DEATH PENALTY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 71, Issue 36, 22 November 1950, Page 4

DEATH PENALTY

HOUSE PASSES BILL NARROW MARGIN IN FAVOUR (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. One of the session's most important Bills was put through the House of Representatives yesteuday. It was the measure restoring capital punishment, which the previous Government abolished in 1941.

Although the Prime Minister had made clear that there would be a free vote on the issue, only one Government member, Mr J. R. Hanan, voted with the Opposition against the Bill, which found no supporters among the Labour members. There were 10 absentees when the division was taken on the Bill’s committal, and one of them, Mr E. P. Aderman, who has leave of absence while escorting a party of visiting Parliamentarians, was mentioned from both sides of the House as likely to have voted against the Bill had be been present. , , , Opposition speakers asked the Government to delay the Bill at least pntil a Royal Commission now inquiring into capital punishment in the United Kingdom has presented its report, but the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. S. G. Holland, said the Bill had not been rushed through. Much more time had been allowed for its consideration than was allowed’by the Labour Government before abolishing the death penalty nine years ago. Mr Holland said he was convinced in his own mind that many murders would not have been committed had the death penalty been retained. Several Opposition speakers said they would support capital punishment if convinced it was a deterrent, but claimed there was no acceptable evidence to that effect. Mr Aderton said that death by hanging was nothing but the cowardly assassination of an individual. Mr Webb, at a later stage, said the Government would consider a more humane way of carrying out executions if one could be devised. What History Shows Mr M. Moohan, resuming the debate on capital punishment yesterday afternoon, said he would vote for the Bill if he thought capital punishment would prevent murder, but the whole of history proved it did not. We were putting the clock back 100 years to the most barbaric and savage method of punishment for murder. Mr W. B. Tennent said, there was not the slightest doubt in his mind that many innocent people would have been alive to-day had their murderers known they would have to face the death penalty for their crime. He considered the Mount Victoria murderer deserved to be hanged, and had forfeited his right to live in society, yet, If the law -was administered as it had been in recent years, that person would be a free man before he was 30 years of age. Bfany women would be in terror thinking that that man might be in their vicinity when released. Miss M. B. Howard said that Government members had been impressed with the evidence of Drs. Gray and Lynch. She, however, thought Dr. Gray discredited his whole evidence when he said that all mental patients knew what they were doing, and Dr. Lynch was a pathologist . concerned with bodies after violent death, not with understanding the mind of a murderer.

Miss Howard criticised the haphazard and lax attendance of some members at the meetings of the joint select committee on the Bill.

Mr T. L, Hayman said that although a murderer now at large had escaped from Burwood Hospital, a doctor had told him at the week-end of being unable to get admission to Burwood for a child patient needing plastic surgery. Mr C. P. Skinner said the Bill wan being pushed through with needless haste, and asked that it be deferred at least until the Royal Commission in the United Kingdom completed' its inquiry. He did not believe the Bill would prevent a single murder. Some of New Zealand’s most gruesome crimes would not have been prevented by fear of the gallows. The Rt. Hon. W. Nash said the teachings of Christ were against the taking of life. Christ’s Teachings Mr Nash said that Christ’s teachings were not merely sentimental, but were permanent wisdom. Christian teaching extolled mercy, and mercy and understanding were necessary in dealing with crime and seeking to reduce it. Capital punishment was anti-Christian. Mr Holland said the latter statement of the acting-Leader of the Opposition assumed too much. It carried the unwarranted implication that supporters of the Bill were not Christians.

The Prime Minister said that no pressure had been exercised on any Government member as to how he should vote. He himself had searched his heart very deeply indeed before making up his mind. As for the charge of haste, there had been plenty of time for considering the Bill in contrast to 1941. when the Labour Government introduced on a Friday the Bill to abolish capital punishment, and passed it the following Tuesday, refusing requests for an inquiry into the issue.

Mr Holland said the Bill was de.sirable and'urgently necessary. Mr T. H. McCombs said the passing of the Bill would mean that the Government thought life a little .cheaper than it had been over the last few years. No evidence had been produced to support the view that the reintroduction of capital punishment Would reduce the number of murders. If the advocates of capital punishment had to carry out the executions, capital punishment would soon end. He invited the Prime Minister to attend the next hanging in New Zealand. Reply to Debate Mr Webb, replying to the debate, said he justified capital punishment not for revenge but as a deterrent. There was strong evidence that fear of the rope did, in fact, deter some would-be murderers, and if the Bilb saved even one innocent life a year it would be justified. The committal of the Bill was carried by 38 votes to 31. and the third reading by 37 to 28, several members having gone home in the interim. During discussion in Committee, Mr R. Semple suggested that a better

method of execution than hanging be devised. Mr W. A. Bodkin said a lethal chamber in which gas would automatically be turned on, eliminating the human element, might be preferable. Mr Webb said the Government would consider a more humane method of execution if one could be devised. The voting was:—--For the Bjll (38)—The Rt. Hon. S. G. Holland, the Hon. R. M. Algie, the Hon. W. A. Bodkin, the Hon. C. M. Bowden, the Hon. W. J. Broadfoot, the Hon. E. B. Corbett, the Hon. W. H. Fortune, the Hon. W. S. Goosman, the Hon. K. J. Holyoake, the Hon. T. L. Macdonald, the Hon. J. R. Marshall, the Hon. W. Sullivan, the Hon. J. T. Watts, the Hon. T. C. Webb, Messrs B. V. Cooksley, D. J., Eyre, R. G. Gerard, W. H. Gillespie, E. B. K. Gordon, F. L A. Gotz, E. H. Halstead, C. G. E. Harker, T. L. Hayman, H. Johnstone, S. I. Jones, J. K. Me Alpine, J. J. Maher, J. N. Massey, A. J. Murdoch, E. B. Neale, J. Rae, J. A. Roy, T. P. Shand, W. A. Sheat, G. F. Sim, S. W. Smith, A. S. Sutherland, W. B. Tennent.

Against the Bill (31)—The Rt. Hon. W. Nash, Miss M. B. Howard, Mrs I. M. Ratana, the Rev. Clyde Carr, Messrs W. T. Anderton, A. E. Armstrong, C. H. Chapman, H. E. Combs, P. G. Connolly, J. B. F. Cotterill, W. Freer, F. Hackett, J. R. Hanan, F. Jones, P. Kearins, R. A. Keeling, J. B. Kent, T. H. McCombs, R. Macdonald, R. M. Macfarlane R. McKeen, A. McLagan, H. G. R. Mason, J. Mathison, M. Moohan, T. P. Paikea, W. E. Parry. R. Semple, C. F. Skinner, E. T. Tirikatene, R. H. Walls.

Those members who have leave of absence are the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, the Hon. F. W. Doidge (ill), Messrs G. R. Herron (family bereavement), E. P. Aderman, W. A. Hudson, D. C. Kidd, T. Omana, A. G. Osborne, D. M. Rae, the Hein. G. H. Ross (all of whom are escorting parties of visiting Parliamentarians).

Mr Speaker (the Hon. M. H. Oram) did not vote.