HARMFUL BOOKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23121, 20 August 1938, Page 17

HARMFUL BOOKS

CHECK ON IMPOKTS EFFORTS BY MINISTER EXPLANATION IN HOUSE [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WE LUNG TON, Friday Efforts which he had been making to discourage the importation of magazines likely to have a harmful effect upon youthful minds were referred to by the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Nash, during the consideration of the Customs Department estimates in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Nash said the Government was now following the British policy of allowing the greatest possible liberty in the importation of literature, so long as it was neither obscene nor advocated violence. Tho question arose when tho Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Opposition— Hurunui) asked what was the attitude of the Customs Department, which was the controlling authority, toward the importation of books and magazines generally. Degree of Liberty "Tho people have the right, as they should, to read what books they like," the Minister said, "There is no censorship of political thought." Mr. Forbes: Then anybody can bring ill any class of literature they like? "Oh, no," Mr. Nash replied. "They may not bring in anything that is nasty in the way of being obscene, or which advocates violence, but as far as political creeds arc concerned there is no censorship." Mr. Forbes: What about Communism? Docs it not advocate violence? "We believe it is far better to bring these things out in the open than to shut them up," the Minister said. "We have the British procedure here now, and it allows of the maximum amount of liberty, so long as people do not advocate violence." "Pulp" Magazines Mr. S. G. Smith (Opposition—New Plymouth) said there was strong resentment throughout the country about the importation of what were known as "pulp" magazines. He asked whether there was any restriction on that class of thing. "I think the best procedure to adopt in dealing with nasty publications is to refrain from giving them publicity," Mr. Nash said. "During the past three months I have done a good deal of work with the object of inducing booksellers and. importers not to brnig these magazines into tho country, as l"bclieved that such a course would be more effective than driving them underground. If these magazines still keep coming into tho country—-and they tend to disintegrate young minds and bodies —the Government will have to consider taking some other action. Mr. Smith: What about magazines printed in New Zealand? _ "The police can take action in that case," the Minister replied.

NEWS BROADCASTS THE OFFICIAL BULLETIN PROPAGANDA SUGGESTED DENIAL BY PRIME MINISTER I"BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER 1 WELLINGTON, Friday Information concerning the system followed by the Prime Minister's Department in preparing news for the official bulletin broadcast nightly was sought by the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Opposition—Hurunui) during consideration of the estimates of the department in the House of Representatives to-day. "The news given out from the Prime Minister's Department over the radio has a fair amount ot party twist about it," said Mr. Forbes. "The Prime Minister and other members of the Government have plenty of other opportunities for putting propaganda over the air." The Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, said the instructions were that the bulletin was to contain anything in the nature of news items of a departmental character and other paragraphs of interest to the public, but not propaganda. "If it happens that the deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank have gone up by £5.000,000 members of the Opposition say it is propaganda," said Mr. Savage, "but if the.v go down by £5.000,000 wo are told by the Opposition that is news. No news is given out over the radio without my authority and I do my best to cut out anything in the nature of propaganda or anything that can be classified under that heading. Although the material is prepared by an official of the department I am in the last analysis responsible for what goes over the air."