TO CHECK A BAD PRACTICE

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 20347, 6 May 1915, Page 4

TO CHECK A BAD PRACTICE

THE SPREADING OF FALSE WAR NEWS.

AN AUCKLAND EXAMPLE

AN ELDERLY LADY FINED

(Pet Press1 Association.) AUCKLAND, May 5. Since the first news of New ZealanJers being engaged in the Dardanelles tame to hand, all sorts of speculative, rumours are said to have been going round, some of them alleging wrongfully recorded deaths of Avell-known officers. Now the authorities are exceedingly keen on endeavouring to check this most undesirable practice, and at the Police Court this morning a conviction was secured against Isabella Margaret Morpeth, of Picton St., Auckland. The alleged offence was the sending of a telegram addressed to Mrs Goldstein, Frasertown, Hawke's Bay, such telegram being contrary to the provisions of the "War Regulations Act 1914." Mr Carroll defended, and entered a plea of guilty. Lieut.-Colonel Hume, officer commanding the Auckland Military District, said that the charge was the first <f its kind in the Auckland district. It had been brought as an example in order to stop what at the present time was a most prevalent and a most deplorable practice. The facts were that on Friday afternoon last, a telegram with the address indicated was put in at Auckland the defendant as follows : " Commander , Plugge and 700 New Zealanders killed." Colonel Hume said he understood that a telegraph official said that the telegram would not go forward that evening. It was evidently sent forward next morning, and at about 10.30 a.m. was stopped by the Censor, whose attention was drawn to the message by the officer in charge of the telegraph department. It was then referred to the military officials. The address of the defendant was ascertained through the superintendent of police at Hawke's Bay from the person to whom the telegram was addressed, and Mrs Morpeth was at once asked by Detective Hollis for an explanation. In the course of a writen statement she said, "On Friday last, the 30th of April, I heard from a .gentleman in the street-—he and his address are unknown to me —that Conimander Plugge and 700 men .in the New Zealand forces/ were killed. This man said that another man to whom he had been talking had read it on the 'Herald' bo>ard. This was common knowledge among my neighbours." The defendant in her statement went on to say that the wire was addressed to ~her sister, whose rMei ly mother-in-law was worrying about the safety of relatives at the front. It had been pre-arranged with hex* -i^tel' that the defendant should sen.l n vr'av in the event of casualties, so hat she might prepare her " mother-in-law icr any shock. "I am sorry that 1 Lave been indiscreet in sending il-e telegram," the statement concluded; "and I trust that niy explanation will le satisfactory to the authorities."

Col. Hume said that Rop-i.lation 14 of tlie War Regulations AM; provided for the severe puriishinent of ' any person who shall in any manner jiiliiish or spread false rt ports likoly to .■create disaffection or alarm." in'tii present case he did not believe th itythe defendant had sent the telegram with any wrongful intent, but he askod .iiis.Worship to consider what fch.3 restlt of ."As despatch might have been in Hawke's Fay and later < n right throughout- Jtfow Zealand. Gn this occasion he did m>t pvess for a hea'y penalty.. His objefl was rather to impress iipni the public -the- seriousness o'i; such indis'-rorions... , The Magistrate (Mr. F, V. Frazer) agreed that the explanation bore ths impress of truth, but he said that tte action was most indiscreet. Mr Frazer further said that as the defendant s explanation appeared to be a true one, and as she was an old lady, a nominal fine would perhaps meet the case. Sac Avould be convicted and fined 205., and costs 7s. .