FALSE “WAR NEWS"

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8852, 1 October 1914, Page 7

FALSE “WAR NEWS"

INSTANCE IN NAPIER MISCHIEVOUS REPORT OF DISASTER TO ALLIED FORCES. Special to the “Times.” NAPIER, September 30. Every day the town is flooded with rumours concerning tho war, and in many cases tho “news” spread contains suggestions of a very serious nature. On Monday evening the “Daily Telegraph” gave an example of a groundless report about Samoa; but this is only one in a large selection of concocted stories. So bad has become this idiotic craze of spreading false reports that the matter is being seriously considered by the local police, who, if they get the opportunity, will make an example of one of these scaremongers. Legislation has been enacted to deal with this class of offence. Section 12 of the Justices of the Peace Act, 1908, says: —“Any justice may call upon any person to enter into recognisance to tho King, either with or without sureties, as he thinks fit, for keeping the peace where in time of war or public danger tho person from whom the surety is sought has knowingly ’ propagated false news to the obstruction of the Government of New Zealand or the' alarm of His Majesty’s subjects.” The “Daily Telegraph” to-night gives another example. Tho paper states:—“Shortly before 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, half-a-dozen gloomylooking and excited citizens interviewed us ‘to get the strength of the had ♦news that had come through.’ We replied that no bad news had come through. Then wo were told the following story: “Dr Bernau, having heard of the defeat of tho German Crown Prince’s army, _ and, being near tho drillshed, went in to tell the defence authorities the good news. He found there some very depressed people, and was told by Captain Bishop that somebody had telephoned the office to tell them that General French had been killed, and that the Allied army was in full retreat. Of course, the sad news soon spread, -and was widely circulated in town. When Dr Bernau, having learned that the statements wore not true, informed us of the facts as he knew them, we communicated with Captain Bishop, who is in charge of the defence office, and asked him to state what had taken place, informing him that we were endeavouring to probe the matter. He frankly corroborated Dr Bemau’s story, and told how the incident came about. “It appeals from his statement that when the telephone bell rang at the defence office, Sergeant-Major Tuckey took the message. - This purported to be from a man known to him, and- the story was that this man’s father had been informed at the ‘Daily Telegraph ’ office of tho death of General French and the defeat' Of the Allied army.. It was further stated that the news had .only just come through, and that the ‘‘ Daily Telegraph ’ had decided it was too late for publication that evening. Captain Bishop, who himself received, he states, the ‘news’ from Sergeant-Major Tuckey, is of opinion, that the sender of the false message is well known to SergeantMajor Tuckey, and that this is why he thought the story told was true. ‘‘ W© have no doubt the Government will consider it an imperative duty to get to the bottom of this criminal attempt to fill tho public mind with gloom and dismay by circulating false statements of crushing disasters to our arms.”-