NATIVE MURDERERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1934, Page 3

NATIVE MURDERERS

AUSTRALIA ACTS. SYDNEY, May 5. The Federal Government has at last proclaimed a new law for the trial of native murderers, and its action has probably been hastened by the general disgust which has been shown at the treatment meted out to those aboriginals who recently surrendered to the missionary party and were taken to Dai win. It was clear that the natives did not understand the significance of the official action that was taken against, them as soon as they landed at Darwin, and the fear that overtook them when they left the custody' of the missionaries and were manacled by the police was pitiful to witness. Under the new proclamation the Judge will not be compelled to sentence to death a native convicted of murder, and will be able to take into consideration those tribal customs that may have induced the native to take life.

It should bo explained that most of the native murders are the outcome ci; some breach of their tribal laws, and on this account they have won great sympathy. There is usually' a native woman in the case. In an impassioned outburst at the annual meeting of the Council of Churches in Sydney this week the retiring President (Mr T. E. Rofe) said:—“l would shoot down any .man in cold blood if it meant the protection of the honour of women. And 1 would not be troubled by' the thought of wrongdoing.” He said that most of the murders committed by' aboriginals had been caused b.y white men. The natives would do no harm, unless harm was done to their women. They avenged the wron#, and any man would do that. It had been shown that, parties of innocent whites had been attacked, because a previous party of whites had interfered with Hie gins. That scandalous state of affairs should lie taken into consideration at the trial of the Caledon Bay murderers at Darwin.

The Government lias agreed that the new regulations should corm' into force in time lor the trial of the Caledon Bay' men. The Judge will sit without, a. jury, and he will lie given absolute discretion in deciding what punishment. , if any. should lie in ■ lliclcd. 'thus has the Federal Govern Biettl taken heed of popular tooling. It. is pointed out that the poor, simple savages were not conscious of any' ottence. They' agreed to go to Darwin with the eagerness of children taking part in a picnic, proving Hint they did not. realise the seriousness of their position. What provocative atrocities, it. is asked, were perpetrated before they' killed the Japanese sailors?