WAR RUMOURS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17206, 28 June 1916, Page 6

WAR RUMOURS.

We had rather a striking illustration in the city last evening of tho manner in which tho war news is liable to be magnified and ot the rapidity with which rumour carries the exaggerations abroad. A mesage from the High Commissioner covering the main facts of bir Douglas Haig’s communique was posted during tho evening, giving the news that raids had been made on tlie German trenches at many points and that in ten places tho enemy’s trenches had been penetrated, tho Munster Fusiliers and tho Anzacs particularly distinguishing themselves. This report should not have led even the casual reader to imagine that the British had opened a great offensive and that tho Germans were everywhere in retreat, and yet within an hour or two we had inquiries from a score of points, from Sumner to i’apauui, for confirmation of the startling story that was iu circulation. Wo know that the public have been told to expect a great British offensive, and that there lias been a marked tendency to sensationalism in tho presentation of the news in certain quarters, but they ought to knowenough by this timo to bo able to form a sane judgment of their own. What occurred on Saturday night was no-

thing more than an extensive series of trench raids, designed, undoubtedly, to keep the enemy iu a state of tension The report has a special interest for us, becauso Sir Douglas Haig mentions the good work of tho Anzacs m particular, a little compliment that will not fail to bo appreciated in this part of tho Empire; but it is curious that the featuro of the communique which might havo been expected to attract public attention was ignored, and Humour busied herself in magnifying a series of very minor actions into a great victory. For their own peace of mind, tho public ought to guard against this sort of exaggeration. An important offensive will be readily recognised when news of it arrives, and in the meantime it folly to read tho official reports through what we may describe as tho spectacles of ignorant sensationalism. “Wait and sec” remains the best of all advice in regard to the war news, and the tedium of waiting need not bo relieved by an effort to discover in the official roports tho justification for the big lines on the bills of certain of the evening newspapers. Indeed, the cold language of the communiques, read calmly and intelligently, is the best euro for the nervous condition induced by the flaring and too often mendacious posters. This little homily is addressed particularly to the city population, but tile people of the country may as w-ell take tho warning to heart. They have sons and brothers in France, and their anxiety is great enough already, without tho additional stimulus of false reports.