WILD RUMOURS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2371, 29 January 1915, Page 6

WILD RUMOURS

.—oINVENTORS HARD AT "WORK. Extraordinary rumours of war have been set in circulation in New Zealand recently, and as some are at present creating uneasiness it is well that public reference should be made to them. Generally speaking, Christchurch and Auckland seem to have grown more than their share of the crop, but Wellington is now entering into the business. In Auckland last week-end it was reported that twenty of the New Zealand Force in Egypt had had their throats cut while sleeping at night. A few, days later, Wellington heard that two New Zealanders had been stabbed to death in the shadow of the Pyramids. It would not be correct to say that these rumours are fictitious, but the Defence authorities have heard nothing official of either of them. Just before the hour of closing at "headquarters yesterday evening, no word whatever had been received to the effect that two of the troopers had been murdered. If such deaths have occurred there has been a departure from the practice of cabling the facts of the casualties to Wellington. The other day a story was abroad that there bad been a serious riot on Somes Island. This tale "was being told in detail, but when it was put Before the authorities at the Defence Office it was denounced as the work of an inventor. Probably it was because this particular Somes Island story was not routed earlier in the campaign, that Rumour las since court-martialled and shot a young German who was interned there. However, whatever Rumour did to .the man, the Defence authorities bave not shot him. He is, in faot, alive and quite whole. The object in writing these few linos is to secure for the rumour-manufac-turers the_publio discouragement they deserve. Thus far, not one of their output has proved true, so on results they do not deserve support.