OPPOSITION LEADER

Grey River Argus, 25 January 1943, Page 4

OPPOSITION LEADER

OBJECTS TO CENSORSHIP ON HIS CORRESPONDENCE PA CHRISTCHURCH. Jan. 24. A protest against interference with his personal correspondence by the Censorship Department has .been made bv the Leader of the Opposition. Mr S. G. Holland, to the Prime Minister, in a letter. Mr Holland compla'ned that the case of interference was no the first he had experienced. -Mr Holland's letter is to the Prime Minister, dated January 22: “A few days ago I forwarded by air mail to my office in Wellington a communication containing highly confidential and strictly private information of great importance, and addressed as follows: 'Private Secretary, Leader of the Opposition, Parliament Buildings, Wellington. Four official stamps were used for portage. While that communication was in the hands of the Post Office it. was opened and examined by an official of the Censorship Department before being delivered. I must enter the strongest possible protest against this interference with my private correspondence and with my right to use internal postal serwees as legitimate means of communication without the risk of important ‘documents being interfered with. _ As you know, correspondence of Ministers of the Crown is exempt from censorship. I regret to say that this is not the first occasion on which my personal mail has been subject to interference, and, following so soon after a recent occasion, when an important public statement I wished to make was suppressed by the Director of Publicity, you can appreciate that I feel very strongly in the matter.” Prime Minister’s Letters ALSO OPENED. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 24. Referring to Mr Holland’s letter regarding the censorship, the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when interviewed, stated: “I will make immediate inquiries of the Controller of Censorship. Mr McNamara. If Mr Holland’s letter has been subjected to censorship, I agree that he has every right to feel indignation about the matter.” Mr Fraser added: “I have had my own correspondence opened on several occasions by the censorship, obviously toy mistake.” . TIRED OFFICIAL’S MISTAKE P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan, 24. When he was telephoned, from Christchurch, Mr McNamara, Censorship Controller, commented that there generally was very little censorship of inland mails, and certainly no censorship, other than by mistake, of letters addressel to or from Members of Parliament If a letter were inadvertently opened, some censor had become tired it his work.