SUBVERSION CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 28, 28 October 1942, Page 6

SUBVERSION CHARGES

Two Prisoners Sentenced RETARDING WAR EFFORT

“I don’t know what you want to write this stuff for if you don’t intend to use it,” said Mr. Justice Blair in the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday, in sentencing Harold William Klein, an orderly-room clerk at a military camp, to one year's hard labour, to be followed by reformative detention for 18 months, on a charge that on or about April 25, 1942, he had in his possession a typewritten stencil with a view to faciliating the publication of a subversive statement. “Here we are fighting a war with a ruthless enemy,” said his Honour. “We didn’t start the war; somebody else started it. To talk about it being a capitalists’ war is all nonsense. You cut the stencils, and produced a vile publication. While employed as a clerk in the orderly-room, you had the effrontery to use the appliances for conducting the war to produce a document calculated to retard seriously the war effort. How they let you into camp I don’t know. Yours is a very grave offence. The only safe place for you is to put you somewhere where you can’t write.” Prisoner gave notice to appeal against the sentence.

Sentence of Two and a Half Years.

Ormond Edward Burton, former minister of religion, who bad been found guilty by a jury of editing a document entitled “N.Z.C.I’.S., W.41,” on or about June 6 last, with a view to facilitating the publication of a subversive statement, was sentenced to reformative detention for two and a half years. “I suppose there is no use asking you if you are prepared to cease your propaganda?” bis Honour asked prisoner.

Prisoner said his conscience would not allow him to give such an undertaking. “The law requires me to stop this propaganda,” said his Honour. “You are a dangerous man, as you have behind you a very fine record, which makes your propaganda more mischievous. You persuade youroelf that you are doing it for conscience sake, but the propaganda you are disseminating is retarding the war effort of this country. I could arrange that you do not have a pen in your hand for 11 years, but I will guess the duration of the war, and place you where you can do no more harm while the war is in progress.” His Honour said he would recommend the Prisons Board to release prisoner at an earlier date if his conduct warranted such action.