A FICTITIOUS RIOT

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 136, 8 June 1917, Page 8

A FICTITIOUS RIOT

YOUNG' MAN'S FOOLISH UTTER- ... .. ANCE.: ,'. "'. . '.

An extraordinary case brought under ,fKe'".War." Regulations' was ' heard in .the Magistrate's Court to-day, before ..Mr: L G. Reid, S.M. A young man named Ernest Albert Tanner, who described himself as a traveller, was ■ charged that on 17th March, 1917, he published a re-port-that a riot had occurred in Feather; ston Camp, that 40 casualties had-result-ed, and that suicides were frequent in camp, It was contended that the report was false and relative to the present war, and was likely to cause harm. Tho alleged statements were made in a hairdresser's saloon.

Evidence was given that the statements were quite false. It was stated that there had been a canteen disturbance as ■far back as November, but there had been nothing in the nature of a riot or an epidemic of suicides.. Tk& ,defendant, who was represented by Mr. H. F. O'Leary, stated that he' had got into conversation with some soldiers on the' night .of the occurrence, and had been told that there had been a riot in Featherston Camp. He had merely retailed what he had been told, but remembered nothing about suicides. He was quite patriotic and would be in camp now if medically fit. The Magistrate held that the charge had been proved, butin view of the heavy expenses—£9 17s—a nominal penalty of 20s was imposed. ' \ ' '.