THE DEATH PENALTY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 149, 5 April 1930, Page 5

THE DEATH PENALTY.

DEBATE ON THE ARMY BILL. SHARIP DIVISION OP OPINION. (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, April 4. In the House of Commons strong passion was aroused in Committee on the Army (Annual) Bill arising from the Government's decision to drop the death penalty for cowardice and inciting others to take part in acts r of cowardice, but retaining it for mutiny and sedition. The Secretarv of State for War (Mr T. Shaw) admitted that in thus further limiting the death penalty he was acting against the advice of members of the Army Council. A Conservative amendment seeking to reintroduce the capital penalty for inducing cowardice was rejected by 288 votes to 165 after an acrimonious discussion in which the Opposition demanded that the Attorney-General should give a legal opinion whether inducing amounted to mutiny and was therefore punishable by death. The Attorney-General refused, but Mr Shaw expressed' the opinion that a man who deliberately incited others .to cowardice was guilty of a crime equivalent to mutiny. Sir G. Courthorpe's amendment retaining the death penalty for a man leaving his post or attempting to create a false alarm was declared carried • amidst Ministerial protests that the question was not clearly understood. Mr E. Thurtle's amendment to abolish death for desertion and substitute penal servitude was carried by 219 votes to 135 on a free vote, amid Labourite %'ieers.