BANNED LITERATURE

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 80, 1 October 1918, Page 4

BANNED LITERATURE

METHODS OF CENSORSHIP

MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION,

In a letter of 26th- September, the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) has made thfe following statement to the Rev. Alexander Doull, Presbyterian minister, Palmerston North: — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th August, conveying i resolution passed at a piiblio gathering held under the auspices of the Palmerston North branch of; the Protestant Political Association, protesting against the action of the New Zealand Government in prohibiting the circulation of certain literature. : There is. so much misunderstanding upon this point that I deem it wise to send you the fullest information. The War Regulations of 4th :■ December, 1916, prevent the publication df matter having , ( a tendency : to "excite such hostility or ill-will between different classes of His Majesty's subjects as may endanger the public safety in respect of the present war." ..'By the regulations of 11th'October, 1915 (as-later amended by substituting the Attorney-General for the Minister for Defence), it is provided "that the Attorney :General may by notice gazetted prohibit the sale of any book or other publication the sale of which he deem*-injurious to the public interest in reßpect of the present war," and after.such prohibition the sale ordistribution of any euch < publication is constituted an offence. : It must be obvious that it is the duty of the At-torney-General .to prohibit the sale of books and . publications • which come within the definition of the regulations of December, 1916. -The Customs Laws, and Regulation No. 3 of the regulations of 21st June, 1918, empower the Minister for Customs'to detain such books or publications.:' " When' publications passing through the Customs in New Zealand are found to be' : of- a nature which it is the duty of the" Attorney-General to consider, it is manifest that such Sublications. must, be - detained at'the ustoms under the authority of the Customs laws and regulations until opportunity is provided-for their perusal and consideration. In- order ■to prevent differences of view 'between the. officials detaining the books at the Customs and the 'Attorney-General, it was arranged that the Minister, for Customs and the Attorney-General should act together, and that they should appoint an independent expert to advise them jointly. Under this arrangement Mr. Martin Chapman, K.C., wa6 appointed, and I have no doubt that you will agree with me he is absolutely free from bias or prejudice of any kind in such matters. From' time to time reports have been obtained from Mr. Chapman upon the various documents which have been submitted to. him for perusal. Wherever Mr. Chapman' has recommended' the publications' should not be allowed to be circulated he has given his reasons, and the Minister for Customs and the At-torney-General have not only considered the reasons, but have looked at the literature, sufficiently to ascertain whether they agreed with Mr. Chapman's Treasons;"' "T am informed that they"have not found it necessary to dissent from' Mr. Chapman's in any case, but they haye s .nevertheless- exercised' their independent judgments ' ". ,1. , Mr. .Chapman's: reports .go totlhe At-torney-General,, and he decides whether the documents'are such as ought to be prohibited from circulation. The original detention is a formal act; permanentdetention is the result of a decision first arrived at by the Attorney-General, after, consideration of ..the report of Mr. Chapman, and, subsequently concurred; in by the Hon. Mr. Myers," and the method pursued is adopted with the authority of Cabinet. >. •,'• ■ >--, '•,.•,'-■•"''. " ; '

The practice with regard to the.prohibition of literature is set out in a letter from the Hon. the Attorney-General and the Eon. -Mr..-,. Myers to J. S. Dickson, Esq., M.P., on 4th June, 1918, a copy of which I attack. ' ',■ , : :

No book or document has been'permanently detained at the' Customs, the contents of which did' not exceed thelimits of controversy which the AttorneyGeneral and Mr. Myers there attempted to define. , .

Reference _ha« been made in correspondence which has reached me to tw_o works of which Dr. Alex. Robertson is the author, entitled "The Roman Catholic Church in \ Italy" and the "Papal Conquest." As a matter of fact these books have been the subject of most careful .' consideration, 'and their detention ■was merely conditional and not permanent until Mr. Chapman's report on them was received on the 11th inst. The greater part of the contents of the books did not exceed the limits defined, but in j each of the books theTe are grave charges of immorality against persons who have taken the vow of celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church, and because of the inclusion of that class of matter it has been thought advisable to prevent the circulationx of the literature. I cannot understand why circulation during the war of books which contain such allegations should be considered desirable T>y> any section of the public. ' * , I also forward oopy_ of a statement that I made to be circulated through the • Press (Association. on the 24th inst., and ;I draw, your .attention .to the second paragraph, and most earnestly hope that sectarian bitterness may be avoided.

The letter,'; and Press Association mesage referred to- above have. appeared in the press. . '. ■