Venial Charges: Censorship Breaches

Northern Advocate, 21 August 1943, Page 4

Venial Charges: Censorship Breaches

AUCKLAND, This Day. “It mizzles me why the Director of Publicity, or whoever the authority is, is bringing charges so venial as those we have had this morning," said Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., yesterday, after hearing two charges of censorship breaches. When there were highly technical and venial charges the director-should do the job by admonition instead of prosecution. In a number of cases the Court had simply convicted and discharged the defendants. When there was a serious case the Court treated it accordingly. “But a hospital ship has to give its position by radio every half-hour.” said the magistrate when a young woman, for whom Mr. Lovegrove appeared, admitted writing a letter to her husband about her brother’s return on a hospital ship. She had mentioned the time of the trip and the name of the ship. She was convicted and discharged. Another young woman, for whom Mr. Henry appeared, was stated to have mentioned a warship in a letter to her brother-in-law in the navy, following" the publication of naval casualties. Her husband was also in the navy. She was convicted and discharged.