ARMY BILL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 110, 5 April 1930, Page 9

ARMY BILL.

DISCUSSION IN THE COMMONS. LONDON, April 4. In the House of Commons to-day strong passions were aroused in committee on the Army Annual Bill; arising from the Government’s decision to drop the death penalty for cowardice and inducing others to participate in acts of cowardice, but retaining it for mutiny and sedition. Mr T. Shaw, Secretary of War, admitted that in thus further limiting the death penalty he was acting against the advice of members of the Army Council. A Conservative amendment seeking to reintroduce the capital penalty for inducing cowardice was rejected by 288 votes to 165. There was an acrimonious discussion,; in which the opposition demanded that the Attorney-Gen-eral should give a legal opinion as to whether the inducing of cowardice amounted to. mutiny, and therefore was punishable by death. The Attorney-General refused, but Mr Shaw expressed the .opinion that a man who deliberately incited others to cowardice was guilty of a crime equivalent to mutiny. An amendment by Sir George Courthope (Conservative) providing for the retention of the death penalty for a man leaving his post or attempting to create a false alram was declared carried amidst Ministerial protests that the question was not clearly understood. -An amendment by Mr E. Thurtle (Labour) to. abolish the death penalty for desertion’'and substitute penal servitude was carried by 219 votes to 135, on a free vote, amid Labourite cheers.