CHECK ON POOR COMICS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27426, 12 August 1954, Page 12

CHECK ON POOR COMICS

MINISTER OUTLINES POWERS “WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON GOOD SENSE OF PUBLIC” (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 11. At present action to prevent undesirable literature entering the country could be taken only under the Indecent Publications Act, but although many publications came into New Zealand that were absolutely worthless, they were not indecent, said the Minister of Customs (Mr C. M. Bowden) in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Members were discussing a written reply by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr K. J. Holyoake) for the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. T. Watts) to a question asked previously by Mr W. W. Freer (Opposition, Mount Albert). Mr Freer,' in sought the strict supervision of the importation of comics so that funds available for imports could be directed toward comics of a higher standard. He also said in his question that in the past stationers who had objected to selling inferior comics featuring efime and sex were being refused larger supplies of the better types by the distributors. Mr Bowden said.it we< not simple to select comics acceptable, to most persons. There were matters of taste and principle to be considered. Much depended on the sense of the importers to exercise proper selection and judgment. “Comics and other* magazines that display acts of sadism, bashings, flagellation, sex propinquity with undesirable and suggestive features and with no literary or artistic merit are not indecent according to the law, but we have to depend on the good sense of the public not to purchase this type of thing,” said Mr Bowden. The Deputy-Leader of the Opposition (Mr C. F. Skinner): Then we can take it the Government is not going to do anything about the situation? Mr Bowden: This is not confined to New Zealand. It is in other countries. Action has been taken in the United Kingdom and Australia to suppress this sort of literature. The Minister sanl it might be thought that those worthless comics and other literature of that type were purchased by children. “Nothing* of the sort,” he added. “It’s purchased in main by adults, and it has to be recognised that adults have a freedom of choice.”

The whole question was under consideration, continued Mr Bowden. A certain committee sitting in Wellington was making investigations to ascertain the effect of certain literature on children. He was glad to say that the reputable publishers in New Zealand and Australia had recently themselves instituted a very effective form of censorship, and undesirable literature from various sources would not come into the country.

DELINQUENCY AMONG JUVENILES MR MACFARLANE DEPLORES REPORTS OVERSEAS (New Zealand Press Association) . WELLINGTON, August 11. “Bad and all as juvenile delinquency may be in this country, I regret that there are certain journalists doing their best to magnify the situation. It is to be deplored that certain journalists are setting out to give the wrong picture in overseas newspapers,” said Mr R. M. Macfarlane (Opposition. Christchurch Central) in the House of Renresentatives this afternoon. Mt Macfarlane was discussing the reply of the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) in a written answer to a question asked previously by Mr H. L. J. May (Opposition, Onslow), in which he sought an assurance that steps would be taken to see that the inquiry into juvenile delinquency was not given undesirable publicity. To this, Mr Holland replied: “Yes.” “We have in this country some of the best youth in the world,” said Mr Macfarlane, “but if we are to have this sort of thing happen, then I hope the Prime Minister will do something about it.”