Tribunal Reserves ‘Masskerade’ Ruling

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32118, 14 October 1969, Page 36

Tribunal Reserves ‘Masskerade’ Ruling

(New Zealand Press Association' WELLINGTON, October 13. The Indecent Publications Tribunal today reserved its decision on the question put to it regarding the decencv or indecency of the Massey University Students’ Association 1969 capping magazine “Masskerade.’'

“I think it was up to the individual whether he would buy it or not.” the immediate past president of the association (Mr Gregory Edward Tasman Taylor) told the tribunal.

The Professorial Board of Massey University asked the Secretary of Justice (Dr J. L. Robson) to place the magazine before the tribunal. Members of the tribunal are Mr L. G. H. Sinclair (chairman). Mrs J. Cochran, Messrs C. S. Perry, J. H. E. Schroder, and Professor D. F. McKenzie. The association was represented by Mr H. J. H. Williams: Mr R. C. Savage represented the Secretary of Justice Mr Taylor told the tribunal that 55,000 copies were printed this year; 3000 remained unsold. Mr Ttylor said he had suggested to the association’s capping controller that “Masskerade” should not be sold to schooolchildren and that sellers should obey civil authorities in the towns to which they went and respect public opinion. No Control However, he said, the students who sold the magazine were under no control after they left the campus. “Would you agree with me that not to sell to children was, perhaps, rather too optimistic?” Mr Savage asked.

“Not really,” Mr Taylor an-| swered. “The students were! well aware of the trouble we l could get into.” He agreed that some copies might be found in secondary schools. North Island Mr Taylor said the magazine was sold all over the North Island on April 10 and 11 at 30 cents. It was the first capping magazine to go on sale this year: the only other capping publication with comparable sales figures was Canterbury’s. The Victoria University capping magazine achieved a sales figure of 27,000 copies and Auckland’s 37,000 copies. Mr Taylor said the Massey association had decided four years ago to boost sales of “Masskerade,” profits from which were being put to paying off the university’s new sports centre. More Sales “Four years ago we printed only 20,000. Since then we’ve built up our sales over the whole North Island because it has proved more popular,” said Mr Taylor. Mr . Taylor told the tribunal that steps were being taken to ensure that adequate censorship of the magazine would be carried out in the future. The association’s lawyer was already given the power to forbid publication of association works or part of these, and it was intended to extend this power to cover “Masskerade.” The duties of the censorship committee were aso being set up and defined. Commercial Venture Mr Savage, in his submissions, dealt at length with the duties of the tribunal and with the definitions of its powers and of the word indecent He said the capping magazine was now plainly a commercial venture, “and would appear to meet with a considerable degree of success.”

“I would say a university capping magazine would contain matter ordinarily considered objectionable,” Mr ! Savage said. “It’s expected that there [will be a good deal of vulgariity and crudity in the magaizine. I Some Standards | “Nevertheless, there are ultimately some standards I that must be observed,” he : said. He said if such a magazine was “reduced to vulgarity without any humour, crudity without any wit, sex without any subtlety,” it would dry up. He said that although there were no single instances on which the tribunal could judge the magazine as indecent, the quantitative element was important. It was the over-all effect of the magazine that should be considered, he said. Mr Williams said that capping magazines were not periodicals and not magazines to be read and re-read, but “disappear, bar this hearing,! without trace.” '’Traditional Outburst’ It was a traditional outburst at capping time, and because Massey’s was the first capping book on sale and had the widest distribution, it “may have drawn the community’s fire.” He said there was an increasing amount of printed sexual licence. But “Masskerade” largely consisted of good natured satire, “not really incisive, of almost complete frivolity. “It’s not a magazine likely to corrupt or deprave anybody,” Mr Williams said. Future Magazines The magazine, especially on the sexual side of it, was designed to entertain. “The anti-war material, though maybe 1 strong, may not be out of step with the thoughts of the community,” he said. Mr Savage, in a final submission, said the finding of the tribunal would be of considerable assistance to students with future capping magazines. \ “They will have a yardstick by which they can determine the quality of their magazines.”