Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents Part 3

=(1) Objectionable Publications=

There has been a great wave of public indignation against some paper-backed or "pulp" printed matter. Crime stories, tales of "intimate exciting romance", and so-called "comics" have all been blamed for exciting erotic feelings in children. The suggestiveness in the cover pictures of glamour girls dressed in a thin veiling often attracts more attention than the pages inside.

Immorality would probably not result from the distribution of these publications, unless there were in the child, awaiting expression, an unhealthy degree of s.e.xual emotionalism. Some of these publications are, possibly, more harmful to girls than to boys in that girls more readily identify themselves with the chief characters. One striking piece of information which was conveyed to the Committee was that the girls under detention in a certain inst.i.tution (the greater number of them had had a good deal of s.e.xual experience) decided that various publications were more harmful than films because the images conveyed by the printed matter were personal to them and more lasting.

The Committee has been deluged with periodicals, paper-backed books, and "comics" considered by their respective senders to be so harmful to children and adolescents that their sale should not be permitted. But, while all the publications sent are objectionable in varying degrees, they cannot be rejected under the law as it at present stands because that law relates only to things which are indecent or obscene.

An Inter-departmental Committee set up in 1952 to report on worthless and indecent literature similarly found that, while publications intended for adults are controlled by the Indecent Publications Act (which in the opinion of that Committee, was adequate providing the public initiated action under it), comics and other publications outside the scope of that Act might be objectionable for children.

When considering comics it is essential to appreciate the difference between the traditional comic, intended exclusively for children, and the more modern style which is basically designed for low-mentality adults. Both styles and variations of them circulate widely in New Zealand among children and adolescents. In general, however, younger children buy, and even prefer, the genuine comic which is not harmful and may even be helpful. Adolescents, and adults also, are attracted by comic books that have been denounced by various authorities as anti-educational, and even pernicious, in moral outlook.

The Inter-departmental Committee recommended that all comics be registered and that it be made an offence to deal in unregistered comics. There are strong doubts whether the adoption of those proposals would provide a satisfactory solution. Once registration were obtained (which would be almost automatic on application) much damage might be done by the distribution of a particular issue before registration could be cancelled.

Surely a simpler, faster, and safer procedure would be to make initial registration more difficult and subsequent deregistration more speedy.

Amendments recently made to the laws of various Australian States should result in a general improvement in the standard of publications distributed in Australia, and consequently in New Zealand. On the other hand, this tightening of the law may induce distributors to dump in New Zealand publications for which they have no longer a market in Australia.

A banning, rather than a censors.h.i.+p, of printed matter injurious to children should be the subject of immediate legislation for three reasons:

(_a_) To prevent the Dominion being used as a market to offset any trade lost in some Australian States;

(_b_) To encourage the efforts of those people who seek to lead children through good reading to better things; and

(_c_) To let publishers know that the time has pa.s.sed when publications likely to be injurious to the minds of children and adolescents may be distributed by them with impunity.

In order to meet the situation, it would be desirable for the Government to promote special legislation along the lines of the Victorian Police Offences (Obscene Publications) Act 1954.

The Victorian legislation is particularly effective since not only does it widen the definition of "indecent" and "obscene", and enables the police themselves to inst.i.tute proceedings for breaches of the Act, but it also compels all distributors to be registered. Then, should a distributor be convicted of an offence, he may be deregistered, and in that case would be unable to distribute any other publication whatever.

Despite frequent reference to distributors dumping objectionable publications on a newsagent or bookseller, who has to accept the bad before he can get the good, the Committee has not received any definite evidence of this practice occurring in New Zealand.

=(2) Films=

The cinema is the only field of entertainment in New Zealand where official supervision in the interest of juveniles is exercised by a public servant with statutory powers. The Government Film Censor interprets his role chiefly as one of guiding parents. On occasions he bans a film; more often he makes cuts in films; most often he recommends a restriction of attendance to certain age groups. The onus is then on parents to follow the censor's advice, on theatre managers to adhere to his rulings, and on the Government to see that the law is enforced.

It is not part of the censor's duty to see that his rulings are observed. A survey taken in 1952 revealed that about one-quarter of all films advertised in the press were advertised with wrong certificates.

Reliance upon such incorrect advertis.e.m.e.nts therefore deprived parents of the protection which the legislature intended for them.

Few prosecutions have ever been taken for such offences, and it is even doubtful whether, if they were taken, convictions would be recorded.

Some regulations (essential for this purpose) under the 1934 Amendment Act have never been gazetted; nor have any under the 1953 amendment.

Although the censor receives few specific complaints, and although film distributing and exhibiting interests state that they are complying with the spirit of the unwritten law, the following undesirable practices irritate a large section of the thinking public:

_(a) Publication of Grossly Extravagant Posters and Newspaper Advertis.e.m.e.nts_ in which s.e.x and sadism are often featured. The theatre managers concerned state most definitely that nothing more than genuine showmans.h.i.+p is behind this.

_(b) Screening of Inappropriate Trailers on Unsuitable Occasions:_ By their very nature, trailers are difficult to censor adequately and, because of their origin and intent, are designed to have an exaggerated impact upon audiences. Trailers of the worst type, however, are sometimes shown at special children's sessions.

_(c) Mixing "A" and "U" Certificate Films:_ In the words of the exhibitors, this is done "to obtain balanced programmes".

_(d) Admitting Children and Adolescents to Films With Restricted Certificates:_ It is difficult for theatre managers to determine the age of their patrons, and the warning notice of restricted attendance exhibited at the theatre may have little effect. Should the age be queried when entry is sought, an incorrect answer will probably be given. Worst of all, perhaps, should the presence of an accompanying adolescent or adult be required, there is always the danger of undesirable strangers taking the place of a _bona fide_ parent or friend.

_(e) Misbehaviour in Theatres:_ Once inside a darkened theatre, children, adolescents, and undesirable persons may behave improperly and the manager may have difficulty in exercising control.

Appropriate steps recommended are:

(i) The gazetting of the outstanding regulations empowered by the 1934 and 1953 Amendment Acts.

(ii) The provision to the maximum extent possible of non-restricted or "U" programmes for children's sessions.

(iii) The drawing of the attention of parents, repeatedly, to the fact that through the censor's certificates they, the parents, have a reliable guide provided exclusively for their benefit and intended for their use.

=(3) Broadcasting=

Disapproval has been expressed of many of the broadcast serials and suggestive love songs. If considered dispa.s.sionately by adults, most of these are merely trashy, but quite possibly, and particularly in times like the present, the words of a song, or the incidents of a serial, may more readily give offence. Obviously, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service can never please each individual listener, but, equally obviously, it should seek to avoid giving any public offence. The Service seems conscious of its responsibilities and tries to make its programmes generally suitable for family audiences; but it also aims to reflect the standards of its listeners, and some may feel that it should try to raise those standards.

Although the Service considers that it should never give the appearance of dictating what listeners should, or should not, hear, it has its own auditioning standards that should satisfy the morals of the most particular. Records must first conform with the very strict code of the Broadcasting Service, after which they are cla.s.sified as suitable for children's sessions, for general sessions, or only for times when children are a.s.sumed not to be listening. The Service can, and does, reject episodes from overseas features, and in doing so experiences no difficulty with either overseas suppliers or local advertising sponsors.

Restrictions on dollar purchases and the nonavailability of "sponsorable" programmes from the United Kingdom curtail the availability of commercial features, and generally restrict them to those produced in Australia.

On the other hand, the Service points out that listeners have a wide choice of broadcast programmes, advertised well in advance, and it a.s.sumes that listeners will be selective in tuning in their sets, and restrictive in not allowing their children to listen after 7 p.m. when programmes specially suited for them cease. This a.s.sumption, however, is not well founded. Once switched on, the radio frequently stays on, and children are then allowed to continue listening far too long.

Consequently, they not only lose part of their essential sleep, and sometimes even the mental state conducive to sleep, but they hear radio programmes not intended for them.

Just when, how long, and how often, children, adolescents, and even parents listen to the radio is something that has never been accurately determined in New Zealand. It is well known that young children listen after 7 p.m. and that adolescents listen until a very late hour, particularly on holidays, and for this last-named fact no allowance is made when the programmes are being arranged. Adolescents listening to the latest songs stimulate the demand for popular sheet music. It is the words of those "hits" that form the chief target for criticism expressed to this Committee. Popular songs are transitory in nature, and it is the tune, rather than the words, that makes an impression.

Crime serials for the young, and the not so young, are another target for criticism, but provided that the Service is adamant in its rule that "crime must never pay" loss of sleep is, possibly, the most serious consequence of over-indulgence by child listeners.

Some people claim that they can detect a definite pattern of suggestive songs and unsuitable thrillers in the programmes. In times like the present the Service should critically re-examine its programmes in order to remove any wrongful impression that might be created, either by a too frequent repet.i.tion of items where s.e.x and crime are prominent, or by the possibility of a meaning being taken out of them which was not intended.

The Broadcasting Service should similarly review its ideas about children's listening hours and rearrange its cla.s.sified times accordingly.

When crime serials are broadcast it should be made obvious that crime does not pay.

A married woman might well be included on the auditioning panel.

Even if the Service does all these things, the major responsibility will still rest upon the parents, who should select their children's programmes and see that their listening hours are reasonably restricted.

=(4) Press Advertising=

An examination of advertis.e.m.e.nts in New Zealand newspapers during recent years clearly shows how far the bounds of propriety have been extended.

What was a generation ago considered improper is now generally accepted as a subject for display. Advertis.e.m.e.nts, more and more based on s.e.x attraction, horror, and crime, occupy a large and increasing proportion of all advertising. Because this trend is obviously objectionable to a section of the community, such advertising must partially fail in its object of attracting. In addition, this advertising may be harmful to those juveniles and adolescents with whom this Committee is primarily concerned. Advertisers should, in their own interests, raise their standards--perhaps by establis.h.i.+ng a voluntary Advisory Council similar to that in the United Kingdom.

=(5) Television=