THE WAR GUESSSING NUISANCE.

Taihape Daily Times, 17 May 1918, Page 4

THE WAR GUESSSING NUISANCE.

There Is an amazing amount of guessing about the war that is being cabled to New Zealand, for which newspapers have to pay high transmission rates, that we should be better without. One day a string of cables is received stating that American forces are in the fighting line, next day another mass of verbiage tells us that nothing of the kind is happening, then on the third day the first day’s story is repeated and we are left in a men. tal tangle about what are really the facts of the case. The cableman appears to have lost his mental equilibrium, is confused, and is wildly sending along any rumour that comes to hand. This is not creditable to the Press Association, and it is surprising its controllers do not have such waste of money put a stop to. The cable page of daily newspapers are put about on a par with those of some comic periodicals. A lot of conflicting sensational rubbish comes to hand which tends to prevent understanding rather than elucidate the true position on the various war fronts. To try to form ideas upon anything but obviously official reports involves one in confusion and chaos. We are receiving and publishing for the edi r tion, or otherwise, of our readers, a mass of opinions and guesses about what the Germans are doing; of what is deterring them from getting on with their offensive. One attributes it to mutiny of German soldiers; another to wet weather and dirty roads; another to an uncompleted or unsuccessful effort to get Austrian assistance. One says Mackensen is the “big gun” on the West front, another says he is conducting the campaign of food-get-ting in the East —Russia, Rumania, and the Ukraine. One talks about huge Japanese forces commencing operations in Siberia, while a Japanese Minister, in the next cable, is reported to ffiave said that the time has not arrived for Japan to intervene. We have received so many reports of shipping it is humanly impossible to make synchronise,' tMt'it? will take some time to get ourselves into 'believing those that may be sent to us in the future. All this costs newspapers a lot of money, besides unnecessarily taxing an already immensely overtaxed telegraphic service. The confusing, conflicting guesses and opinions of the army of correspondents at the front are in'no way helpful; they might be a source of amusement were it not for the waste of time and money they involve, which is more calculated to evoke disgust... New Zealand wants news of what is actually happening, together with descriptions of fighting and movements of armies. If-.we arc faithfully supplied with these we'can very well be left to do our own guessing.