THE CENSORSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1920, Page 5

THE CENSORSHIP.

PROTEST AGAINST ITS CONTWU- ' ANCE. / (From a Parliamentary Reporter.' Wellington, July t. ' A warm protest against the continue once of .the censorship on correspondence and against the banning of certain books . was made by the leader of the Labor, Party (Mr. Holland) in the House this evening. Mr. Holland said he cottld prove that the censorship was still *ot« ive, and that books winch were allowed free circulation in other countries, including Britain, were ordered by the Government to be excluded from New Zealand, An order requiring' the censorship of all postal matter received from Central Europe, and from Russia had been issued by the Post Office in May last. "Provided that a book is written- in clean language, every man arid every woman in this country has.as much right to read it as the Prime Minister and his officers have," said Mr. Holland. "If you do not proceed along the lines of knowledge how are you going to proceed f If you do not know what other people are writing and thinking about Russia, for example, how are you going to form opinions? I have this advantage over you, .that there is not a proscribed book that I have not read. 'Sou are denied that knowledge. You have the right to get that knowledge if only to answer me. I deny the right of any man "on the Government benches to say what I shall read or Bhall not read." Mr. Holland quoted examples of the operation of the censorship on books. A Frenchman of high standing had gone to 'Russia with a military mission and had written a report to the French . people. That 'pamphlet was circulated ' in France and Britain, but was ex- ' eluded from New Zealand by the Customs 'Department. A Victorian menv ber of the Federal Parliament, a member of the Press Commission, had written a book about European affairs, : which had been printed in Australia but excluded from New Zealand. The book contained nothing but historical fact, and it had been read by some members of the House. Various book* printed in England and freely draw lated there were banned by the censor* ahip here. This barrier against knowledge ought not to be permitted by the people of New Zealand.