The Chronicle LEVIN. FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1916.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 March 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1916.

PliJi'SS GENSOBSHIP AND THK EG U TIAN MUTINk. Amongst the goneral readers of newspapers there is a disposition to complain about tlie paucity of the real news as to the war that characterises the cablegrams. The complaint is justifiable, but it should be borne in mmd by all newspaper readers that the newspapers give ail the news they are able to give, and that the censorsnip is responsible for the non-publication of items of real interest that (to a lay mind; seem to possess no element oi danger to the operating forces of great Britain and her Aliies. Such an instance, to our mind, was illustrated in yesterday's issue of The Horowii«nua Daily Chronicle, when we were enabled to publish a most interesting account of the mutiny ot ten thousand Egyptian natives (reserves) against their constituted authority. incidentally, the suppression of this item of news (we believe it has appeared in print nowhere outside Levin; has caused the- currency ot a rumour really detrimental; we* reier to tne aJlegedi mutiny ot Indian soldiers m ■KJ.eypt, of which aJleged occurrence » contradiction was cabled to Australasia this week, by Captain -Bean'"(official correspondent with the Australian forces). The extraordinary part about' this contradiction is that the official representative ot the Australians sen i

no word of the reality that caused tiie onliard to circulate; yet the Australian iigint Horse was the ilritieli xorco tihat actually subdued the Egyptian mutineers. The tacts we "speak or elhow clearly how desirable it is th;iL the official in Egypt and eisewJaere should be less strictly exercised then seems to be the * case. Apropos of some. remarks made by Mr Louis .Blundeli, chairman of the New Zealand United Press Association, in his address at the association's annual meeting hela "'ast month, are worthy of. perysaJ in the light of the facts "adduced in this article, for they show very clearly the great disadvantages that the" newspaper press labours under in its endeavours to do its duty to the puMdc. Mr iJlundel't said:—"l have mentioned the censorship. The chairman last year had something to say on the subject, and I cannot report that there lias bee a any great improvement. Une of the most irritating things that -has comie under my observation was the fancy these gentlemen took to hold up a short but extremely interesting oa'ble about the i\ew Zealand troops at Gail.ipoli until the £sydney papers*" oonfcaininig it hadi actually arrived m New. Zealand. It was such a glaring case that I felt impelled to write a (strong remonstrance to th' - \rrime Minister, which never obtained the courtesy of more than a formal repm~. j For a time, however, these officials ! became less mischievour,, but they have ! ibroken out again lately, and hav« , been most unnecessarily " interfering, 1 and sticking up messages for hours ! and days at a time. By my direction - the manager has taken up the matter, ! both personally and by letter, with the responsible authorities. The Government shield themselves under the plea

of instructions from the Imperial Gov ernini©n.t. The censors are given or dens tor a temporary purpose, but »< , responsible person ever troubles to j cancel or withdraw them after th< , necessity is over, ana the censors til * go ail blindly carryHig ineih out. .1 J these messages, be it remembered hare been passed by tiie Imperial Gov ernment's own censors, ana again bj censors in Australia. 'iiius message! which should appear in the morning papexs find their way into the eveningt and vice versa, after a couple of daye delay, and confuse and worry our stal who are expected to see each cla« , of papers receives its due share. A similar recrudescence of activity ha: also taken place in Australia, where t new chief censor has succeedied the oil one, and appears to be worse than th< other, though the latter was oat

enough. It is through t-iieir interference, so" our Sydney manager reports t/hat oni the last day ot tiie year nearli all the cabies meant for evening payors were Clocked, and that the lattei were deprived of most of the news in tended for them that day. timet then I notice these men nave orderec the Australian papers to refrain iron coiinmenting in any way on wiha.t the,; choose, to dio to messages, a neat bul entirely objectionable method of stilling criticism." ——w——mstammm