"THOU SHALT NOT KILL."

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 13 December 1912, Page 4

"THOU SHALT NOT KILL."

DEFENCE DODGER'S. EXCUSE

ANOTHER TERM OF IMPRISONMENT IN PROSPECT.

THE- POSITION OF FIREMEN

(From Our Travelling Reporter.)

FEILDING, December 12. A young man named Stanley Tunnicliffe, has yet to learn that he must comply -with the Defence regulations, or suffer punishment. He has already i served one term of imprisonment, and ! for "conscience sake" he still refrains j from complying with the law. He \vf*y, in consequence, brought "before Stipendiary. Magistrate Thomson at tl»6 Feilding Court to-day, when he assert j ed that he could not disobey tae Div- ■' me command; "Thou shalt not k"ll;A^j The Bench very.kindly pointed onu tbaV; defendant need not go into ;the fighting line; but that he*could be drafted to H the ambulance corps, where his \v>rk; would y be to preserve the lives of both friend and enemy. Tunnicliffe was li%. adamant,'and contended thafr ambulance work did not make the diiiownce, iis the others would be doing fho killing.

The Bench thereupon said that J •»>. nioliffe could not be treated aa a con-; scientious objector, and he would be fined 205., with 7s. costs. = Tunnicliffe remarked that he would/ not pay the fine. . • i Leonard Beazer asserted thaw ne had been busy shearing, and eo.i;di -entry, ho had been unable to attaid. lie was fined 10s. and costs.

Mr. Ongley appeaml for Fr«il I-en/e and 0. Sporle, and suoTiited that the two defendants, were r-jsii^ot i'n;o:n< in employed by the Feilding Fire Board,and were therefore exemjI'-.1'-. Mr. Ougley explained that the Superintending of the Fire Brigade had' received a letter from someone in authority, and in consequence told the men they were exempt. Mr. Ongley added he could find nothing in the Act authorising the exemptions, and the letter was not in the .Court. vHe thought the Superintendent had made a mistake. The Magistrate said these men took turns at duty at a picture show, and it would only- mean another arrangement. He wou7d inflict a fine of Is. with 7s. costs, in each' case. Arthur Bird, who' had missed cix out of eight parades, said he was in the employ of Messrs. Gorton and Son, and on one of the days mentioned in the information he was busy at a sale. He was also a fireman,and at the time of evening' parades wason duty at the picture show. The Magistrate could not accept the' explanation, and fined Bird 10s. with 7s. •costs. ■