THE CENSORSHIP.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 14096, 3 January 1919, Page 5

THE CENSORSHIP.

ADMIRAL SIM’S CRITICISM. An interesting comment on the British censorship was made hy Admiral Sims, the American Naval Commander, at a dinner given in London to Ameri can pressmen a few weeks ago. Admiral Sims, who was received with loud cheers, said everybody in Great Britain was down on the Censor, bnt much of the criticism of that official was unjust—(“Oh, oh!” end laughter) —because he had to draw a general rule which must embrace all classes of people, including scoundrels and fools. That made the application of the general rule pretty hard on sensible people. They knew now that the Britisii censorship had been largely a mistake in not giving out enough information, in order that all might know what the war was about and what the conditions were. When he came to this countryeighteen months ago all that he had seen in the American papers was what had passed through the English censorship. The consequence was that the ignorance in America was lamentable, and had kept his country out of th© ■war longer than she would have kept out of it. The censorship kept out of the press lots of stuff which the Germans knew more about than the British public, and that was very detrimental to the Americans. Wher they came to this country, and saw what the actual conditions were, and then sent back their reports, they were accused of being so pro-British as not to know what they were about. That continued until the House Mission came over, about seven months afterwards, and when the members of that mission went bac« they made Americans ’ hair stand on end, and they knew what it was all about.