GAUDIN CASE
"NO TRAITOROUS PURPOSE" PARLIAMENTARY COiBOTTEE'S RECOMMENDATION. The Gaudin case was again under the notice of Parliament yesterday. li will be remembered that Gaudin was convicted of war treason in Samoa and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. He petitioned Parliament to remove the stigma attaching to his name as the result of his conviction. Sir J. G. Finlay appeared for the petitioner before the committee, and in the course of the petition it was stated: "Your petitioner is a New Zealander by birth, born of British parents, who came to reside in New Zealand in the early 'sixties' of last century, and he has no strain whatever of German blood in his veins, nor can he read, speak, or write German. I want to ... say that partly from his name itself and partly from imputations chat have arisen in connection with his "conviction it has been, impugned against Mr. Gaudin that he is a German or is of German extraction, or in some way drawing -his blood from Germany ; and ' the first point I desire to impress upon the Committee is that you are trying to-day not a German in any sense whatever, but a born New Zealander, born of pure British stock without s. strain of German blood in his veins." Yesterday afternoon Mr. J. H. Escott, Chairman of the Committee, made the following report -to the House of Representatives :—: — "That F. E. N. Gaudin committed offences against the military laws and Government- of Samoa by removing gold in wilful defiance of a proclamation issued by the Administrator, and also by carrying correspondence which had not passed the Sainoan Censorship. Such offences could not be overlooked by the military authorities of Samoa, but the sentence imposed by the Military Court, that of imprisonment for five years with hard labour, was out of all proportion to the offences committed. "There is no reason to suppose .tnat in _ acting _ as he did the petitioner was animated by any intention to assist the enemy ox by other traitorous or disloyal purpose. "The evidence shows that the petitioner has suffered and is still suffering considerably as a result of the misconception in the public mind, that he has been guilty of treason which feeling is largely caused by the severity of the sentence imposed. "The committee, therefore, recommends that the Government take immediate steps to put on public record that the petitioner, • while he was guilty of and was punished for breaches of mili tary law, was in no way guilty of either treasonous conduct or treasonous intent. ' The report did not evoke any discussion.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 83, 6 October 1915, Page 2
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434GAUDIN CASE Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 83, 6 October 1915, Page 2
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