MAIL OPENED

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 21944, 25 January 1943, Page 2

MAIL OPENED

COMPLAINT BY MR HOLLAND CENSOR’S INTERFERENCE (By Telegrapn.—Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday A protest against interference with his personal correspondence by the I Censorship Department has been j made by the Leader of the Opposi- | tion, Mr S. G. Holland, to the Prime j Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser. Mr Holland complained that the case of I interference was not the first he had I experienced. Mr Holland’s letter to the Prime i Minister, dated January 22, read: “A few days ago I forwarded by air mail to my office in Wellington a : communication containing highly- ■ confidential and strictly-private in- : formation of great importance and j addressed as follows: ‘Private Secretary, Leader of the Opposition, ParI Lament Buildings, Wellington.’ Four I official stamps were used for postage, j While that communication was in the (hands of the Post Office it was opened and examined by an official of the Censorship Department before | being delivered. | “I must enter the strongest possible protest against this interference | with my private correspondence and | with my right to use the internal j postal services as a legitimate means S of communication without risk of im- ! portant documents being interfered ; As you know correspondence of Ministers of the Crown is exempt j from censorship. I regret to say i that this is not the first occasion on ! which my personal mail has been • subject to interference and, following |so soon after the recent occasion | when an important public statement I wished to make was suppressed by the Director of Publicity, you can ■ appreciate that I feel very strongly in the matter.” | MISTAKE LIKELY j INQUIRIES TO BE MADE I (By TeleitraDh,—press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday “I will make immediate inquiries of the controller of censorship, Mr G. ! McNamara,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when interviewed regarding Mr Holland’s protest about j censorship of his personal correspondence. ‘‘lf Mr Holland’s letter I was subject to censorship, 1 agree he i has every right to feel indignant ! about the matter,” said Mr Fraser. | ‘‘l have had my own correspondence opened on several occasions by censorship officials, obviously by mistake.” i When interviewed by telephone : from Christchurch, Mr McNamara commented that there was generally very little censorship of inland mails, and certainly no censorship other than by accident of letters addressed to or from members of Parliament. If a letter was inadvertently opened some censor had become tired at his work.