce of the whole,affair? 1 I havo always looked upon ".compulsory training : as ■ the; one good cure for - what I might call, "youthful larrikinism.'' . Ido not wish ,to use ; this term in any offensive way; what I-wish to'convey is that the compulsory training would-tench the youngsters the difference between "on ( juid off .dutv/' ._ Lieut.-Colonel jHughes'a Ttoiy of instilling, discipline, is reported, can scarcely, have the effect- I riresume he wishes for.—l am, etc.,' " v EX-IMPERIAL-SERVICE.'