TWO WOMEN FINED

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 249, 18 July 1942, Page 10

TWO WOMEN FINED

Censorship Breaches By

Letter Writers

“She lives at Paekakariki, and her enthusiasm for giving news of Hie old home town went further than it should have, said Mr. R. E. Pope in the Magistrates Court, Wellington, yesterday, on belialt of Mary Ellen Beckett, who was charged before Mr. Stout, S.M., with breaches of the censorship reguiations by including iu a letter information which might be of use to the enemy. Mr. Pope said that most of the information contained in tlie letter was common knowledge tn Wellington, and that much publicity had been given it. Tile letter was written to her brother in the Middle East. Detec-tive-Sergeant W. McLennan, prosecuting, said lliere was a goud deal of detail in tlie Jclter. A line of £5 was imposed. Zena Allmoii Maida Uickey, for whom Mr. T. P. Cleary appeared, was similarly charged. Tlie information complained 'if iu her ease was iu a letter to Suva, “it is fairly serious that such a letter should be sent out of New Zealand,” said the magistrale, fining tier £5 also. “It might be intercepted ou Hie way."

UPPER HUTT CASE

For an offence under regain lion J 3 of the Censorship and Publicity Regulations', 1939, Jessie Morrison Jackson was fined £4 by Mr. Gouldiug, S.M., in the Upper Hutf Magistrates’ Court. The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, was represented b v Mr. R. I. M. Sutherland. ' Detective-Sergeant Murcii said that a letter containing information prejudicial to pulilie safety was written by defendant on June 3 to a soldier overseas. Tlie excuse made was that if lliere were offending passages in the letter they would be deleted by Hie censor, bur it would be realized llmt it was physically impossible for tlie censors to lead every letter posted overseas. Thousands must go forward unread, and it was most necessary that writers should see they did not break the regulations. Breaches had become very common, uml it was necessary, therefore, that Hie matter should be brought home to the public. This course was being adopted. Mr. Sutherland, for defendant, said that the writing and posting of the letter was admitted, but he felt that people like this girl, who knew there was an active censorship, were entitled to rely on any offending passages being deleted. He also submitted that the offending passages did not give any information that could not be gained from the Press of tlie Dominion. The magistrate said it was obvious that much overseas mail was in danger of intercept ion by the enemy. It should be understood that it was impossible to censor every letter, and. the onus was ou writers to see they did uot offend.