Customs Dept’s handling of books criticised

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33075, 16 November 1972, Page 10

Customs Dept’s handling of books criticised

(N.Z. Press Association). WELLINGTON, Nov. 15. Criticism of the Customs Department’s handling of books was expressed by the Wellington publisher, Mr Alister Taylor, when he presented submissions on a book at the Indecent Publications Tribunal hearing in Wellington yesterday. The harmless nature of I “The Art of Sensual MasI sage,” by Gordon Inkeles and Murray Todris, and many ! other books, called into quesj tion the efficacy of Customs i Department decisions on I which books to refer to the ' tribunal and which to seize, i Mr Taylor said. Mr Taylor said he had been given inadequate time to prepare submissions on the book, and had experienced difficulties obtaining a copy of it from the Customs Department. “A publisher should have

! ready access to books that jare available,”, he said. i In reply, the chairman of j the tribunal (Mr R. S. V. i Simpson) said that the tri- | bunal was always happy to 'consider an adjournment to ! allow adequate time for evidence to be presented on a I book. Mr Taylor told the tribunal that “The Art of Sensual Massage,” published by Straight Arrow Books, came close to the best of the naturalist magazines and would fulfil an obvious need in New Zealand. It was an important book which should be freely available to all age groups.; There was no prurience or j perversion in it, and the I photographs concentrated on ; massage techniques, not sex. i Submissions for Alister I Taylor Publishing, Ltd, on be- ’ half of “Lieutenant LSD,” published and written by lan Creston, were presented by Mr G. Culliford.

The book, he submitted, was an autobiographical account of a young man’s experience with drugs. The author had an enthusiastic attitude towards drugs, but this did not constitute indecency. Sexual content in the book, while explicit, was entirely heterosexual and devoid of perversion. “Lieutenant LSD” had some social significance because it made the first substantial examination of the basic causes of drug abuse in the United States Army, Mr Cullimore said. The tribunal reserved its decision on both books. The decisions of the tribunal on other books were:— Indecent: “The Run,” by Peter Cave, published by New English Library, Ltd, London. Indecent in the hands of persons under .18: “Surrogate Wife,” by Valerie X. Scott and Herbert d’H. Lee, published by W. H. Allen and Company, Ltd, London; “The Other Woman,” by Jessica Simmons, published by Sphere Books, Ltd, London. These books were submitted by the Comptroller of Customs.