were all canes used in schools of a standard type? or did they differ by education athority , or even school to school?
I know that our school in lincolnshire has a standard cane that was about 3ft long with a crook handle , but what did other areas use , and if they didnt use the cane for c.p. what did they use?

I am sure that canes and the rules concerning their "type" varied greatly in different times and in different places.

In New Zealand in the 1960's most high schools had a lot of autonomy and I suspect the headmaster was usually the main influence although the board of govenors were the final arbitors. However, there was probably only one importer and supplier of school canes so what was on offer might have limited what was used.

Even within schools the amount of autonomy given to individual masters probably varied. At my school one of the science masters preferred to use bamboo rather than the school-provided rattan canes. Occasionally, he would ask for a replacement and would offer the boy who provided it a two stroke caning credit by way of payment. In some schools some masters preferred to use a strap rather than a cane. All of the caning and most of the strapping was applied to the clothed buttocks.

It`s an intersting one as there was certainly many different types of canes and straps used.The Junior and the Senior canes were in place in most schools and were usualy rattan which did not split as easily as bamboo or anything else would.I can`t recall anything but the above rattan canes and they were always crooked handled.Like anything else, it was all down to the expertise of the user.Proper use of a thin rattan was a most painfull experience, where as, a wild swing with same cane could result in a lot less pain and marking.The strap or tawse was easier to apply and stinged and burned like hell most of the time.It raises another argument on what was more severe.I coudn`t choose but maybe depending on the user and my mood at the time.

I know that in NZ some school canes were made of supplejack which is a reasonably slender (I think) native vine there, it has a darkish appearance, springy and tough to cut - I know, I helped to clear some land of it once. But how it's other qualities compare with rattan, I don't know. The canes at my schools and most others were rattan which was almost certainly imported from places like Malaysia. Bamboo is reasonably plentiful in NZ - a grows easily, very hardy and the roots are almost impossible to eradicate. But it will break quite easily, not much good for cp use.

My memories of seeing canes around my school(s) in Birmingham during late 40’s early 50’s was that they were mostly traditional rattan types or occasionally bamboo for light use in the junior school.

However there was one rather different cane I encountered; in fact the only one with which I had a personal encounter. It emerged from behind my headmaster’s back, was flexed in front of me for a few seconds before being applied very painfully to the back of my gym shorts.

I have described this event elsewhere on the forum (Boy School Spankings, Bill, Oct 2004). The description of the cane I gave then was *this cane*, frightening, more than a centimeter thick and with a series of quite deep ridges at frequent intervals along its length.

I had never seen a cane quite like this before and haven’t since. The many ridges, I believe they’re called nodes, were very prominent and spaced only about two or at a maximum three inches apart. This gave it an almost knobbly appearance which, to me as a 14year old previously unpunished, made it quite frightening.

Otherwise it was a typical 3 feet long with a crook handle but did have quite a dark colour; mid brown rather than the usual straw colour. Although I was shown its flexibility I have the impression this was less than that of a rattan cane.

In responding to this posting I wonder whether anyone can throw any light on what type of cane this could have been.

I know that the headmaster in question had previously been a master at well-known public school (I think but am not certain, a boarding school) and I have wondered whether he brought this instrument with him from there

Sorry, the reference in my last post above should have been
Oct 2005

It is a Mallaca cane!

Thanks AL for that, you sound authoritative. Can you add any more?
Do you know if such canes were commonly used in schools at or before that time?

Is Malacca a particular type of rattan or is it a totally different plant or material?

I must admit I had only ever heard of Malacca in terms of rigid walking sticks; not really suitable for cp use!

There are lots of different species of rattan. The nomenclature is confused and confusing. Local, popular and trade names, and deliberate mislabelling, add to the confusion. Only a few species are suitable for use as punishment canes.

Useful info is available here: http://www.inbar.int/

Excerpt:

Rattan

Rattans are spiny climbing palms in the tropical forests that can attain lengths of over 185 metres. There are 13 rattan genera with 700 known species.

Growing in the tropics and sub-tropics, rattan, or cane as it is commonly known, is a ready source for the cane furniture industry. It is collected from the wild forests throughout Southeast Asia and is the most vital forest produce after timber. Its social significance is no less. It provides sustainable income to some of the most disadvantaged segments of people living in and on the fringes of forests.

Because of its strength and flexibility, the stem of rattan is used extensively in the manufacture of cane furniture and in matting. Other uses of rattan, mostly in the rural areas, are for cordage, in construction, basketry, thatching and matting. Long before the Portuguese discovered the trade route to the East and took back rattan (along with the other wonder, spices) it had been an invaluable part of the life of the rural folk throughout Southeast Asia.

Even at the beginning of the century, rattan trade had been considerable, with Singapore as the main clearinghouse. With practically no rattan resources, Singapore earned more than $21 million (US) from the processing and manufacture of semi-finished goods.

In the 1970s, Indonesia became the major supplier of rattan, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the entire global trade. Since then, the trade profile had undergone dramatic changes. The value of export has increased a stupendous 250-fold in just 17 years in Indonesia. The rise has been 75-fold in 15 years in the Philippines, 23-fold in 9 years in Thailand and 12-fold in 8 years in Malaysia. Indonesia, the market leader, has now set its target for exports at $700 million (US), while Singapore aims at a target of $60 million.

Trade in rattan has burgeoned into a multimillion-dollar industry. Trade in raw rattan worldwide was in the order of $50 million. By the time the finished product reaches the consumer, its value has increased to $1.2 billion. Overall, the global trade is worth $4 billion and domestic trade $2.5 million.

Rattan is increasing in popularity because it is easy to work with, requiring only simple tools and low-cost machines. It lends itself to uncomplicated labour-intensive processing and thus generates diverse employment, and its manufacturing costs are minimal. It is environmentally friendly and biodegradable: it "hugs" the trees and saves them from the logger's axe by providing equal or more benefit than the companion tree, without disturbing the natural habitat.

Rattan has a unique beauty in the finished goods form, reflecting the traditional skills and the unique allure of material fashioned by human hands. Rattan products have come to be cherished throughout the world for their elegance and simplicity.

Ecologically, rattan is very important. It grows in degraded forests and in marginal soil. It can also be introduced artificially in natural forests without disturbing the existing structure and balance.