CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 December 1929, Page 8

CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS

A LABOUR REQUEST. 'WELLINGTON, December 17. The release o.i' Griffin and Murphy, who are in gaol on a three months’ sentence for having in their possession literature held to be contrary to* the War Regulations Continuance Act., was one of the requests of a deputation from the Alliance of Labour to the lion. Mr 'Forbes, Acting-Prime Minister, and the Hon. Mr Sidey, Minister for Justice.

The deputation also asked for the repeal of ,the War Regulations Continuance Act, and it the Board of Censorship was to be continued, for representation of the Labour movement upon that Board.

Speakers said that the country was full of indecent literature prejudicial to the morals of the community, yet books which were, of particular interest to students of economics and politics were banned. The sentence imposed hv Mr Page was claimed to be a vicious sentence. Mr Forbes, in tbe course of bis answer, said that be had not studied the question to know whether the Board required bringing up to date 01 not. He would be pleased to go into tbe requests with the Minister foi Justice and see if the censorship could not be put on a commonsense basis, if, as they had said, a number of books were being banned that could not be brought within tbe category of being direct incitement to violence. He took it that wa.s what the law aimed at. The feeling in most countries was that that sort of literature was not conducive to good government. With regard to the release of the prisoners so that they could spend Christmas outside the gaol, Mr Forbes pointed out that dealing with the sentence of a Magistrate was a very serious matter. “But we will go into the question,” lie said, “and let you know in a day or two.”