N.Z. PUBLICATIONS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21852, 24 October 1945, Page 6

N.Z. PUBLICATIONS

MANY NOT SUITABLE JUVENILE READING EDUCATION BOARD VIEW “We should tell them that the board agrees with them, but that it thinks that charity and other things begin at home,” commented Mr. W. W. Bird at Friday’s meeting in Napier of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, when the New Zealand Publishers’ Association wrote expressing concern at the dumping of overseas magazines and other literature on the New Zealand market, much of which was of the salacious, gangster and sexual type. The association added that it believed that there was a definite need for the raising of the standard of much of the literature that was being offered to the New Zealand public.

Two samples of New Zealand publication that were' handed round the members were described by the chairman, Mr. G. A. Maddison, as “filth,” and lie thought that the New Zealand publishers liad need to put their own house in order. Mr. C. R. Sainsbury pointed out that they were not published for children and that it was open to the Government to ban them. Mr. J. V Ennor mentioned that it was not only the American magazines which gave offence, and he referred to New Zealand publications, one of which had been brought to the notice of the authorities in Wellington resulting in a prosecution. Notwithstanding the failure of the prosecution, that did not mean that they were not better types of books which decent people would want to come into their homes for their children. Objection to Language

At an earlier stage in the meeting the Waipawa School Committee wrote disagreeing with remarks made by Mr. W W. Bird at the previous meeting of’the board when they stated that they had no objection to English magazines but that they were of the opinion that the American type were definitely not suitable for children. “I am sorry that the Waipawa people disagree with me, but I wish to point out that mv remarks were not directed at the subject matter but at the lan-<-qia''c—and 1 do object to that,’’ said Mr. Bird. Mr. Bird said that he desired that children should acquire an appreciation of the English language and not the Americanisms, which they picked up so easily. Mr. Bird, also drew attention to much of the undesirable diction that children picked up from the radio. The cowboy slang was such as to affect their vocabulary They adopted such sayings as “Oh Yeah,” “Yep” and “Attaboy.”

Mr Bird proceeded to refer_ to a radio programme on a recent Sunday evening when a triple murder radio play immediately followed upon a church service. He considered that the attention of the authorities should be drawn to this sort of thing. “However,” said Mr. Bird, “the matter rests largely with the parents who should not buy those objectionable publications. While they might not have any injurious effects upon the morals of "the children they have an undesirable affect on their language.” Mr Maddison pointed out that a full report on the same subject had been handled by the Wanganui Education Board. The letter was received, the board expressing appreciation for having its attention drawn to the matter.