PICrURE FILMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14495, 5 January 1918, Page 5

PICrURE FILMS.

._£ m WORK DONE BY THE CENSOR. I 639 REJECTIONS AND 232 CUTS IN NINE MONTHS. j ' (SpeciAi to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. During the month of December the censor of films, Mr. W. Joliffe, examined 421,860 feet of picture film, making 4,368,370 feet for the past nine months. This works out at approximately 800 miles during the four weeks just elided. Approval was -refused m the case of three pictures, and thirteen were approved, subject to excision. Mr Joliffe's attention was drawn to a remit m the agenda paper of the Teachers' Conference .now sitting m Wellington, calling attention to the desirableness m the interests of children, of greater strictness being exercised* m censoring films which, may be. \thought •by some, to glorify crime. Mr Joliffe replied that m carrying out his duties he : was guided by the section of the Act which provided (3). Such aproval shall not be given m case of .any film which m the opinion of the censor depicts any matter that is against public order and decency, or the exhibition of which for any other reason is, m the opinion of the censor, undesirable m the public in-, terest.---"In carrying out my work," added the censor', . "while I am keenly alive to the points mentioned m the* resolution m the agenda paper of the Teachers' Conference, the wording of the motion, is too general to be of much service to me m r future. During the .past nine months 637 pictures have been absolutely rejected, and cuts were made m 232 pictures: These figures show the severity of , the censorship which has been exercised. I may add that the cuts made m pictures- varied' from a few feet to as much as 700 feet."