INDISCREET LETTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 126, 30 May 1941, Page 6

INDISCREET LETTERS

SHIPPING AND TROOP MOVEMENTS

APPEAL FOR CO-OPERATION

It was incredible, said the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) last night, that after some 18 months of war letters both to and from the New Zealand Forces, containing the most dangerous references to military matters, should still be coming under notice. The Minirter issued an appeal for co-operation by abstention from any reference to shipping or troop movements.

In the interest^ of the Empire generally and for the safety of the forces overseas, it was essential that these indiscretions should cease. No letter should contain any reference to any matter of military importance such as the name of a • ship, date of sailing, projected route or destination, number of troops, composition of a convoy, or any other matter which might assist the enemy to locate a ship or trace its movements. The public should realise that any reference to .shipping or troop movements meant that the letter was put aside for the necessary amendment, and frequently on that account missed the mail dispatch. Those letters which were free of such references were entitled to first consideration, and received it; the others were stood over till the mail was completely censored. Further, it might even be necessary to take action under the National Emergency Regulations to impress on the individual the gravity of his or her offence.

"I am confident that no one would deliberately endanger the national interests in the manner I have indicated, and am convinced that in the majority of the cases referred to the root cause of the indiscretion is thoughtlessness," Mr. Jones said. "I am therefore appealing to everyone to cooperate with the Government to ensure the prompt dispatch of mails, and I would again stress the fact that the only sure means of such co-opera-tion is to abstain entirely from any reference whatever to shipping or troop movements."