The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1915. AN UNINTELLIGENT CENSORSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 282, 7 May 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1915. AN UNINTELLIGENT CENSORSHIP.

It was an American observer who wrote tliat tins English people who have sent and are sending the very llower their country's manhood to the front, are lieginning'to regret the error in judgment that has left the rest of the Englisuspeaking world in comparative ignorance of the true situation, and also said: "England is fighting heroically, stoically; hut her stoicism is a vital mistake. This silence has nothing whatever to do with military movements, their success or their failure. It is more fundamental an inherent characteristic of the English character, founded on reserve —perhaps tinged with that often misunderstood conviction of the Britisher that other persons cannot be really interested in tfhat is strictly another's affair. The Allies are beginning to realise, however, that this war

is not their own affair alone. It affects the world too profoundly. Mentally, morally, spiritually and commercially, it is an upheaval in which all must suffer." That American writer could have added with equal force that the British authorities have not yet allowed the full truth to come out. The authorities appear to have an inherent dislike to take the public into their confidence and tell them frankly and fully the exact position of. things. They need have no fear of the result. The average Britisher has shown throughout the ages that lie can face with equanimity and courage the greatest disadvantage, hai'dship or . reverse. There, is no necessity to magnify slight advantages gained on the field of battle, nor to minimise or vloud over reverses. The authorities should trust the public'more, and tell them the trutli, consistent, of course, with military necessities and precautions. The Chancellor of the Tixchequer said some weeks ago: " At the end of this war, we shall either be vassals of the German military caste, drunk with success, or we. shall have broken militarism for ever." We have to break German militarism. That is ali clear as a pikestaff, for to be vassals of the Germans or any other country is unthinkable. Most Britishers would prefer to die first. But to break German militarism requires powerful armies, great courage and infinite resources. It does no good to underestimate the power of tiie enemy. ITe lias shown us that he is the mflst formidable. energetic and resourceful nation in arms civilisation has ever been cursed by. e and our Allies have to do more than match liini; we have to overpower and conquer him. Eight months of war we have hud, but as yet we have not appreciably v eukened him. We have seined some no.'aide success; so has our enenn, but the censor has not permitted us to know much about the Allies' reverse-:. This censoring of news has been very largely responsible for a good deal of the. ignorance prevailing as to the actual posit;m of tilings.' Only the of her day (lie London Daily Mail s.iid: If {]i,. German Headquarters' report contains even a fraction of truth, (lie ground losi, during the last weekhas not yef, been recovered by the 'Allies. On almost every important point this flatly contradicts our bulletins, '""'•f >"'<• matters of the most extreme importance to the nation.-'' ].' or some ,im,; »"*<• «'«"•* J"»s Wn an inere«„ig number of cablegrams fron'i Berlin ap*

pearing in the papprs.. Th«. mason' ia not far to seek. . Tlio English .papers, from which we get of the cablegrains appearing in New Zealand papers, have grown tired of the British censorship which eliminates the truth and permits only unimportant, fjoagmuntary, and frequently trivial, items to pass, and so the. papers arrange,- to publish the German version in order to give the, public an opportunity of drawing their own eoncksiojis., This British tensor, stupid and incompetent as he lias proved himself, is one of the biggest enemies we have, and. should be superseded ky a competent and intelligent and patriotic authority who can judge what is of service to. the Empire and what is dangerous.. Were this change effected, Miv Asquint would find all his hopes realised. Then, in his words, then; will not be; a man or woman, "who at the end of' Win- struggle, is not able to. say " I wasn't idle in the greatest task in the storied annals which has ever fallen to. tflie lot of Britain to 'achieve."'