FALSE RUMOURS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1940, Page 7

FALSE RUMOURS

ABOUT N.Z. SHIPPING

(Per Press Association—Copyright)

WELLINGTON, December 8. The Director of Publicity, Mr J. T. Paul, has issued a statement on the question of rumours as related to shipping, viz.: “Following the official announcement by Mr Fraser that the Holmwood was overdue and was possibly the victim of a raider, known to have been off the New Zealand coast about that time, many baseless rumours were circulated. It might reasonably have been expected, when all of the known facts were made available regarding this particular vessel, that there would have been less scope for the mischievous intervention of the rumourmonger than in certain other cases, where it was not in the public interest to publish the name of the overdue ship. That expectation has not been realised, and this troublesome pest continues to exercise his peculiar habit. Within a very few hours of the official announcement, it was rumoured that another ship had been lost in the same locality; that the wireless station at the Chathams was out of action; that the wireless on a ship had been officially sealed, Whariti Handicap.—Kohi 1; Gay Fax 2; City Song 3. AUSTRALIAN RACING (Australian Press Association) SVDNEY, December 8. At the Warwick Farm races at Randwick, results were:— Kirkham Stakes.—Yaralla 1; Cradle Song 2; Final Victory 3. Won by four lengths l ; 20 lengths. Time : 1.2£. Camden Handicap.—Adios 1; Pierce 2 ; Waireka 3. Won by a neck; a head. Time: 1.133. Warwick December Handicap. — Bronze Flight 1; Kurnuvid 2; Dewar 3. Won by a head; two lengths. Time: 2.34 J.

EPSOM RACE RESULTS MELBOURNE, December 8. The Epsom races were held at Mentone, and resulted : Mordialloc Stakes.--Magic Circle It Kanuri 2; Old Vienna 9. Won by a head; two lengths. Time: 1.133. Epsom Chip-Fearless 1; Keelic 2; Fearnought 3. Won by half a head; one and three-quarter lengths. Time: 2.11 1-3, which equals' the course record.

and so on. These, and other, similar imaginings, culminated with possibly the most fantactic one, that tlio Chatham Islands had, been occupied by a raider—which I was requested by a long-distance telephone call, at, ; the; witching hour of midnight, to cjonfirm or /deny!/ The discovery of a royal .road for the discouragement of rumours would be most helpful in our community. During, this week it has been rumoured that certain ships had been lost, and that others were overdue, but not in one case has the (rumour been bas©d on fact. 'On one instance, an urgent inquiry’ was telephoned from Auckland, asking for information regarding an allegedly overdue ship. The vessel in question, for some time previously, had been safely berthed in port.” ‘‘Might I add,” said Mr Paul, “that the policy followed is not to withhold any’ information regarding either good news or bad in connection with our activities in this war, except in those cases where the disemination of either would be helpful to the enemy. In this connection it will readily b? appreciated that New Zealand, as part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, must act, in complete co-operation with Britain. This is a war in which l the nations of the Commonwealth must stand or fall together.”