MILITARY CENSORSHIP

HOW FARE THE PRESS MESSAGES? DELAYS WITH THE NEWS. News of the war is comparatively scanty to-day. The supply is restricted by a military censorship, but it is not definitely known whether the busy " boiling down " is being done at tho London side or here. The contention of the press is that messages for the Dominions overseas are carefully scrutinised by Imperial officers at London before they are despatched,. and thus the New Zealand censors may be super-censors, or censors- of censors The question in many a newspaper office to-day is : ''How far is the local censorship responsible for any needless suppression or delay of news, which is of such vital public importance?" ' AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT. The following official statement was made by the Defence authorities to a Post representative to-day: — '"A strict censorship has been established in New Zealand, as in all other portions of the Empire. Regulations were published last night in an extraordinary issue of the Gazette. The transmission of telegrams or radio-tele-grams by the public is permitted provided that such telegrams and radiotelegrams are written in English or French, and on the understanding that they are accepted at the sender's risk and subject to censorship by the authorities ; that is, that they may be stopped, delayed, or otherwise dealt with in a/ll respects at the discretion of those authorities, and without notice to the senders ; and that that no claims 'in respect of them, whether for the reimbursement of the _ sums paid for transmission or otherwise, will be considered in any circumstances whatever. It is, moreover, essential that such telegrams and radio-telegrams should bear the sender's name at the end of the text; otherwise they are liable to be stopped until the name is notified by paid telegram; Code and cipher telegrams will not be accepted. Registered abbreviated addresses will not be accepted cither as addresses or as the names of senders. The term ' telegram ' is applied to radio-telcgraphiG messages sent from shore to shore as well as those sent by cable or land wiie. The term 'radio-telegram' is used to denote-mes-sages exchanged between ships and the. bhore." Colonel W. H. S. Moorhouse, Stock Exchange Chambers, Featherston-strect, Wellington, has been appointed Deputy Chief Censor for New Zealand. Assistants have been appointed under him where necessary. Messages should be handed in at telegraph offices in the ordinary manner for transmission, whilst observing the above-quoted regulations. The telegrams will be censored automatically in course of transmission. It is realised that these arrangements may cause inconvenience and even expense to the public, but they have been considered necessary after much thought and deliberation by the Imperial Government. The regulations have been thought out as carefully \as possible beforehand. It must be realised that no changes are possible now without the risk of* throwing the whole scheme into confusion. The letter of the regulation must li" adhered to now. v New Zealand is plsiying her part in the interests of the, Empire. In regard to inward press message." by the ordinary cable routes, it. is understood that there may be spme little delay for a day or two, until the cen.sor s have beromo thoroughly conversant with their work. PUBLICATION OF NEWS. The Postmaster-General stated in Parliament this ufte'noon that he^ had mado anuirgements for the publication of war news in cuuuUy dUhlcls where jio newspapers uio published.