COURTS MARTIAL
PRIVATES AS DEFENDING COUNSEL ASSURANCE BY MINISTER (0.C.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 27. “It has been the practice in New Zealand to place no obstacle in the way of a private or other non-commis-sioned soldier acting as defending counsel at courts martial, provided that he has the necessary qualifications,” said the Minister of Defence, Mr F. Jones, when replying in the House of Representatives to-day to an urgent question asked by Mr J. B. F. Cotterill (Govt., Wanganui). Mr Cotterill had asked the Minister to promote greater democracy in the army by making definite provision for a soldier of private rank to act as defending counsel at courts martial, provided that he had the necessary qualifications, and said that at Waiouru recently a prominent Wanganui solicitor with the rank of private prepared a case in defence of a prisoner, but was not allowed to act as defending counThe Minister replied that he did not know the circumstances of the case mentioned, but he promised to make inquiries.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 24697, 28 August 1941, Page 2
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167COURTS MARTIAL Otago Daily Times, Issue 24697, 28 August 1941, Page 2
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