THE KNYYETT CASE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 4, 5 July 1910, Page 9

THE KNYYETT CASE.

RE-HEARING DEMANDED. MEETING IN TOWN HALL. MILITARY ADMINISTRATION ' CONDEMNED.

"About five hundred people assembled j m the Town Hall last night to hear air exposition of the Knyvett case by tho Knyvett Defence Committee. Mr. J. P. Lnke, M.P., presided in the unavoidable absence of tho Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P.). There wore a number of other representative men on the platform, including several Auckland members of Parliament. Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., as chairman, opened the meeting. He explained the unavoidable absence of the Mayor. He said that he had no sympathy with Mr. Knyvett. At the same time they must see that the expensive scheme lor national defence, costing under Lord Kitchener's plan £400,000 per annum, was not frustrated by any hampering conditions. He referred to a motion put before the House last session by Mr. T. E. Taylor, advocating a Civil Appeal Court in ■ the Stipendiary Magistrate. This was rejected by 9 votes to 52. The speaker said he favoured a . Standing Committee of the House to decide the matter. He believed that the tribunal should be the Supreme Court not the Stipendiary Magistrate. In conclusion,. Mr. Luke stated that tho meeting wa? not prepared to accept amendments to the motions that would be put, otherwise they would never be finished. A denial that Colonel Robin had supplied information for a certain article which had appeared in the Dominion newspaper was read by the chairman. OUTLINE OF THE CASE. Mr. R. A. Armstrong, honorary secretary of the Knyvett I)efence Committee, outlined the history of the case. Captain Knyvett made the original trip to Wellington at the invitation of the commanding officer of the Petone Navals of long standing. Captain Ellis, of that force, had reiterated the invitatioii just before the actual trip. On Captain Knyvett' s arrival in Wellington he found nobody there to receive them. He was informed that Colonel Robin had refused permission to the Auckland company to travel. It was a newspaper article which caused the trouble, stating in an interview with Colonel Robin that Captain Knyvett had_ come down absolutely without permission. On his return home, Captain Knyvett was arrested. In a court of enquiry held subsequently, Colonel Wolfe exonerated Captain Knyvett. Smarting under a grievance, Captain Knyvett forwarded a complaint through the proper quarters to the Minister of Defence. After that Captain Knyvett was arrested on two charges of insubordination. Another court of enquiry was held on 2nd December before Colonel Wolfe, who asked that the matter should be taken out of his hands. Colonel Tnson being about to leave for Australia, the duty of arranging the court of enquiry fell to Captain Seddon, who, it was alleged, added two new charges. There was great surprise when Captain Knyvett .was dismissed. AN APPEAL FROM CAESAR. Mr. Gerald Peacock, of Auckland, carried on the account of the Knyvett case, explaining first the motives which had actuated the committee in taking up the present agitation. There was no party object whatever in the movement. They had simply come down to lay before them the facts of a case which he considered to bo of the greatest possible importance to New Zealand. (Applause.) Captain Knyvett, in the case, had become simply a name. He was only one man, and if it was only about himself alone, it would not have the same importance. It was the fact that .vhat happened to him to-day might happen to anybody 111 the forces to-morrow, that made the matter so grave. It was not purely a parochial Auckland question or grievance. (Applause and laughter.) There was no local jealousy in the matter at all. There was no North and South about it. They had nothing to do whatever between one member or another of the Defence Council; there was' no pitting one officer against anothei — ho would like that to be cleany known.' (Hear, hear.) They were aot opposed to any proper military discipline, but obedience was one thing, and subjection to injustice another. (Hear, hear, and applause.) It was right that a man should receive absolute justice. Autocratic military power should exercise justice as between man and nnn. It was not a particular individual, but the principle that was at stake. (Hear, hear.. SOME POINTS IN QUESTION. The speaker then went on to deal with the facts of the actual case, mentioning the withdrawal of certain charges and the substitution of others. Captain Knyvett was charged under. the British Law, but was told he had to defend himself under the New Zealand military regulations. The Court of Enquiry had been described as an absolute screaming farce. There were frequent adjournments in order that the court might telegraph to_ Wellington to find what to do. (Laughter.) He did not question the integrity of any member of that court, but in future courts he thought that no officer who was high up in the Civil Service, and looked upon that for his career, should be appointed to act in tho capacity of a military judge. (Hear, hear, and applause.) It was purely a question of good or bad military administration. (Applause.) It was most important that now when a great citizen army was being established that the citizens of the Dominion should have confidence in its military administration. (Applause.) The truth should be known in the case of Captain Knyvett. The committee did not for one minute substantiate the charges made by Captain Knyvett. But Captain Knyvett should be given a chance of substantiating the charges he had made. If he failed, then he should go out. (Aplauae.) All they asked was that Captain KnyreU should have a full and impartial hearing before an impartial tribunal. (Hear, hear, and applause). They had never asked for a right of appeal to a civic court, but they did ask that Parli,.3ient should introduce legislation to rediess such a miscarriage of justice and prevent any such thing happening in the future. (i_ear, hear). They wanted no | i:-jro Star Chamber affairs. (Applause.) I- inai'y the speaker asked the meeting to support a citizen who had been wro.iged n^-inst a military tyranny (applause) which denied him justice. (Applause. ) Mr. A. J. Black followed with a tribute to Captain Knyvett's career. For twenty years of service he had never had n black "mark against him — nothing until the present ca3e. (Hear, hear.) The speaker considered that the chief business of the court that condemned Captftin Knyvett was to secure his condemnation. That court could not compare for n moment with the fair procedure of an culinary criminal trial. There was not even about that Court of Enquiry the clean upright nature of the British Court _\la'tial. (.Applause.) EMPHATIC DENIAL. Here Mr. Black save an explicit and fflnphatic denial of "" 0 statement altatbuted to him ti. lantern Bosworth !bai wait d'aptain Xn 0 as a doomed man "bttfww the trial ~ comnienced. But *r> ,t*>/» <pr«&s&66 of four other gentlemen

Captain Pullen, O.C. No. 3 Company, Garrison Artillery, made a statement of which tho sjpeaker had a confirmatory wire. Captain Pullen said he was prepared to go on any platform in New Zealand and declare on oath that Captain Bosworth .had pledged him that Knyvett was a doomed man before the court sat. Since then the speaker said he had received confirmatory intimation from two other gentlemen as to the authenticity of tho statement he had used. Mr. Black concluded with a "strong appeal to the audience to support tho motion that would be put to them. He £01 down amid hearty applause. "WHAT GOOD TO KNYVETT?" An elderly gentleman arose in the audience in tho interval for questions and asked what good the agitation would do Captain Knyvett. "I am an old soldier myself," he said. "Captain Knyvett has been cashiered from the service, and no law on earth can restore him." The chairman explained that only questions would be accepted and the old soldier sat down with (his views half expressed. THE MOTION. Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., then moved: "That this meeting of citizens of Wellington, having heard the facts of the Knyvett case, expresses its strong conviction that Parliament should pass necessary legislation to provide for a new and fair trial f o r Captain Knyvett and prevent the recurrence of a travesty of justice similar to the' Knyvett case in the case of other persons officially accused of military crime in the Dominion." The mover said ho had never known any case where a man had been so unjustly condemned as Captain Knyvett. There was something behind the case which the country for the sake of common justice and military efficiency should know. . (Applause.) Mr. D. M'Laren, M.P., seconded the motion, expressing also his conviction that Captain Knyvett was a muchwronged man. (Applause.) In a citizen ajmy the citizen should have citizen justice. They did not want a military autocracy. Justice should be don© to Knyvett. (Applause.) Mr. L. R. Phillipps, M.P. for Waitemata, expressed the opinion that the public had no confidence whatever in the Defence Department. (Hear, hear.) MR. T. E. TAYLOR'S VIEWS. Mr. T. E. Taylor, M.P., was greeted with loud applause. He suggested that ■when the new defence system was established there should also be established a proper system of appeal court in the stipendiary magistrates of the Dominion. The case for appeal on behalf of Captain Knyvett was unanswerably strong, regarded in the light of the comic opera court of enquiry in Auckland. They knew Captain Knyvett was a great enthusiast in military matters and not fair to himself in the time and money he had spent on volunteering. There was not the slightest doubt he had been treated shamefully. (HeaT, hear.) "I am inclined to think," eaid Mr.. Taylor, "that as a result of the case the House of Representatives will give every man the right of appeal from a military tribunal to a civil court. Men, who compose a military court are very seldom conversant at all with the proper procedure In conducting an enquiry 7 Under these circumstances it is monstrous to say that a man's reputation and honour shall be dealt with by a court not acquainted with the rudiments of legal procedure. Mr. Taylor advocated as a reform the right of appeal to stipendiary magistrates. There was no doubt Captain Knyvett was entitled to a re-hearing. They ought to demand that of Parliament and also that Parliament should put the military spirit down and have no law in the land except one law for a man whether in a military or in. any other position. (Applause.) Mr. F. W. Lang, M.P. (Manakau), submitted, that the punishment whether the crime had been committed or not was excessive in the extreme. (Hear, hear). He added a tribute to the work of the committee in raising and keeping up a very worthy agitation. (Applause.) Mr. C. H. Poole, M.P., followed! declaring he would do his bes* to get a rehearing for Captain Knyvett. (Applause.) . The motion was carried unanimously.