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16.2.1955AFFIDAVIT OF B. F. R. STAFFORD DATED
I, BASIL FREDERICK ROBERT STAFFORD of Arran Avenue Hamilton Brisbane in the State of Queensland make oath and say as follows: 1. I am a duly qualified medical practitioner holding the degrees and qualifications of M.B. and B.S. and am a registered specialist of psychiatry in Queensland. Since 1938 I have been Director of Mental Hygiene, Queensland and since 1950 I have been Director of the Psychiatric Clinic, Queensland. I have practised psychiatry as a specialist in Queensland since 1929. 2. I have perused a copy of each of the publications "Real Love" "Romance Story" "Real Story” “Real Romances" and "Love Experiences" mentioned and referred to in the affidavit of HERBERT LESLIE KELLY sworn herein on the Nineteenth day of January 1955 3. I have also perused a copy of each of the publications "Romance Story" No. 21 "Real Romance" No, 32 and "Love Experiences" No. 31 now produced and shown to me and marked with the letter "C", "E" and: "F" respectively. 4. In my opinion these publications rely for their appeal upon what is commonly known as "sex.
5. In my experience a psychological appreciation of the implications of the word ”sex, is important. It has three implications - (i) General appreciation of masculiniy and femininity; (ii) Sexual intercourse; (iii) Behaviour that stimulates the implications of (i) and in a certain group of unstable adolescents would tend towards (ii) 6. The behaviour that I have in mind is illustrations of physical contacts such as kissing and fondling which to a certain group of unstable adolescents are probably more significant as sex behaviour than either of the two concepts of sex mentioned in Clauses (i) and (ii) of Paragraph 5 hereof. 7. The certain group of unstable adoles cents that I have in mind is principally female and I believe that people constituting this group are considerable in number.
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8. The said publications in my opinion rely for their attractiveness on the emphasis placed upon the behaviour mentioned in Clause (iii) of Paragraph 5 hereof. Their attractiveness as literature is almost non-existent and they constitute a danger to emotional rather than intellectual instincts in respect of the certain group of unstable adolescents hereinbefore mentioned. 9. Their presentations both pictorially and otherwise continually suggest a "modus operandi" in regard to associations particularly physical between male and female and the whole essence of the publications is that physical contact is something glamorous and desirable. The illustrations emphasise this aspect of sex.
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10. The episodes portrayed in the publications almost invariably have the conventional "happy ending" thus conveying the idea that despite what might be misbehaviour of the characters involved no harmful results will ensue. Such a concept is divorced from reality and could bring about a sense of false values in moral standards. In other words the publications portray undisciplined social behaviour of adolescents 11. The underlying theme of sex throughout these publications is conveyed by constant repetition and in an insidious rather than a blatant manner so that their influences tend to impinge unconsciously on the senses. 12. In adolescence susceptibility to sensually receive influences is especially acute and the imagination is especially active and in my opinion these publications would in the certain group of unstable adolescents hereinbefore mentioned engender the desire to seek similar experiences to those portrayed and stimulate them to forms of immoral sex behaviour.
13. The influence of the said publications is accentuated by the pictorial form of presentation. Such a form of presentation depicts at a glance behaviour of the type mentioned in Paragraph 6 hereof in such a fashion as to mare readily bring about the desire and stimulation in unstable adolescents hereinbefore mentioned than by moans of the written word. It therefore extends the scope of their appeal to illiterate and sub-literate members of the certain group of unstable adolescents. Pictorial presentations would be more attractive to those members because it facilitates their understanding of the story and concentrates their attention on the subject matter of the illustrations which emphasise physical contact between male and female. 14. The said publications in my opinion represent a danger to emotional instincts and instil a sense of false values and concentrate on one particular phase of human relationship to the exclusion of all others, thus tending to destroy any sense of balance and stability in the individual which is necessary to a well ordered society. They constantly reiterate one theme which by its coninued repetition must affect the formative processes of character building balance and stability throughout adolescence. Such conequences to the individual concerned must lso injuriously affect society in general and the persons closely associated with such individuals in particular. 15. I have perused the report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents appointed by the New Zealand Government and dated 20th September 1954. The following extract from the report comprises that part of the report dealing with objectionable publications:- (i) 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,
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Immorality would probably not result from the distribution of these publications, unless there were in the child, awaiting expression, an unhealthy degree of sexual 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 institution (the greater number of them had had good deal of sexual 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
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distributed in Australia, and consequently in Now 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 censorship, of printed matter injurious to children should be the subject of immediate legislatlon 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 passed 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 institute 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. 16. I agree with the conclusions of the Committee with regard to the attraction of adolescents and some adults to many of the so-called "comic" books. I also agree that the more modern style of "comic" publication (as distinct from the purely children's comic) is basically designed for low mentality adults and I would add adolescents. While I have not the publications before me which the Committee had before it in my opinion the publications referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 hereof are included in the types of publication referred to by the Committee in its said report. SIGNED AND SWORN by the abovenamed Deponent at Brisbane aforesaid this sixteenth day of February 1955
