PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 August 1940, Page 7

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

COMMENT OR CRITICISM IN LETTERS. NOT BEING CENSORED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “Complaint is made that whole pages are cut out of letters that contain nothing subversive or hostile to the Government,” said Mr Bodkin ( Opposition, Central Otago) is asking an urgent question of the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, on the censorship of letters. Mr Bodkin asked Mr Fraser whether he, would inform the House on what principles the censor dealt with letters going overseas and whether reasonable comment and criticism of Government policy and public affairs was allowed. The Prime Minister replied that comment on, or criticism of, Government policy and public affairs was permitted by the censorship, which was only interested in removing from letters any references to defence matters and movements of British shipping. “In the first stages of censorship,” said Mr Fraser, “some confusion in regard to its scope arose and letters were cut unnecessarily, but this was dealt with by myself many months ago. Since that time, I am informed, nothing has been cut out of letters except references dangerous to the war effort,”