MENTION OF SHIPS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 91, 18 April 1941, Page 8

MENTION OF SHIPS

DANGEROUS PRACTICE

TWO MEN HEAVILY FINED

(1 , -A.) WI-XLIXOTOX. this day. "One <>f the worst di~a-ters experienced ill the last war came through dissemination of information through a casual conversation." said Mr. A. M. Goulding. S.M.. in pointing mil ihe seriousness of ti charge admitted by -lames Lorraine lifters, a clerk, and Charles Cockburn Miles, a company secretary. Both pleaded LMiiliv (if communicating in a manner likely In prejudice public safety information in respect to the movements of one of His Majesty's ships. Heavy lines were imposed. Koger.-. beiii" lined CHI and Miles C2O. When application was made for suppi e-siou of the names. Mr. Colliding pointed out t hat in the la-t war. if aii ollicer made a serious mistake of a -imilar kind he had to pay the penalty, and he was not prepared to suppress the names. It. was not a case of communiealin» something in the nature of a rumour. Humours wen , ihinj-eroiis, and were one ■it the weapons ti.-cd by the enemy to create doubt an.l disatVe'etion among the public. Tho lype of iitrences here was c munieatioii of what he would call actual iiiforiuatioii coiiceriiing the movements of shipping. It. was a case in which responsible men had spoken with the knowledge of movements of shipping. He thought that was a very serious matter. The public was excluded from the Court, during the hearing of the ease. Detective-Sergeant McLeniian said one I'veninj; Miles was at Kcigcrs , house and then discussed the ilest inat ion and subsequent movements of a. certain troopship. Later Rogei-m « in a public hotel bar and he war, overheard to <liseiis* openly what he hud been told bv Miles.

The Magic-trate: T suppose the seriousness of this offence was that the information was in the nature of the d:'st inat ion nf the vessel'.'

Mr. Mcl.eiiuiin: It wa« a correct description of ihe movements of the nhip.