CENSORSHIP OF FILMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22045, 27 February 1935, Page 12

CENSORSHIP OF FILMS

STRICTER* CONTROL URGED METHODIST CONFERENGE VIEW [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] DUNEDIN, Tuesday A discussion took place at the annual conference of the Methodist Church today on the question of the standard of motion pictures and the attitude of Church members to undesirable films.

Several speakers said a difficulty arose that they could not know beforehand what were good and what were objectionable films, and a suggestion was made that newspapers, or the Methodist Church paper, should publish an unbiased opinion dividing the pictures into three classes, those fit for children, those fit for young people, and those fit for adults. The Rev. E. S. Emmett said that such a resolution treated the conference in a childish way. Ho considered it was a reflection on the common sense of Church people. The conference carried the following resolution: —"That this conference, while expressing sincere appreciation of the efforts of picture censorship reform committees to secure a stricter Government censorship of films and posters, regrets that the present position leases much to be -desired, more particularly in regard to the objectionable character of advertising postern exhibited in all our main thoroughfares. We therefore urge the Government to undertake a stricter censorship."