NEW DEFENCE CHIEF.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 207, 2 August 1941, Page 6

NEW DEFENCE CHIEF.

Brigadier Put-tick's appointment iis Chief of the General Stall' to succeed .Major-General Sir John Duigan, whose.resignation at the end of May was followed a few days ago by Major-General Sir Andrew Russell's as InspectorGeneral of the Forces, must give the greatest satisfaction to the Dominion. An outstanding officer, by his experiences in both Greece and Crete he is versed in all the latest developments of modern war. As officer in command of the First Echelon lie played a notable part in fashioning the New Zealand Division, and he commanded the New Zealand troops in Crete with distinct success when General Freyberg had temporary charge of the Allied Forces there. Brigadier Puttick has already held administrative posts in this country and under his guidance defence training in New Zealand should reach the standard demanded by total warfare

FLOGGING OF PRISONERS. Ix deciding to recommend flic remission of the sentence of Hogging imposed on four prisoners who were concerned in the brutal assaults on warders in Mount Eden gaol some months ago, the Government has acted in a manner contrary to tlie best interests of justice. It is on all fours with the commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment in the appalling murder case near Wailii some time ago, a decision which shocked the country. The Mount Eden prisoners were convicted last February and two of them appealed against the sentence of flo°’°’ing, but the appeal was dismissed, the Bench holding that the sentence imposed by the trial Judge was not excessive. As the law requires the : flogging to be carried out within six months front the time when it is ordered, otherwise (lie penalty lapses,- the Government had been pressed to say whether the punishment had been imposed, and if not was it to be ordered. The question was an awkward one and it has been answered in a manner calculated to leave the public with a most unfavourable impression. Flogging was ordered as a deterrent and Mr Endean, in criticising the decision in Parliament, rightly expressed the public view that while they did not desire to see punishment inflicted they did desire to see the country free from murderous attacks. Sentiment against flogging will be readily recognised, but it may be pointed out that when a commission investi-’ gated the punitive system in Great Britain some years ago, and expressed itself generally unfavourable to the infliction of floggings, it made one important exception by holding that the strongest possible deterrent of attacks upon the governors and warders of gaols was necessary. For this reason it held that floggim>’ was a form of punishment that might be suitably employed in such attacks. The Government must have been aware of this decision.