SAFETY REGULATIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 May 1943, Page 6

SAFETY REGULATIONS

WOMAN’S CONVERSATION

AUCKLAND, May 20. After a conversation with a soldier on the Limited Express between Wellington and Auckland on February 18, Dorothy Mildred Bond appeared before Mr J. H.' Luxford, S.M., on one charge of making a subversive statement, contrary to the Public Safety Emergency Regulations, 1940, two charges under the Censorship and Public Emergency Regulations, 1939, and a charge under the United States Forces Emergency Regulations, 1943. Mr V. R. Meredith appeared for the Crown. All the charges were denied. A New Zealand soldier and former newspaper man in the South Island said he became acquainted with the defendant on the Limited Express. “We were talking about, forces in the Pacific, and she told me that a big attack was to be made by the American forces at dawn on a certain day in February on. the Russell Islands,’ said witness. She aid her source of information was a “captain” Anderson, whom she had met on an American ship a fortnight ago. A “commodore” had travelled on the ship. She said Anderson had told her all this. She said he was engaged in handling cipher work. Witness said that when he arrived at his camp he reported the matter, and was brought to Auckland, where he made a statement at security intelligence headquarters. To counsel, witness said the woman said she did not suppose she should talk about such things. He had not warned her. He did not decide to report the matter until after he left the train. He might have told her he was 48 hours absent without leave, but he had an excuse for that. Counsel: I. put it to you that this business about an attack came out in strict confidence to put your mind at rest that it was unlikely that your group had gone overseas. Witness: I cannot remember expressing anxiety. “I am not calling any evidence, but will raise legal defences,” said counsel. He did not want the Magistrate to think, however, that his client did not appreciate the position into which she had got herself. Counsel submitted that in one charge under the censorship regulations, the section clearly referred to a document or record.

The Magistrate said that the charge under the regulations which referred to a document or record would be dismissed. The defendant was convicted on the two oilier charges. The final charge was also dismissed.

On the charge under the Public Safety Regulations, a fine, of £5O was imposed. On the other convictions defendant was fined a nominal amount of 1/-.