School Committees Condemn “Lewd, Salacious” Comics

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29388, 15 December 1960, Page 19

School Committees Condemn “Lewd, Salacious” Comics

“Lewd and salacious” comics and “pulp literature” were strongly condemned by the Canterbury School Committees’ Association in a resolution passed last evening. The resolution, calling for action against the importation of such publications, and those responsible, will be sent to the Minister of Customs (Mr Marshall), the Minister of Social Welfare (Mr Shelton), and the Dominion Federation of School Committee Associations. Mr E. Stringer (St. Martins), who raised the matter, said a headmaster had recently showed him a book confiscated from a Standard IV girl which was “only fit for the rubbish heap.” “It was disgusting. It was full of cartoons, full of filth,” said Mr Stringer. “Its country of origin was the United States, and it was printed in Britain. "There is too much of this sort of thing coming into the Country,” said Mr Stringer. He suggested the matter be taken up through the School Committees’ Federation. Mrs M. Rae (East Christchurch) said that such “pulp literature” was seen in shops “everywhere one looked.” It was quite freely available for children to. buy—in fruit shops, grocers’ shops, and dairies.

“It’s not always the fault of the shopkeepers, but those who distribute them. If the shopkeepers refuse to buy them, they can’t get anything better,” Mrs Rae said.

Mr W. Rosenberg (Cashmere) warned that the association could get into “an awful tangle” if it started pressing for legislation against such magazines. The law against indecent publications was already quite strict, and the Customs Department and the police were there to be called on to enforce it. Often the best thing a school committee could do if it found such publications being sold near a school, was to gather evidence of its sale and then complain to the police, asking for action to be taken. During the discussion, Mr Rosenberg admitted that the police often took action against one specific publication, but another magazine alongside it, remaining for sale, was just as bad.

After further discussion, and the passing of the resolution, Mr Stringer suggested a further resolution supporting the DeptuyMayor (Cr. H. P. Smith) in his protest at horror films. Mr Stringer said it was not always realised just how impressionable young children were in the matter of films. He quoted an example of himself as a young child attending a Charlie Chaplin film, where Chaplin as a watchmaker, “repaired” a watch by smashing it with a hammer. “I went home, got my mother’s 30-guinea gold watch, and operated on it,” said Mr Stringer. Mr A. Greenwood: Then you’re a delinqueht. (Laughter.) The motion supporting Cr. Smith’s protest was carried.