MISTAKEN RETICENCE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2358, 14 January 1915, Page 4

MISTAKEN RETICENCE.

Pubuc ppinipr) in New Zealand aiicT the other Oversea- Dominions wijl probably support heartily''the protest that is being nude by a' timber of influential newspapers in Cti'Mt Betels 48?)liseti tbfl Ahl« mUgsum hy fclja Homo

authorities regarding certain details of the war. The contents of late files show that the refusal of the Admiralty to make any definite statcinont about the mishap to the super-Dread-nought Audacious, in Octobcr last, has given riso to a state of affairs which stamps tho policy of sccrccy as both futilo and unwise. It is futile because this inqidenh has beon fully reported and commented upon iin American and other foreign papers (many of which ha,vo readied Great Britain), and unwise because the. news reaching the British public by a roundabout route has given riso to more uneasiness tlian a plain official statement of the facts would have occasioned. Final judgment upon the policy of the Admiralty in this matter must, of course, be withheld until such a statement has been made, but meantimo there is unquestionably a case to answer. Apart from its effect on tho British public, the secrecy of the Admiralty has had its effect abroad. The London Tines stated recently, for instance, that it had numerous German newspapers in its possession, in which the incident was discussed with exaggerated exultation. ' The position wnicli the Admiralty has created can only be described as absurd. At first there were excellent reasons for concealing the facts, since the Admiralty had- in hand the delicate task of transporting a disabled warship to a. dockyard for repairs, but a continuation of this policy of sccrccy can only be described as a regrettable failure to trust the people, a policy at variance, fortunately, with that which the Admiralty has generally observed. It is not at all surprising in the circumstances that the foreign Press—that of Germany especially— should assert_ that the secrecy bbaerved is inspired by a fear of trusting the British public, and the sting of the charge will only bo withdrawn when the facts have been frankly disclosed. There is no reason to fear that the British public will give way to unworthy panic because of losses sustained in war or mishaps to ii;s forces on lftnd and sea, On the contrary, experience has demonstrated that the nation is able to face misfortunes • with unshaken fortitude, and that they have tHe effect of stimulating it to further exertions instead its courage or energy. The only policy worthy of any British Government is that of taking the public into its confidence to the fullest possible extent consistent with military_ safety and efficiency, and the fact is so obvious and so generally accepted that it should not have been necessary to emphasise it. ■