POLITICAL THOUGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 10

POLITICAL THOUGHT

CENSORSHIP URGED

SUBVERSIVE LITERATURE

A censorship of certain radical literature bearing on political thought was advocated by Opposition speakers when the Customs Department Vote was being discussed in the House of Represeiitatives today. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (National, Hurunui) expressed concern that there was no censorship of Communistic literature advocating the overthrow of democratic government. It was not "limited in circulation to university professors. •...-.' Mr. W. J.Broadfoot (National, Waitomo) remarked that if it was thought desirable to have a censorship of broadcast talks, there should also be a censorship ■of undesirable literature of various kinds. Mr. W. P. Endean (National, Parnell) said that he did not mind so much persons of mature age having access to insidious and subversive literature. They were old enough to judge its worth, but with young people it was a different matter altogether.. It was conceivable that a systematic attempt might be made ,to capture the minds of the young people throughout tha Dominion along certain lines. of thought, even if there were no actual advocacy of violence. In reply, the Minister of Customs (the Hon. W. Nash) said that he did not want to enter into a discussion on "the importation of literature, but it seemed to him that Mr. Forbes was contradicting the very principles he wished to advocate. Would he allow any Government to determine what it considered was good or not good for the people to read? The essence of democracy was access to all knowledge. They had to follow the British practice of allowing complete freedom cf thought and leave it to the common sense of the public to determine what was sound or-otherwise. Mr. J. Hargest (National, Awarua) said ' that there . was . something ;to be said for an independent censor of literature'just as there was in the case of films. ...... _ -. -