ARCHBISHOP’S ATTACK

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1938, Page 3

ARCHBISHOP’S ATTACK

OBSCENE LITERATURE. CANBERRA, May 10. I “In Australia, literature was being produced that was so abominable, profane, obscene and indecent that It defied competition from the rest of the world.” So said the Roman] Catholic Coadjutor-Archbishop ofi Sydney, Dr. Gilroy, in an address at| Canberra to-day, after the laying of. Ihe foundation stone of St. Christo-I pher’s Church. He urged the Federal Government to stamp out the produc-| lion of this type of literature. i While approving a recent statement by the acting Minister for; Customs, Mr Perkins, that the Gov-I eminent would exercise rigid control] over imported literature, Dr. Gilroy said this action alone was not enough. “Literature is not harmful because it comes from America,” he said

“but profane literature from America i ; harmful, just as it is from any other country.

“As an illustration, I feel ashamed to make the admission that there are produced here in Australia types (f literature so profane, obscene, rnd indecent, as to defy competition.”

Dr. Gilroy also urged the Government to provide a more generous scheme of maternity endowment and i assistance to children, in order to check the falling birth-rate. “The Government is assisting migrants,” he said. “Why should less be done for our own babies? While we lament the falling birth-rate- we must recognise the immense difficult;es that face parents. We should aim rt ever increasing the bonus for Australian-born children.”