THE CENSOR’S BAN

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1931, Page 2

THE CENSOR’S BAN

•HINTS TO READER'S.

Some amusing -suggestions were made by -Mr Lloyd Ross in an address at |Otago fUlliVersitiy, says the Dunedin ''•Star.” -Mr Ross entitled his address, “Eluding the Censor.”

•His motive in travelling the world ■was to see plays and read books he was unable to witness or read in this country, although it-' was impossible to see and read all the plays and books produced, said Mr Ross. In Sweden he read a work of Torrence, in Paris he dipped imo. "Ulysses,” and in Vienna he read other books that were banned elsewhere, but it was impossible to buy all the books he would have liked to. Not long ago a book called “Girth Control” was banned here because the invoice was blurred a little and it was thought the book had something -to .do with .family limitation.

Speaking of the films shown in New Zealand, -Ur Ross said people would say that one was good just because it was British, while another was bad because it was American. The reason for this reckoning was that there were so many complicated judgments by censors that the people had to draw upon omething simple themselves. There was a second problem, and that was whether there were any tests -of insanity or immorality in books in any country to justify their being banned by the censor. The “Oberammergau” spiritually uplifted those who sat it but for sight hours, yet what strengthened the faith in Bavaria was regarded in England as blasphemy. An English censor was once .invited to travel to America at no expense to himself to see a play, “Green Pastures,” in ■ which the- Deity was represented, but because he cons'dered this wrong he would not view the play. Summing up his remarks, Mr Ross said that what was wanted was an automatic censorship. “I am going to propose that every twelfth play produced, that every twentieth film, and that -every fiftieth book be banned. We have to realise that someone has to read bad books, so why not abolish censorship merely because of the evil it must do the censors tliems<Tves ? We are told that in 1928 New Zealand censors inspected 6j million feet of film. Therefore these' men every day watch films, thereby murdering their own lives to prevent us from murdering ours. There are three men ip Wellington who are inoculated from evil, and by their daily functions they must be arrogant and devoid of humour. Let us, then set up a society to censor for ourselves, and let us read banned books.”