OPENED BY CENSOR

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 102, 25 January 1943, Page 4

OPENED BY CENSOR

Mr. Holland’s Personal Correspondence COMPLAINT TO PRIME MINISTER (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 24. A protest against interference with his personal correspondence by the Censorship Department lias been made by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland, to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser. In his letter, Mr. Holland complained that, the ease of interference was not the first he had experienced.

Mr. Holland’s letter, dated January 22, to the Prime Minister, read: “A few davs ago, 1 forwarded by air mail to my otlice in Wellington a communication containing highly confidential and strictly private information _ of great importance and addressed as follows:—Private Secretary, Leader of the Opposition, Parliament Buildings, Wellington. Four oliieial stamps were used for postage. While that communication was in the hands of the Post Office it was oiiened 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 mv right to use the internal postal services as a legitimate means of communication without risk of important documents being interfered with., As you know, tlie correspondence of Ministers of the Crown is exempt from censorship. “I regret to say 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.”

INQUIRIES PROMISED

Inadvertence Suggested (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 24. -1 will make immediate inquiries of the Controller of Censorship, Mr. McNamara. If Mr. Holland's letter was subjected to censorship, i agree he lias every right to feel indignation about (he 'matter," said Mr. Fraser when interviewed, “f have had iny own correspondence opened on several occasions by tlie censorship, obviously by mistake.” When telephoned 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. it’ flic letter had inadvertently been opened, some censor liad become tired at ills work.