That’s a real OTT way of punishing a child IMO, these things leave welts and marks! Maybe back then it was the norm but I think smacking/spanking might have been better than getting the cane.
Although at my primary school, they still slapped, smacked, rulered us! I once got rulered on my hand for getting a sum wrong in maths. Another time in the toilets everyone got a smack on the bum as they left the room, to this day I have no idea why I got one but the teacher obviously thought I was making trouble. A smack on the bum with all my clothes on didn’t hurt in the slightest but it was still very embarrassing”