THE CENSORSHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16277, 9 January 1915, Page 12

THE CENSORSHIP

AUTOCRATIC ACTION ALLEGED. WORK OF THE PRESS BUREAU. (Fhom Our Own Coebespondent.) LONDON, November 13. Sir William Bull, the Unionist M.P. for Hammersmith, in the course of the debate on the King's Speech, drew attention to tti9 censorship of the press and the lack of information on matters of public interest of past events supplied to the press. He complained of the delay in the censor's department in releasing information which had reached the newspapers, and which had been submitted to it, and instances the case of the sinking of the Niger off Deal, which was known to the newspapers at 11.30 in the morning, but which was not released by the censorship until half an hour aft?r "midnight, it had also interfered in matters other than those of a military nature, such, for instance, as articles denouncing the spy danger, criticisms of the transport of the wounded, the delay in paying out money to soldicTs and their wives and dependents, and also questions of foreign policy dealing with neutral countries. In fact, the censorship was, in his opinion, in danger of becoming an autocratic authority which would stifle nil criticism. It had even censored the French reports. Generally, the work of the censor was not done with intelligent sympathy. It was obvious that his department did not understand the difficulties which journalism had to meet. THE OFFICIAL REPLY. Sir S. O. Buckmastcr (Solicitor-general) declared it was his wish as Press Censor that information should not be allowed; to see the light unless it was tested by the corsideration whether its publication would afford any assistance to the enemy or unduly depress our people or disclose the movements of our troops or our fleet, or directly or indirectly imperil the national safety. If the office of censor were assumed to be the creature of any Government, and bound to act under their direction in stopping any matter the Government did not wish published, instead of being a good, useful office, it would become a very great danger to the Sfritc. lie had always been anxious to expedite as far as he could the publication of news at the earliest possible moment. Sometimes it was delayed m order that it might be officially confirmed. If some of the news they hail been shown had been passed without "confirmation many of our capital vessels would have been annihilated and consternation would have been caused in the country. Such news, happily, had no foundation. He was amazed at the statement of Sir William Bull that the discussion of foreign policy should not be subject to tho censorship. Time and again during this war articles had been published by newspapers without tho authority of the Press Bureau which had grievously impaired our relations with neutral Powers, and had rendered still more difficult the delicate and difficult task to be discharged by the Foreign Secretory. He regretted tint he had not been able to exercise a more severe censorship over some newspapers which had dealt with foreign questions, and he made no apology for what had been done. AN OFFICIAL FRENCH REPORT. Tho Solicitor-general admitted that upon one occasion a French official communication wa.s censored, and his only regret was that it was not done more completely. This oflli i;il communication disclosed a most critical and important movement of our troops. and he regretted he was too late effectively to strike it out. The result was that one newspaper after another got hold of this piece of information, enlarged it, inflamed it, and explained it, until at. last a movement which was essential for tho safety of our troops was made public. What he did was to execute to the best of his ability the orders of the Admiraltv and the War Office. Referring to the censoring of the Prime Minister's speech in regard to the landing of Indian troops at Marseilles, he snid that the statement of the Prime Minister was not accurate. The troops had not been landed at Marseilles. lie could not stop it completely, but as far as he could he did so. So far from regretting what ho had done, he regretted that it was not in his power to have expunged that passage from the report of the speech in every newspaper. With the assistance of the Attorney-general he had been able to leave all legal work to him, and he spent on an averago 13 hours a day at the Press Bureau devoting himself solely nm] unremittingly to the work In their military room they had two highly export jour mi lists assisting, and in the cable censor's room thoy also had trained journalists. He proceeded to acknowledge the loyalty of tho press, and the assistance they had given to enable the work to be carried out as efficiently as on the whole he thought it had been carried out It ought to remembered that the Press Bureau was the only thing that stood between the prens and the untempered sev«ity of martial law. They had savrd the public from being depressed through the dissemination of untrue, statements as to disasters, and from the reaction that would follow knowledge of tho oircuinstanre that reported victories had no foundation in fact.