CLEAN PICTURES AND BOOKS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2551, 27 August 1915, Page 3

CLEAN PICTURES AND BOOKS

STRICT CENSORSHIP SUGGESTED. A deputation from tho Roman Catholic Federation of Now Zealand waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs (tlio Hon. 0. W. Russell) yesterday, to protest against the 1 bad influenco of some picture films, and tlio immoral nature of certain books sold i ,I i tlio bookshops. Mr. J. R. liayward (CLi'istcluircli), viee-prcsident of tlio federation, said that in many theatres pictures wcro being screened wliicli were considered to be demoralising to a degree, extremely vulgar, and often immoral. A point emphasised was that many films dealt with conjugal infidelity, and they struck at the very coro of social life. It was thought that a proper and strict consorship of pictures should bo established. The Very Rev. I'ather Coffey (Dunedin) thought that pictures of infidelity and drunkenness should be censored. Children saw these pictures and became filled with all sorts of ideas which certainly did not make for the manhood and womanhood of the country. A censor should be appointed, he held, to deal with the pictures before they passed tlio Customs. Ho also urged that steps should be taken to prevent tlio sale of certain books which had been prohibited. _ There should be a stricter censorship before some books were put into circulation, for it was little use tho police going round after tlie.y -wero 6old. The Minister in reply said that with regard to the pictures his own exporieneo corroborated, to a largo extent, the statements put forward by the deputation. Thoro seemed to be a disappearance of the educational films, and a catering for tile depraved element of human nature. His opinion was that tho censorship was a matter for' the municipal authorities in the various centres, as Government censorship would mean an army of inspectors. If tho municipal. authorities did not 1 take iipthe matter ho could bring in legislation providing that each centre pay the expenses of an inspector. Ho promised to discuss the two questions with the Minister in Charge of the Police Department (the Hon. A. L. Herdman) and the Minister of Justice (the Hon. R, M'Nab) to see if the.v could agree on some method of handling the matters in a. manner which would be in the interests of the country.