NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20271, 3 June 1929, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

THE CENSORSHIP IN IRELAND. "The Censorship of Publications Bill, in a form very much amended and improved from the shape in which it was first presented, has passed the Dail," says the Irish Statesman. " The first incredible definition of indecency, which, if it meant anything, meant that any expression love between man and woman was an impropriety, has gone, and a defensible interpretation of the word 'indecent' has been substituted." The journal remarks that originally the bill would have allowed the censors to range over the whole field of thought, with authority to prohibit books dealing with science, philosophy, politics, as well as literature in general, on the vague grounds that the idea?, .'a them tended to be detrimental to public morality. " The censors are now instructed to take into account the' literary, artistic, scientific or historic merit or importance of a book; the language in which it is written; the nature and extent of the circulation which, in the opinion of the board, the book is intended to have; the class of reader who might reasonably be expected to reach such books, or any other relevant matters. The board shall consist of nine members, and seven of these must agree before a book can be condemned. These precise instructions remove the greatest flaws in the bill."

A COSTLY EXPERIMENT. " When the United States Shipping Board retires from tho sea its operations will have cost the Government an estimated three billion dollars (£600,000,000)," the Chicago Tribuno stated recently. "Since the Shipping Board was organised in 1917 for tho pur pose of building a bridgo of ships to France to aid in winning the war tho Government has expended for new construction, reconditioning of ships, purchase of vessels, operating losses and administrative expenses the sum of £727,000,000. During that* period tho board has taken in about £80,000,000, representing operating profits before 1920, receipts from sales of ships and funds from other sources. This amount, together with the value of the ships still owned by tho Shipping Board, leaves a cash deficit of £647,000,000 for the 11years period of Government ownership. Tho Government went into tho shipping business as an emergency measure of war time. Admitting that unusual cir cumstances existed, tho Government was incompetent in managing steamship operation. Vessels wcro assembled and equipped according to tho persuasiveness of salesmen. Marine doviccs requiring the installation of complete plants were supplied whero an efficient executive could have done tho samo job by an adjustment of apparatus. Tho waste, which can not bo excused by tho emergency of the situation, lias never been computed accurately. After tho war tho Government was induced to continue in tho shipping business at tho instanco of those who thought that the loss would be less than if tho ships wcro immediately sold. There wcro also agitators for the principle of Government ownership. The premium of three billion dollars which has been paid for an experiment in Government owner ship is not compensated even as an illus tration of the fallacy of that practice. The longer the Government retained the ships the more it lost."