"SANCTITY OF THE POST."

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 20053, 11 April 1914, Page 7

"SANCTITY OF THE POST."

HOW QUACKS AND GAMBLERS

USE THE POST,

HUNDREDS OF OFFICIAL INTERDICTION^.

The part played by the Gen.*:.; Post Office in the dissemination of gambling literature was the subject ot inquiries made by the correspondent of the " Auckland Star " on Thursday. He ascertained that the Department exercises constant vlgielance to intercept a flood of postal literature which regularly comes from outside countries, and which, if circulated through the Dominion, would provide easy opportunities for quacks who cater for the depraved and sensual, and that still largei class enfected with the gambling passion.

As an Indication of the constant effort to the good end, a highly-placed postal official pointed out to me that an Italian lottery linn, whose scheme was exposed in the *' Lyttleton Times " last week, had its correspondence with New Zealand officially in- j terdicted on the day the article ap-1 peared. information having previously oeen In the Department's possession. Often in such cases the lottery circular affords sufficient evidence to justiiy the drastic step of refusing to pass through the post any communication to or from the lottery princiA POWER FOR GOOD. •• The Post Office Is a big power lot ; good in this way," remarked the official. " At one time there were I hosts of circulars coming to this country dealing with gambling schemes, indecencies of many kinds, quack remedies and swindles. Sometimes our attention is drawn to the matter by the Governments of other countries, or by the conviction of individuals who have been carrying on illegal practices. We appreciate the help given by the public, and will always no glad to receive objectionable matter which gets past our scrutiny." INTERDICTIONS BY THE HUNDRED. I was shown the official list of interdictions current at the present date. They number nearly tnree hundred, though many addresses which are barred life simply alternatives adopted from time to time by clever scoundrels who are continually getting their wings clipped by postal interdiction. Sydney provides the most luxurian crop of activities which trespass against the law. Nearly a third of all the quacks and panderers to vice, who have been fnup.a out by the New Zealand Postal Department, have headquarters there. Melbourne figures largely, too, but thinly, owing to the popular practice of address duplicating. One irrepresible gentleman, whose postal opperations are rigidly barred, possessed establishments in Sydney Brisbane, Adelaide, Kalgoorlie and Wellington. "' The Index expurgis " comprises a remarkable variety of firms, striking evidence of the limitless credulity of the public. There are " professors " and " academies " by the half-dozen, electricity figures largely In many of the high-sounding titles of the Inter-d-kited firms, and there is even an alle ted banking association.

1 IMPORTANT LIMITATIONS

" ' Tattersall's, Hobart,' is on our list, but the sweepstake business flourishes, nevertheless, because the Post Office has its limitations. It must sacredly respect the secrecy of the post. The man who sends a closed letter to an address not on the interdicted list can be quite that no official ' Pail Pry ' interferes with it. The administrative chiefs of the Post Office appear from my impressions to be particularly anxious to avoid interference -with what one of lUem called " the sanctity of th« post. There is no possibility of formation obtained by postal officials In the course of their duty being used to the prejudice of individuals excopt where the individuals are actually convicted of an offence. To give ex parto information to the police is not their function. The suspicion that a man is engaged in some illegal business with the aid of the mails is not enough for action; there must be legal proof or nothing is done to interfere with his correspondence. Under the cover of this scrupulous regard for the " sanctity of the post " the New Zealand bookmaker, purveyor of long odds on doubles, continues to nourish. So long as his double cards are not sent through the post in unsealed packets as commercial papers the bookmaker is safe from postal interference, but once a man is convicted under the Gaming Act the Department can assist in the suppression of his illegal business by stopping his correspondence, and depriving him of the use of a box at the Post Officfi