OVERSEAS MAILS

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 49

OVERSEAS MAILS

STRICT REGULATIONS ADVISABLE. CHRISTCHURCH, January 15. A great deal of inconvenience is caused to business people and others in the dominion by the censorship regulation which forbids the publication of any information regarding the arrival and departure of oversea, mails. In Australia a less tight rein is kept on the censorship, and the newspapers thero regularly announce the arrivals or departures as long as three or four days ahead of the expected event The matter was brought to tho notice of Sir Joseph Ward to-night, and in reply Sir Joseph said he had been considering the matter during the last day or so. Personally, he could seo no reason at all why in New Zealand the same procedure should not be followed as in Australia, but he pointed out that tho regulations controlling the censorship here were in the hands of the Defence Department He realised that, longer notice of the arrival and departure of mails would be of benefit to the publio generally, and if Australia could giy| it without danger, he thought we could do so here. Ho had already made up his mind to communicate with the Minister of Defence on the matter, and to bring it before 'Cabinet, and he believed a change that would be satisfactory to all concerned could be made. January 17. Referring to the different policies adopted in Australia and New Zealand with refei--ence to the notification of the arrival and departure of mails, Sir James Allen said that any change in the present regulations would be a matter for Cabinet. " The present position is," he said, " that we have definite instructions from the Heme Government that wo should not relax our regulations in New Zealand, although Canada has relaxed her regulations. The matter was so represented to the Imperial Government that Canada was asked to reimpose strict conditions again, and as far as I know she . did so. It Is true that the Australians are not exercising tho same strict but that is a matter for the Imperial authorities to consider. I want it to be understood., that wo" do not want to impose any restrictions. It is simply done for the purpose of saving our ships and the lives of < our people. Too much information has got out about the movement of our vessesl."