AN OFFICER PUNISHED.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15289, 27 May 1915, Page 8

AN OFFICER PUNISHED.

(Received May 26th, 9 p.m.) MELBOURNE, May 2-3. The Federal Executive having considered the case of Second Lieutenant Moore, who was found guilty on the second count only, has approved of th© sentence reducing Moor© to th© ranks, and his dismissal _ from the Defence Forces.

Moore was tried by a court-martial on two .counts with disobeying his superior officer's orders. Moore was appointed Postmaster at Rabaul, aud Colonel Holmes ordered that no person" be a"lowed to purchase oyer ten shilling,?' worth of each denomination of surchorged German-New Guinea stamps, which became of high philatelic value. Moore was charged with selling to Captain Ravenscourt over ten shillings' worth, and, further, with similarly purchasing stamps for himself. The Customs officers discovered a package in Moore's baggage which Moore admitted contained stamps of the face value of £100. Moore's defence was that at no time were administrative orders issued the sale of stamps, though there was an order restricting their sale to collectors and dealers* He considered that the order applied only in the case of person., other than troops. In cross-examination he admitted writing to a dealer offering for sale stamps- which were worth 13s od in Rabaul for £30, and telling the dealer that they would be hard to get, because administrative orders had been issued against their sale to dealers.