ARMY DISMISSAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 233, 3 October 1938, Page 11

ARMY DISMISSAL.

THE FOUR COLONELS. JUDGE-ADVOCATE'S OPINION. RESPONSIBILITY FOB. ACTION. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Sunday. "What about the four colonels?" was the only information sought from the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, in the* form of a question at the conclusion of an address at St. flair last night. The Minister, in reply, produced an opinion given on the matter by the Judge-Advocate-General of the Forces, in the course of which it was stated that action was taken by Major-Geneval t J. E. Duigan entirely on hi? own initiative ag a disciplinary measure and that the Government had nothing to do with it. Mr. Jones outlined what had Jed up to the retirement of the four colonels. A senior territorial officers' camp was being held at Trentham and he hafl asked that the officers should meet him to diecuse the question of the land forces. A conference had "been held and it had proved very friendly. Subsequently he had been informed by Major-General Duigan that the officers wanted to know whether his statement following, on the conference would be released in a fortnight's time. Mr. Jones eaid he did not think it was right that the Minister of Defence should be forced in that way, and he had made hie statement regarding the ♦milding up of the land forces of the Dominion in due course at Dargarille. To his surprise, next day he had found that the Press Association had sent a message signed by the four colonels through Xew Zealand stating that they were not satiefted with the statement. Before his statement had been released the officers must have had their statement ready, because it had been prepared at Trentham after they had left him. Regulations Problem. Mr. Jones eaid that the officers had committed a breach of the regulations and that they could have been retired or court-martialled. The officers broke the regulations and were juet as liable to be disciplined ae any private in the forces. He had received the opinion of the Judge-Advocate-General, who had been asked for his opinion by MajorGeneral Duigan. This opinion had never before been published—he had not cared to give it publicity—but in view of the attempts to make capital out of the affair against iJie Labour party he would read the opinion of the Judge-Advocate-General and they could see for themselves that the Government was not implicated in any way whatever. The Minister then read the following opinion, which had been given on the case by the Judge-Advocate-General: — "It has been suggested in some quarters in the Dominion that Colonels Spragg, Macky, Wilder and Gambrill were posted to the retired list without having had an opportunity of defending themselves in respect of a charge against them of communicating with the Press in breach of the defence regulations. Contrary To Fact. "That suggestion is contrary to fact, because thev were given such an opportunity and "all. by written replies, intimated that they had no desire to put forward any defenee. Xeedless to say, the suggestion does not come from the four colonels themselves. The Chief of the General Staff, Major-General J. E. Duigan, had previously discussed the question of procedure with me as JVidge-Advocate-General. "Action was taken by General Duigan entirely on hie own initiative as a disciplinary measure and the Government had nothing to do with it. If the officers -concerned had resigned their, commissions and then published their statement, no .blame under the regulations could have been attributed to them, but their course of action constituted a breach of the regulations, which the Chief of the General Staff considered he could not overlook in the interests of the service as a whole. He held that if deliberate breaches of the regulations by senior officers were countenanced it would be difficult to enforce discipline upon 'junior officers and other rank*." At the conclusion of the reading Mr. Jones remarked that v the Judge-Advocate-General was Colonel C H. Weston, president of the National party.