UNFOUNDED RUMOURS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 136, 2 November 1914, Page 7

UNFOUNDED RUMOURS.

. AiixrsiKKur. <"<':!;i;wrHiNS. ' in lh«. J: ( .m-. ( . ,;f o.i 3-i.-il.-i;,-, ;!,,. .\i!iii,-i<Y f,„- JMenee made a :-<:.temenl .v::!i ivsjv-i. ;,i mtaiii minors which liavr been in eii dilution of late. With respect to the reported desertions from the t-X|jo:iitiijiiar,- forces, lie )ia<. received a return tliatVhowcd that one oflit-CT and 52 men were short of tho ••stajlilislim.nl. 1l had been said that there bad been 200 deserters from the force, but the rumour had absolutely lo fimnJiition in fact. Of the fifty-three members of the force referred 'to, all •ut seventeen had been sent ashore bv il;e medical officers., as the.r were, suffer, ing from measles or other ailments. The absence of the other seventeen wa? almost accidental. The department was mnkinK inquiries, -but lie did not think it would b-j found that any of tlie t'orco 1 ad heen so wanting in their sense of duty as to detert.

Another rumour to which the Minister referred, tm<i, ho said, been published in several newspaper in various parts ol the Dominion As an instance, he. read ■A paragraph in the Manawatu Daily Times, which had been reprinted from tile Feildins; Star. The story was k> ihc effect that a O.rman who had been Imprisoned on Somes island and subsequently released had ajjaJn been arrested end placed on the island. !iis offence was that he bad been detected tut wirekss messages regarding the departure of the fmt expeditionary force, and later -,after his release) with r..ffard to the moTements of the. main force. If this were time, the paragraph concluded, the Prime Minister had failed to keep his word that all such offenders should tie. handed over to the military authorities. There should be no discrimination because, the offender was a society man and had married a Wellington woman of family. Mr Russell: "The Fe.ildin« Star is Mr Pirani's paper." (Opposition la.ujrhtcr.) Mr Allen said that he knew of absolutely nothing which could justify the circulation of such a rumour, Arrangements entered into 'between.-the military ! authorities and (he I'o-dri'l Di.parti;!. m I fnahled them to find out whenever any messages other than their own were teing sent out. One wireless plant had been discovered, aiid was still under crrtMt. Mr Robertson'. ''Did he send out am mpssagos?" Hr Allen: "I don't know that, hut the plant was there." Mr Russell: "You'll have to correct. Mr Piraiii, if ho misbehaves liko this." fjx>ui Opposition laughter.)