CENSORSHIP OFFENCE

Grey River Argus, 29 April 1944, Page 6

CENSORSHIP OFFENCE

Woman Fined £3O GAOL NEXT TIME, SAYS MAGISTRATE. AUCKLAND, April 28. In dealing with a married woman, to-day, for what he termed a very bad breach of censorship regulations, the Magistrate (Mr Luxford) pointed out that when he imposed a fine of £2O on the last bad offender, he said he would have to consider whether a monetary penalty was sufficient. He had before him in the present case, Margaret Atta Southwick, who admitted two breaches in sending letters between pages of a weekly journal to her husband in the Pacific.

The Magistrate said the defendant had been so carried away by the information given her that she had hit on a scheme of getting it to her husbnad by wrapping it up between the pages of a weekly paper. That itself was bad, but the nature of the information was such that it passed comprehension how a person with any sense of responsibility, could have written it. One of the letters contained probably as bad a statement as could have been made. Accused had mentioned the arrival and sailing of ships and bad referred particularly to the security department

“We’ve got to take severe measures when the safety of our troops and country is concerned,” added the Magistrate. ‘‘This is the last warning. In future, I don’t 9 ar , e whether the defendant is a soldier s wife, or mother, man, or woman, 11 people don’t control their pens, I m going to send them to gaol.” A fine of £3O was imposed.