OBSCENE BOOKS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30794, 5 July 1965, Page 19

OBSCENE BOOKS

Sales By J Boys (N Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, July 4. Magazines containing stories of promiscuity, perversion and sadism were being sold in the city of Newcastle, on Sunday mornings, by bovs aged between 11 and 12, a Labour M.P. told the British House of Commons the other day. The member, Mr Geoffrey Rhodes (Newcastle-upon-Tyne East), had raised the question of the sale of obscene and offensive pornographic books during an adjournment debate tn the house.

The employment of children in this way was an offence, quite apart from the distribution of offensive material. Mr Rhodes said.

The magazine sold for about Is 6d.

He had seen boys buying these books, which local teachers assured him were circulating in schools. Apart from the literature and photographs of nudes, the books contained stories detailing perversion and sadism. “All this is being sold in the form of boys’ magazines,” he said.

“This kind of thing is making Newcastle city centre a cesspool of slum literature.”

But Newcastle was relatively clean compared with parts of London, and in particular Soho. London Also

He had spent two mornings touring Soho. “The situation there is infinitely worse than the circumstances I have been describing,” he said. In Soho, there were shops which usually had a placard •‘books and magazines.” From them poured out pornographic films and photographs and books. He had received 125 letters, principally from head masters, teachers and parents who objected to the growth of the distribution of this type of literature.

The Attorney-General (Sir Elwyn Jones) replied that since the Obscene Publications Act was introduced last year there had been four prosecutions for possessing obscene material for gain.

All the accused were convicted. Three further cases were pending.