1938-06-16 — Page 10

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THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 16, 1938.

The China Mail

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Hong Kong, Thursday, June 16, 1938.

FILM CENSORSHIP

Government now hopes to rectify, dates from the year 1793, when the "Permanent Settlement" was adopted.

This system came into force because British rulers of Bengal, faced with the problem of rais- ing enough revenue to pay for the governing of the province, endeavoured to do so by forming an Indian squiréarchy on United Kingdom lines. For this pur- pose Lord Cornwallis, the 'then Governor General, entered into a bargain with the tax collectors he found there under which he sold to them in perpetuity the A tremendous hullabaloo has whole of the land of the province been raised out of the banning of in exchange for fixed annual the film, "In Nazi Germany," payments of a somewhat higher that which which might well have been re-total amount than served for a more important sub-they had previously collected for ject. Much misdirected criti-the Government. The immediate cism has, however, been a fea-financial needs of the adminis- ture of the discussion connected tration were thus met. But the Not only was with the "incident" and needs cost was terrific.

revenue sacrificed in the long seems to us comment, for it stupid to talk of Nazi influence run, but there resulted perman-

If ent hardship to the cultivators. spreading to Hong Kong.

The revenue suffered because anyone is blameworthy in the matter, the blame lies with the under British rule the value of the land subsequently multiplied cénsor or censors who having itself many times over while the agreed to the showing of the film contribution is made to the Gov- as a "silent" picture, later gave ernment remained to a large ex- instructions for its complete tent fixed. The cultivators were hurt because the ex-taxgatherers proved exceedingly grasping landlords.

withdrawal from exhibition. Al- together it seems to have been a footling gesture without very much rhyme or reason. We hold

Such popular discontent arose

no brief for Nazidom or any in the century which followed the

the

other kind of idealogical idiosyn- crasy, but it seems to us natural arrangement that laws had to be and logical that if the Consul of passed in 1859, 1885, and 1898, progressively limiting the pow- any nationality in Hong Kong ers of the landlords. feels that the exhibition of a pic- Up to the present, opposition ture is for any reason detrimen-has defeated all attempts that tal to the interests of his coun- have been made to reform try, he has a perfect right to make system fundamentally. Proposals representations in the proper for such reform are now to be quarter. The German Consulate's made by a committee over which action in this case created no Sir Francis is to preside. precedent. Contact between

task is no easy one. But the local consular body and film cen-existing system has proved SO sors is frequent.

unsatisfactory that good will The important thing is what should wait upon this new effort happens after

representations to attune long-entrenched pro- have been made and that is aprietory rights with the matter solely for the Hong Kong day welfare of the masses. sub- authorities. If there is

the

sequent criticism it must be Progress?

laid to their account. Cutting or banning of a film at the sugges-

*

The

every-

One is tempted to imagine a tion of any outside authority conversation between the shade leaves it to be assumed that the of a reformer of a century ago.... police censor or one of the out-and certain modern employers side censors has found the com- on the subject of child labour as plaint to be fully justified and introduced at the N.U.T. Easter remark- has acted accordingly. That is conference with some the point which seems to have able examples, including that of been overlooked. The decision, a cinema boy working 84 hours aye or hay, lies with the Hong a week. This last makes that Kong authorities, a responsibility"model employer" (in days when that cannot be side-tracked, and children were regarded as equal most certainly not to gainsay the to almost any labour) Samuel ordinary right of a consular offi- Oldknow of Mellor-by-Stockport cial to make a courteous request almost lenient to the "parish" for consideration of his viewpoint labour which he employed. He in a matter which he may feel worked the children only from affects the interests of his par-six in the morning till seven in ticular country. The dragging of the evening, as against the five- the swastika into the issue is to eight regime of some factor-

ies; and he fed them well, too, so. mérely to confuse it.

that it was a saying of the time that no one ever had owt to |complain of at Mellor."

* *** *

A New Reform in India

But would not the reformers- Meritorious endeavour to re- medy a century-and-a-half-old who in 1836 achieved the legal London Phil. Orch. blunder lies behind an announce- restriction against young per The Voice of Romance with Orch.ment recently made by the India sons between the ages of thirteen Ania Dorfmann Piano. Office in London. This announce- and eighteen having to work

DANCE OF THE YOUNG MAIDENS DX 829-I BRING YOU A SONG

DX 818-GRANDE VALSE IN A FLAT MAJOR

IMPROMPTU NO. 1 (CHOPIN).

DX 805-WALTZES FROM THEATRELAND

DX 824-PORGY AND BESS (GERSHWIN) .. Carroll Gibbons and Savoy

Orpheans.

DX · 87-PRELUDE IN C SHARP MINOR Sir Henry Wood and Sym. Orch.

VOLGA BOAT SONG,

DX 287-STEALING THRU THE CLASSICS

DX 819-MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR Sir Henry Wood and Queens Hall. ment is of the lending by the more than a twelve-hour day or Albert Sandler and Orch. British Government of the serv-a sixty-nine-hour week think it ices of Sir Francis Lewis Floud, passing strange that it should be highly qualified British agricul- possible, after a century of "pro- tural expert, to conduct an in-gress," to work children outside quiry on behalf of the newly con- the Act for fifteen hours in a stituted democratic administra week longer than the maximum" tion of Bengal into the land re-for those who came under the venue and land tenure system of Act of a hundred years ago? Or that there should be in 1988 that province.

Bengal is a rich, rice-growing nearly 7,000 young persons in riverine plain, considerably larg the London area alone working er than England and with 50,000,- more than seventy two hours'. 000 inhabitants, the great maj- week? How fortunate that Lord ority of whom are cultivators of Shaftesbury could never have an- the soil. The blunder, which the ticipated progress of this kind!

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