RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights On Current Events (By Kickshaws). What? Slovakia, too? It looks as if the newspapers will have to set up permanently the heading “Today’s Annexation.” * * * Some time ago folk were saying Europe was going to be no place without an Eden handy. * * * Many of New Zealand’s old bridges it is stated, are kept together by their reputation. That’s the sort of compliment calculated to make a good bridge strut.

The “Daily Clarion’s” correspondent at Prague says that. . . and the “Morning Reporter’s” special correspondent a| Berlin says something else. It is all carefully -read by readers interested it' the weekly annexation. Indeed, thii and other facts are taken at face value, partly because few of us realize th< difficulties under which the “Daily Clarion’s" correspondent may be worto ing. We have reached a stage in world events where the treatment permitted in one country is very different from the sort of news permitted to emanate from some other country. If there were a time when one has to read between the lines, or by some second sight refuse to accept something as correct, we are living in that time. We live in an Empire where there has been virtually no censorship exerted in peace-time over the transmission of items of news. On the whole, therefore, news emanating from Empire sources is usually above suspicion. But this need not always be the case from sources on the Continent and elsewhere.

Those who daily scan their newspapers to discover the latest facts about the totalitarian States and other States might well appreciate the fact that iu all of them a strict censorship is operative, and has been operative for some time. Indeed, a strict Press censorship at the moment is operative over half the world. Included in the list of countries where censorship is complete are Russia, Germany, Italy, Japan, China, Spain, Poland, Turkey, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, a time when one has to read between the Portugal, Bulgaria, Iran, Syria Palestine, Iraq, Brazil and Siam. There is a genuine freedom permitted the Press in whole of the British Empire) except to to a limited extent in India ami Palestine), the United States of America, Holland, Switzerland, and possibly Scandinavia. Nevertheless, it is perhaps significant that in the last-named country official pressure is increasing to refrain from criticism of Germany. It is perhaps also significant that Germany hopes that in the event of war Scandinavia would be persuaded to come iu oil Germany’s side.

In the dissemination of news all over the world various news agencies play an important part. Probably the most important are Reuters, which serves Britain and her interests largely in the Empire, the Associated Press of America, and Haves of France, which serves South America as well as other parts of the French Colonial Empire. Maybe some idea of the status of these agencies may be obtained by regarding them from the German point of view. Certain secret “directives” issued from Berlin in 1933 regarding “General Instructions for German Propaganda” mention these press agencies as being hostile to Germany. Indeed, an effective method was even suggested of dealing with undesirable agencies. The instructions ran "Headquarters will endeavour, in future, more strenuously and more frequently than hitherto, to smuggle into the hands of hostile news agents ‘material’ aud ■announcements,’ the transmission of which will compromise these hostile news representatives. This material is selected here (Berlin) in such a way that not only in every case can its publication be met by denial, but it can also be effectually and publicly refuted.”

Before the German annexation of Czechoslovakia the lot of a special correspondent was by no means, easy, despite the fact that the freedom of the Press was actually written into the constitution of that State. Anti-German reports were expressly forbidden several years ago. The sale of certain periodicals hostile to Germany bad been banned. There was a complete veto on all matters which might be useful directly or indirectly to an enemy. Publication was forbidden on matters related to mobilization ; the movements of troops; measures adopted against air and gas attack: matters related to. military camps and munition works; work proceeding in the frontier zone that might be of a military nature; details of men working in strategic areas; news about the postal and telegraph services. No news was permitted about the construction of railway lines, stations, roads, bridges and the like of strategic value. Since Munich the ban had been even more strict. It will be observed, therefore, that a special correspondent had very little opportunity of cabling anything interesting.

Obviously, all news from Prague subsequent to the German annexation must be considered with even greater care than before. German authorities make no secret of the fact that a strict Press censorship exists. In this they differ from the Italian point of view, where the censorship, although as severe, is not acclaimed officially. Indeed, the censorship is so strict the news presented in the German Press i s a monotonous series of items about nothing in particular except, of course, where officially inspired articles and news items are concerned. Indeed, inspired news filled the German newspapers at the time of the Munich Pact and previously. . No mention was made of the fact that an attack on Czechoslovakia might mean war with Britain and France. The news columns were filled with more pertinent fare. When a Sudeten German was killed in a tavern ’fight the incident was published with large headlines. Only one German newspaper took the trouble to repqrt that the murderer was not a Czech. Indeed, when 13 men were killed In a street scuflle no mention was made of the fact that nine of the killed were Czechs.

A reader writes that he has iu his possession a number of Victorian “bun” farthings. He would be willing to let “Parson” have some of each date.

[Perhaps “Parson” would care to get in touch with Kickshaws ou the subject.]

"Cookie” writes:—“Could any of your readers tell be the origin of ’the words ‘in spite of all temptations to belong to other nations—remains an Englishman’?” [What about Gilbert’s "Pinafore”?)