GOVERNMENTS POLICY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 9 December 1940, Page 4

GOVERNMENTS POLICY

INFORMATION ABOUT SHIPPING DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY'S STATEMENT [United Press Association] WELLINGTON, This Day. The circulation of baseless rumours about shipping was referred to by the Director of Publicity, Mr J. T. Paul, in a statement issued last night. He said that during the past wee', it had been rumoured that certain ships had been lost and that others were overdue, but not in one case had the rumour been based on fact. “Following the official announcement of the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, that the Holmwood was overdue, possibly a victim of a raider known to have been off the coast of New Zealand at about that time, many baseless rumours were circulated,” said Mr Paul. “It might reasonably have been expected, when all the known facts were made* available regarding this particular vessel, that there would have been less scope for the mischievous intervention of the rumour-monger than in certain other cases where it w'as not in the public interest to publish the name of an 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,” continued Mr Paul, “it w*as 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 the ship had been, officially sealed, and so on. These and other similar imaginings culminated with possibly the most fantastic—that the Chatham Islands had been occupied by the raider —which I was requested by a long-distance telephone call at the witching hour of midnight to confirm or deny. The discovery of a royal road for the discouragement of rumours would be most helpful in our community. During the past week it has been rumoured that certain ships have been lost and that others are oevrdue, but not in one case has the rumour been based on fact. In one instance an urgent inquiry was telephoned from Auckland asking for information regarding an allegedly overdue ship. The vessel in question had for some time previously 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 news concerning our activities in this war, except in those cases where the dissemination of either would be helpful to the enemy. In this connection it will be readily appreciated that New Zealand, as part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, must act in complete co-opera-tion with the United Kingdom. This is a war in which the nations of the Commonwealth must stand or fall together.” *