THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 57, 31 October 1912, Page 6

THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

A CADET CASE DISMISSED. (Tor Press Association.) Auckland, October .51. A flaw in the Defence Act was discovered in connection with the prosecution of a senior cadet named Hugh, who was charged with refusing to take the oath of allegiance. Defendant was a senior cadet, having attained the age of eighteen, and was under compulsion by the Act to be drafted in the prescribed manner through the general training section in the territorial forces. Giving his ruling on the point raised by counsel, Mr Fraser, S.M., said he was unable to find anything in the Act requiring defendant to take the oath of allegiance. On being drafted into the general training section, he was certainly not a member of the Defence force, as deJinod by the Hu general training section and the Territorial force were two entirely different bodies. It was a matter of some importance, and be would be glad if the Defence Department decided to take it to a judge,of the Supreme Court, though, personally, be bad no doubt about it. The case was dismissed.