THE KOITERANGI TRAGEDY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 63, Issue 4490, 15 October 1941, Page 4

THE KOITERANGI TRAGEDY

OCCURRING at a tim’e when the question of legal punishment for crimes of violence remains a subject of wide discussion throughout the Dominion* the Koiterangi tragedy has riveted public attention. It is one of the most shocking occurrences of its kind in the history of New Zealand, and deep sympathy will be felt everywhere for the relatives of thos* 1 whose lives have been taken. The Police officers died doing their duty in the quiet and courageous manner that is a high tradition of the ForceThe Dominion can ill afford the loss of such men, particularly at such a time as this. The communities they served have been robbed not only of guardian representatives of the law, but of familiar friends and counsellors. The other victims were citizens who, either as Home Guardsmen or private individuals, were acting from a high sense of public duty. The Dominion is no less indebted to them, and will deplore the death of two of their number. They, and all those who acted with them, rose to the emergency as do the best of men, realising the danger and accepting it. Certain urgent questions are raised by the tragedy, particularly in relation to the ownership of firearms of a kind such as Graham has apparently in his possession and which were, it is generally thought, subject to impressment for defence purposes. The outcome of an inquiry in this direction will be keenly awaited.