CENSORSHIP IN AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 194, 15 May 1944, Page 5

CENSORSHIP IN AUSTRALIA

Students’ Procession MINISTER’S CHARGES DENIED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received May 14, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 13. The Commonwealth Attorney-Gen-eral, Dr. Evatt, said at a Press conference in Sydney that he had received a report stating that every organizer of the recent street procession by university students to protest against the suppression of Sydney newspapers had been “either an employee of a newspaper or a wireless man.” The president of the Students’ Representative Council at Sydney University, Miss Moya McDade, has emphatically denied the allegation contained in Dr. Evatt's statement. Dr. Evatt did not reveal the source of the report he had received, but it is learned that Commonwealth peace officers, who are controlled by Dr. Evatt’s department, last week visited the university to inquire into reports about the street procession and spent an hour interviewing oflicials of the University Labour Club. Denying that newspaper or wireless interests either directly or indirectly organized the procession, Miss McDade, said a meeting of 500 students, after being addressed by two university professors and a lecturer, spontaneously endorsed the suggestion for a procession as a protest against the suppression of newspapers. The president of the Australian Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, Mr. R. A. Henderson, said he was certain no Sydney newspaper bad been in any way associated with the organization of the students’ procession. He added: “Dr. Evatt s announcement of the report he received, with its implied criticism of newspapers, appears to indicate that Dr. Evatt supports the suppression of Sydney newspapers. This is surprising, because Dr. Evatt himself has been a severe critic of the use of the censorship tor political purposes.” ~ „ Miss Avril Collins, president of the University Labour Club, described a l° n -’ interview she had with Commonwealth peace officers. She said she informed them that she now decided that an allegation made by the Labour Club that the procession had not been spontaneous could not be substantiated, and she had decided to retract it.' She said: Pence officers advised me not to be too misty about retracting. They said, ‘You, don t know what forces are behind you.