THE WAR AT OUR DOOR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 241, 29 June 1918, Page 6

THE WAR AT OUR DOOR

The loss of the Wimmera, sunk by enemy agency off the north coast, is an example very near at hand of the horrors Germany has brought upon the world. General sympathy will be felt for the relatives of those who lost their lives, but the lesson of the event would be wasted if it did not also strengthen our determination to seek redress in 'the only way in which it is to be obtained—by doing everything in our joower to speed the effective prosecution of the war. At the same time the public will naturally expect to be told whether everything reasonably and humanly possible was done to safeguard the Wimmera and- avert such "a fate as overtook her. Censorship restrictions imposed by. tho Government hamper discussion to some extent, but available facts suggest that the loss of the Wimmera presents a case for inquiry. For instance, if the steamer was mined—an explicit announcement on this point is withheld by the authorities—the question arises whether she was passing at the time through an area known to be dangerous. If she was, had all possible precautions been taken with it view to enabling her to follow a safe course! If the Winnnera, when destruction overtook her, was traversing an area known lo he dangerous, it will also be asked whether there was any sound reason why sbo should not. have been diverted to an entirely different c&ursc. well clear of the danger area. Quite possibly an inquiry may return such replies It) these questions as will completely acquit the Government and the Naval authorities of all blame in the matter.- The public certainly has a right to be told whether this is so or not, and the Government no doubt will recognise that its plain duty is to institute at once a full and searching inquiry. When the investigation has been completed the Government shouldbe in a position to inform the public cither that all possible and reasonable precautions were taken to safeguard the Wim-

mera, or that any failure in organ-1 isation which may be laid bare will be speedily rectified. A less vital but by no means unimportant question concerns the manner in which the censorship authorities dealt with the hews that the Wimmera had been sunk. .Reports that the disaster had occurred ran swiftly through the country, and by Wednesday evening had reached probably all the principal newspaper offices, and besides were the subject of floating rumours in the streets. Though the news was permitted to escape in this fashion, thy censorship authorities, for some inexplicable reason, prohibited us from publishing on Thursday-morn-ing such particulars as. might have served to inform, if . not to allay J;he anxiety of, those who had relatives or friend:-,' aboard the lost steamer. All restrictions on publication were subsequently removed, and ail official report was posted in the streets. It.is all the more difficult to imagine what object the censorship authorities hoped.to attain by their erratic procedure on this occasion, since the ne , vs_ which they withheld from publication elsewhere in the Dominion was published in .the Otago 'Daily Tunes of Thursday morning with the sanction and authority of the Acting-Pjrime M'ixis--ITH. In a news article in its issue of Thursday our contemporary stated that . . The matter was brought under the notice of Sir James Allen (Acting-Prime -Minister), who authorised ns to state that he had. received a message conveying the information that the vessel hud been sunk.

It is surely _ a somewhat farcical fctatc of affairs that the Acting-. Fndie Minister should be giving out news in one centre while his subordinate officials are,prohibiting its publication in other parts of the Dominion. The incident serves to emphasise the fact that the machinery of the censorship in this country requires overhauling. It is obvious that nothing was gained from the point of view'of public interest or national safety by delaying the publication of explicit news regarding the Wimmera. In time of war.it is, of course, necessary that every precaution should be taken against the escape or publication of information which would he of value to the enemy, but in order that it. may efficiently' serve its intended purpose the censorship must be based on \vclldefincd principles, and these must be consistently _ applied. . Otherwise the censorship is as - likely to injure as to serve the interests it is intended to safeguard.