THE KNYVETT CASE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 6

THE KNYVETT CASE

WHAT IS THE CHARGE? It was announced tho other day that Mr. F. B. Knyvett was to bo given an opportunity of again standing his trial, but only tho main issue would be discussed. Tho letter to'that effect, which was addressed from Headquarters to Mr. Knyvett, states:— ". . . In view of Section 13, Paragraph 9. Defence Amendment Act, 1910, the Minister for Defence has approved of your being granted trial by court-martial under tho following conditions:—That you will bo tried under Section 10, Army Act, for 'conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline' in writing the letter addressed by you to the Prime Minister, and that nothing whatever irrelevant to this simple charge will bo allowed by the Court to be brought forward during the trial. In the event of your being desirous of being tried by court-martial under the above conditions, the Court would bo convened in duo course." In his reply, Captain Knyvett says:— "I would respectfully ask you if j-ou will kindly inform mo as to whether the simplo charge mentioned in your letter means a charge which if proved would entail simplo punishment only, and whether I am to 1>? tried simply for sending a letter to the Minister through the channel provided, irrespective of its contents?" At the court of inquiry held in December, 1909, Mr. Knyvett, then captain, was tried on each of four counts with having committed an act to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, in (hat in his letter to the Minister for Defence he made use of certain words which 'were quoted. During the trial one of the four charges was dropped, and later Captain Knyvett was found guilty of having coinmitte'd an act to the prejudice of good order and military, discipline, and was dismissed from tho service. It is expected (says tho Auckland "Herald") that Captain Knyvett will now have his commission restored to him for tho purposes of the new trial, as Section 40 of the Army Act only applies to "persons subject "to military law."