FILM CENSORSHIP

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3132, 10 July 1917, Page 6

FILM CENSORSHIP

IS IT RIGID ENOUGH?

BOARD OF THREE SUGGESTED

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER

A request for a more jseverc censorship upon kinema. films of 'a certain character was made by a deputation which waited upon tho Hon. G. W. Russell yesterday. The deputation comprised representatives of the , various church organisations in the Dominion, tho New Zealand Educational Institute, fhe New Zealand Catholic Federation, the Salvation Army, and the Society for tho Protection of \Vomoii and Children. Mr. J. 11. Dickson, M.P. for Chalmers, introduced the deputation. Too Much for One Man. The Rev. E. S. Gray (Dunedin) said that the deputation was the ;.utcome of a meeting held in Dunedin about a mouth ago after the film "Intolernncc!" and other films had been shown in the cily. The meeting had passed resolutions which had. been circulated to other ueiitrw where similar resolutions had toon passe'd. The Dunedin meeting had urged by resolution the appointment of 11 board of three censors, one of whom should be a woman in place of the present one-man censorship. Auckland had altered that to a beard of five, two of whom should lie women: but the deputation supported the Dunedin resolution. They Hid not desire to say anything against the present censor (Mr. W. .Tolift'e), whose supervision had done good, but not sufficient good. They recognised, however, thai, .ho had had a tremcrdouslv difficult task— in fact a task which should not V> ymt upon one man. They considered that in pomp' inst.i'ices he lied been Ino Iniiii'tit. Considerable complaint was made that tlip smii-e" of moral filth was <\in«rica: and that it was since the introduction of Airerican films that moral uncleanness had been apparent, He snrirested thai th? m-inciples on. which tho English cer.Rofehin wns exercised should bo adopted in New Zealand. y

. A Woman on the Board. Mrs. A. R. Atkinson said she had been appointed to speak on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Women and 'ildren. Their society, she sratiJ, had circularised tho Dunedin resolutions amongst the fifty-four women's societies operating in and around Wellington, all of which had endorsed them. She emphasised the nnod for th» .0! a woman on the proposed board of censors, saying that it must be recognised tbat there' w;ere some things which wjuld be .

by a woman which would rot be observed by a. man. Mr. Webb epoke on behalf tf ihe New Zealand Educational Institute, which supported the Diinedin resolutions. Tlio teachers, he said, were finding th:it any good influence they exercised ou the children was being nullified by the bad moral effects which many pictures were bavins on young minds. Mr. Girling Butc'her (secretary to tho New Zealand Catholic Federation) stated that his federation could not let the opportunity pass without again repeiting its views, which were still the same as formerly, the federation having begun tho agitation for the censorship. He sieko highly of the work Mr. Joliffe had' alieady done, but supported the views of tho deputation that the position was too laborious to be left to one man.

The Censor's Difficulties. " At the request of the Minister, Mr. Joliffe made a few remarks. He said that the Act laid. down his duties, and it was difficult for him to make any statement l to a deputation. He considered that tho work would bo equally difficult for a board of censors as for one man. In many cases it is exceedingly difficult to draw a lino in the course of a picture being shown between what should be permitted and what should be excised. Frequently, when in doubt, he had obtained his wife's advice, which showed 'that his sympathies wero with the idea of a woman censor, although he considered that there would be delay if a board exercised the censorship, ' and that there would be other difficulties to contend with. Many times he had had to decido off-hand, and no doubt in some'cases, if he-had had more time, he would havo cut pieces out which had fiot through. Mr. Joliffa referred to the nig demand amongst the public: for what he teremed strong pictures. Recent exhibitions of some seenio picture:, hsd proved* a failure, and if he was to exercise the law to the extreme point he would empty the picturo theatres. . He wished to assure tho deputation that he had endeavoured to act without fear or favour, and had-sought to carry out his duties conscientiously and faithfully.

v The Minister's Reply. The Hon. G. W. liussell expressed his pleasure at meeting, such a large and inriuential deputation. While up to the present, he had been in favour of n;e work remaining in the hands of one censor, the statements that had been made and the information that had been given him led him to state that ho would place before Cabinet without delay the question as to whether the censorship should be strengthened by the appointment of two additional persona, one 'of whom should lie a woman. Mention had been made of the question of cost, but that must not be considered. In any case, the cost of the censorship should not bo borne by the Consolidated Funds, but by the picture-film importers lie would be glad if the Rev. Mr. Gray would send to him in writing the principles upon whion the English censorship was .exercised. Jie would be very pleased to go into the question of adopting those principles. Ho would not tolerate the sending out of any' pictures that would ..degrade the morals of the people. When the censor took office he found things in a pretty bud way and he had allowed a certain amount of.latitude; but things were now bein" hardened up. He was certainly surprised that the censor had not mademore use of Section i of the Act, which empowered him to jjive a discriminating permit for any film. He .had hnnjdf neen the picture "Intolerance in Wellington, anil hid afterwards told air. Joliffe hat he did not think that certain Portions of it should have been passed lie understood that the picture theatre proprietors in New ?«l» n ? were prepaiid to arrange specK.l exhibitions foi school children, and he believed theie would be some development in the, due■ tion. Dealhu with Tiortt-rs, die sh™ta re-retted that the Department had not bee , "iven tho full co-operat on and sym* Sj ? of municipal bodies rni regard to that aspect of the matter. The Department had no machinery for exercising ji n"orship over poster.-,, but the.. mime KsoouM deal with. them in their bv-laws under the Mlinicipn. Corpoi .1Hons Act. He proposed, he nrtAo .take rawer this session to irate -t wnal loi Kh exhibit a roster «•«*"»""» picture containing si'KPsl-vn mM'.T should V.:allowed m 1 :ie ™"" h .\-, , ; for I,™ cSirCe reception and h» sympathetic reply.