PEN-FRIENDS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13269, 20 February 1941, Page 6

PEN-FRIENDS

PRACTICE STOPPED IN ' AISTRALIA Because useful information may he conveyed to the enemy inadvertently, the New South Wales Education Department is discouraging correspondence by pupils with children overseas, says the Sydney Sun. Thus many pen-friendships formed in time of peace will be brought to an end. at least until the war is over. "The military authorities are of the opinion that, during the war. correspondence of this nature should be discouraged in every possible way," says the Director of Education (Mr J. G. McKenzie) in an instruction to headmasters.

Requesting that war-time dangers arising from pen-friendships should be brought under the notice of the teaching staff, Mr McKenzie adds:

Propaganda Danger

"The department seeks the cooperation of all teachers, with a view to the discontinuance, during the war period, of this interchange of correspondence."

The correspondence referred to goes to other parts of the Empire and to neutral countries, many letters being exchanged between New South Wales and American schoolchildren.

Such letters, in peace-time, have been accepted as an educational medium of great value, but in war there are other aspects to consider. The Minister for the Army (Mr Spender) has pointed out to Mr McKenzie that school pen-friendships may be used for the purpose of spreading Nazi propaganda and the gleaning of information of value to the enemy. Mr McKenzie's instruction to headmasters continues:

"The 'Directory of Boys and'Girls of All Nations' was one of the largest agencies for establishing penfriends. It was conducted from Copenhagen, and its ramifications were world-wide.

"No doubt, the enormous collection of names and addresses throughout the British Empire has become available to the German rulers of Denmark, and will most certainly be used for some form of Nazi propaganda."