"INDECENT" POSTCARDS.

NZ Truth, Issue 60, 18 August 1906, Page 5

"INDECENT" POSTCARDS.

DEALERS PROSECUTED AND FINED.

The Magistrate and the Amending Act.

"Evening Post" Showu to Have Printed Catchy Card.

At the Magistrate's Court lastSaturday morning before Dr. McArthur, S.M., John Wilkinson, bookseller and stationer, of Vivian-street',, was prosecuted on a charge of having sold to Gerald Maloney, on July 21, five picture post-cards which were of an immoral nature.

Chief Detective MeG-rath prosecuted and Mr Herdman appeared for Wilkinson, who pleaded not guilty.

Maloney is a shy-looking young policeman and he testified to the nurchase of five cards for which he paid ninepence each. The cards produced were those purchased, and when he was cross-examined as to why he considered the^ were immoral, the coy officer gently whispered that they were figures of women without any clothing on. When his attention was drawn to the fact that the womeni had tights on, Maloney still that women- with tights on could still be- immoral. Maloney further told the court that lie had selected the five cards himself, and added that the young worn an m the shop told him that the pictures we]re taken,: from life. He did'ndt know whether the picture of Pysche at the Bath had been shown him. : - : .

Maloney's evidence represented the police case, and Mr Herdman called Inspector Ellison who professed that he did not know whether sometime ago the Modern Milo had exhibited herself m a nude condition at a local theatre. Though he admitted having seen some of ths "Modern Milo" cards, he could not recollect the exhibition and confessed that he had probably missed something good.

Norman Aitken, a bookseller, stationer . and post-card seller of Char-lotte-street, was next called. He had received post-cards through the Post » -Office -and Customs and the

regulations were that anything imJnoral or offensive should be destroyed. He' "* had had post-cards printed, m Wellington. The rost-card produced, a representation of a blind man gazing on a woman allegedly adr justing her stocking, was published by him and had been printed at the office of the Wellington "Evening Post."

Dr. McArthur : Does it bear an imprint to that effect ?— No.

Mr Herdman : It is the most objectionable post-card that I have conic across ! ;

Aitken was next cross-examined 'by .Chief Detective McGrath with a view .jpf ascertaining whether the cards had been printed by the "Evening Post" without the permission of the proprietor. The witness' answer left no doubt : "I submitted the card to them and asked whether they would print it for me, and they said Yes without any argument."

Dr. McArthur : Did they say "yes without any argument !" (Smiles.)

Witness : It was printed m the ordinary way. of business.

The defendant then went into the witness box and said that the cards produced had come through the Customs to him. Others had come through the Post Office. They were printed by Mesch and Co., London-. Others were printed by Eyre and Spottiswood, London; and the latter firm printed Bibles. He had sold several cards of the kind forming the subject of the prosecution and had only received one complaint about them >and that was from a Salvation Army officer, who thought that such cards should not be exhibited m the window.

Mr Herdnian claimed that the case should be dismissed. Though it was necessary that all obscene and immoral pictures should be suppressed —all healthy-minded individuals would admit that— a line had to be drawn , somewhere. If the picture post-cards produced were obscene and calculated to give rise to immoral and libidinous thoughts then the police would have to prosecute art galleries all over the world. In the catalogue of the British- Royal Academy was to be found representations of nude females without any attempt to hide any part of their person. If such post-cards as those produced were of an immoral nature then such pictures as the Judgment of Paris and Pysche at the Bath would have to be condemned. The Rev. Mr North, Mr Herdman went on to s^y, had admitted taking a prominent part m these preosecutions. If Mr North appreciated art and had good taste he would see nothing improper m such cards, and, asked Mr Herdman, what chance would the defendant have before a jury composed of Rev. Mr Norths ? He next dealt with the "Evening Post," and reed nortion of an article advocatimr the suppression of immoral post-cards. This, he considered, was strange m view of the fact that the "Evening Post" itself had printed cards, which he considered worse than those forming the subject of the v nrosecutioQ*

Dr. McArthur said tJiat what th? Customs and Post Office did or did. not do did not concern him, and it did not matter much to him whether the police did or did not interfere with the "Modern Milo." He had to draw a bis line between those and the post-card he - was last called upon to deal with, they bein~ more ia the nature' of fun. He wished to call the attention of book-sellers to the fact that m an amending Act of 1904 of the Offensive Publications Act of 1892, (and it seemed to have escaped the attention of the authorities) any person charged before a Justice was liable to a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment for publishing; obscene pictures. In drawing the attention of the police to the fact he hoped that they would lay informations under that amending; Act against any who traded m grossly immoral pictures and he would deal with them. In the present case he would inflict a fine of £5 or one month's imprisonment. Joseph Maschner, on a chnree of ! selling a picture of an 'indecent, pni Mir.. 1 . .'.'ntitM +n«> "l r^vU ; Firrt ! Ca'^nor; iiv Wes >;)■■> " ci-- 1 r-jvr.? ' £f> u'c one monUi's ' impiisoijititjnfc.