Although some on this site would refer to me as a liberal leftie, I do actually agree that children can be smacked under certain circumstance (even though I was given the slipper at school and beaten by my father). Although I am only 35, because I went to a private school, teachers were still allowed to throw chalk (and board rubbers), give us lines, detentions and the slipper.
HOWEVER, this story has nothing to do with the 'fact' that kids don't generally get corporal punishment any more. At my school the kids a year above us gave one of the teachers a nervous breakdown - this is despite the punishments that could be given out.
It is also interesting how all the past pupils are saying that he was a good teacher. Discipline does not seem to have been a problem at this school.
As Jake & Quinlad allude to, your simplistic attitude is as ridiculous as saying that if we had capital punishment there would be no crime.