CENSORED LITERATURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 232, 1 October 1925, Page 18

CENSORED LITERATURE.

LABOUR MEMBERS INDIGNAM'. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) j WELLINGTON, Wednesday, i Consideration of the Customs section of the Supplementary Estimates in the House of Representatives led to discussion on the Censorship Appeal Board, set up to advise the Customs Department as to the class of literature whicli should be allowed into New Zealand. Mr. Fraser (Wellington Central), characterised tbe board as one of the most useless that had ever been set tip in New Zealand, "whose citizens should have the opportunity of reading what literature they desired, so long as it was not of an indecent nature. He moved to reduce the vote by £100.

A spirited defence of the board was made by the Minister of Justice (Sir James Parr), who said that the vote was included with the object of paying a small salary to the three gentlemen comprising the board, Mr. Charles Wilson, Parliamentary librarian, Mr. H. Baillie, city librarian at Wellington, and Mr. H. C. South, chairman of the New Zealand Booksellers' Association. These gentlemen had to decide whether the publications submitted, to them from time to time by the Customs Department were indecent or not, or whether they were likely to incite or encourage violence, lawlessness or disorder. He hoped that the House would not agree with the view of Mr. Fraser that the board was useless. The question was whether the Customs Department should allow indecent, or undesirable literature to come into this country. That was the plain issue. The Leader of the Labour party, Mr. H. Holland, said that censorship in this and other-countries had been ridiculous and ineffective. In New Zealand they had had such books as "Ten Years of Secret Diplomacy," by Morel, and several books by Frank Anstey banned. There was nothing in these publications to which the slightest objection could be taken. They were certainly not as harmful as the blasphemous literature circulated by Mr. Ernest James.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Nosworthy: I think the hon. member is referring to a past debate. (Loud laughter.) Mr. Holland: I am referring to no past debate whatever. I.W.W. literature was being circulated, which if put about by a working man, would result in prosecution. Because it was circulated by an official of the Reform party, no action was taken. The censorship laws were ridiculous. He knew of cases where books, which had been banned, were to be found on Cabinet Ministers' shelves.

The opinion was expressed by the Minister of Agriculture that the arguments of Mr. Holland's were quite unsound. The attitude of the Government was to stop indecent and undesirable literature.

Mr. Holland: Then why distribute it?

Mr. Nosworthy: The Government does not stand for letting in literature of thi 8 sort. We are not going to flood this country with Bolshevik and I.W.W. literature.

I Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui), referred to a piece of indecent literature which had come intQ his possession. It was such that he would not sully his reputation by reading it, but it was to be found on page 14 of a recent issue of the "Newsletter." (Laughter.) Mr. R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs), said they had to bear in mind that the wholesale distribution of literature meant that it would-get into the hands of the young people of the Dominion. If they took away the censorship the I.W.W. would flood the country with their literature. On .the division the amendment was lost by, 13 -votes to 36.