NO TREASONOUS INTENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16041, 6 October 1915, Page 5

NO TREASONOUS INTENT.

F. E. N. GAUDIN'S CASE.

COMMITTEES RECOMMENDATION.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Tuesday. The Gaudin case was again under the notice of Parliament this afternoon. F. E. N. Gaudin was convicted of war treason in Samoa and sentenced to a term of five years* imprisonment, which was afterwards reduced to a few months' military detention. He petitioned Parliament to remove the stigma attaching to his name by reason of his conviction. Sir John Findlay appeared before the Petitions Committee on behalf of the petitioner. The committee reported that it had decided as follows —

" That F. E. N. Gaudin committed offences against the military laws and .Government of Samoa bv removing gold in wilful defiance of a proclamation issued by the Administration, and also by carrying correspondence which had not passed the Samoan 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 that m acting as he did the petitioner was animated by any intention to assist the enemy or 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 was largely caused by the severity of the sentence imposed. ♦i,"+ Th y nittee therefore recommends triat the Government take immediate steps to pnt on public record that the petitioner while he was guilty of. and was punished for, breaches of military law, was in no way guilt v of either treasonous conduct or treasonous intent" in© chairman of the committee recommended also that in view of the amount of misapprehension that existed concerning the case, the evidence taken in connection with it be printed. The House listened verv attentively to wTthoTdeW* aCCCpt * d il ™ im ™ ] ?