CIRCULATING FALSE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2454, 6 May 1915, Page 5

CIRCULATING FALSE NEWS

« AN INTERESTING CASE. (By TelcgrttDti.—Press Association.) Auckland, May 5. Since the first news of the New Zealauders being engaged in the Dardanelles came to hand all sorts of speculative rumours are said to have been going the rounds," some of them having wrongfully recorded deaths of ■ wellknown officers, and now the authorities are exceedingly keen on endeavouring to check this most undesirable practice. At the Police Court this morning a conviction was secured against Isabella Margaret Morpeth, Picton Street, 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.-Cokmel Hume, officer commanding the Auckland military district, said that the charge was the first of its kind in the Auckland district, and 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 by defendant as follows:— "Commander Plugge and 700 New Zealanders killed."

Colonel Hume said he understood that the 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 1 message by the officer in charge of the Telegraph Department, and it was then referred to tho military authorities. The address of tho 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 courso of a written statement she said: "On Friday last, the 30th of April, I heard from a gentleman in tho street (lie and his address are unknown to me) that Commander Plugge and 700 ™>>i in the New Zealand Forces wero killed. This niaa said, that another man to whom ho had been talking had read it on the 'Herald' board. This was common knowledge among my neighbours." Tiie defendant in her statement went on to explain that the wire was addressed to her sister, whose elderly mother-in-law was worrying about the safety of relatives at tho front.. It had been pre-arranged with her sister that tiie defendant should send a wire in the event of casualties so that she might prepare her mother-in-law for any shock. "I am sorry that I have been indiscreet in sending the telegram," the statement concluded, "and I trust that my explanation will be satisfactory to the authorities."

Colonel Humo said that Regulation 14 of the War Regulation Act provided for the severe punishment of. any person, who shall in nny manner publish or •spread false reports likely to create disr.ffection or alarm. In tlie present case ho did not beliovo that the defendaut had sent the telegram with any wilful intent, hut he asked His Worship to consider what tho result of its dispatch niij;ht have had in Hawke's Bay, and later on right through 'New Zealand. On this occasion lie.did riot press for a heavy penalty; his object was rather to impress upon the public tho seriousness of such indiscretion.

The .Magistrate, Mr. F. V. Fraser, agreed that, the explanation boro the impress of truth, but' said that the aot fas most indiscreet. Mr. Fraser fur- ' tlier said that, as the defendant's explanation appeared to be a true one. and as she was an old lady, a nominal line would perhaps m<Mt the case. She would he convicted and, fined £1, aud MSU.&- •.